Before And After Shots Capture Living With Depression

Viral photos show the reality of someone suffering from depression

The heaviness of depression is very real. It weighs and it suffocates. It can completely paralyze a person and make them feel like not doing a thing, including cleaning their room.

Which is exactly why so many have related to a post on Imgur titled “Me 1 – Depression 0!”

The user uploaded a picture of their messy room. The floor barely visible, empty plastic bottles strewn all over the place, loose papers and a bed completely covered with stuff. They wrote, “I suffer from severe depression and have a really hard time with cleaning and doing other kinds of household work.” They continued, “My room [has] been this messy for several months because I can’t push myself to take care of it. But this Friday I decided to finally do it!”

The user posted a second photo of the room all tidied up and clean. It took them three days to clean the mess and when they were done they proudly displayed the proof.

“You can finally see that I have a floor! Say hi to my teddy Nalle on the bed!” They continued, “I know it’s not a big victory, but for me it means the world to just be able to have my door open if people come over. I feel so at peace right now, just wanted to share with all of you wonderful imgurians! Me 1 – Depression 0!”

The pictures have been viewed over 300,000 times. There are thousands of comments, most of which are overwhelmingly supportive.

“I too suffer from depression and I know how hard it is to function. You rock and you’re an inspiration!”

“I’ve been suffering from bouts of depression and dealing with an eating disorder and my place is in disarray. This is inspiring,”

“This just gave me motivation to do the same, way to go!”

And while most comments are positive, there are some that claim the poster is just “lazy.” This is not an uncommon criticism that depression sufferers know all too well. For the record, anyone suffering from depression is not lazy. They have an illness. One that you might not be able to see. A person suffering from depression might have lack of motivation caused by their illness, (emphasis on illness) but they are not lazy. Laziness is a temporary state of being that a non-suffering person can solve themselves. To make that distinction is paramount to understanding and creating awareness around the disease.

An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from clinical depression according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America website. There are several types of depression and sufferers can have all different symptoms unique to their illness. If you know someone that is suffering from depression please support them and let them know you are there for them.

Today marks the last day of National Suicide Prevention Week and we encourage you to seek help if you are struggling, or know someone who is.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and is available 24 hours a day.