Depression is often a silent battle. A Twitter hashtag briefly changed that.

twitter chatter 4 PM 08.07.2015

Tuesday, August 11 marks the one-year anniversary of the death of comedian Robin Williams. The beloved comedian and actor took his own life after a long battle with severe depression. Despite the outpouring of grief following Williams’s death, depression is a disease too often fought in silence.

Today, that briefly changed, as the hashtag #TheWorstPartofDepressionIs trended worldwide on Twitter, sparking a conversation on an issue many find difficult to discuss.

The trend appears to have started with Twitter user @ShutUpAmanda.

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs not knowing that it's there.

— Manda Posthumously (@ShutUpAmanda) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs waking up remembering who you are

— Manda Posthumously (@ShutUpAmanda) August 7, 2015

The signal was then boosted by Jenny Lawson, a popular writer who goes by The Blogess.

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs the waiting. Waiting inside my broken head for it to go away and not knowing if it will outlast me.

— TheBloggess (@TheBloggess) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs fighting a disorder that wants to kill you. Knowing that depression lies but not being sure which are the lies.

— TheBloggess (@TheBloggess) August 7, 2015

Soon, tens of thousands of others joined the discussion.

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs people asking "what do you have to be depressed about?"

— J. Skyler (@jskylerinc) August 7, 2015

I would say #TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs the feeling you are letting down people who depend on you.

— Popehat (@Popehat) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs is its ability to maintain dark thought patterns in the face of positive evidence to the contrary.

— Owen Linders (@OwenLinders) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs having someone tell you how you're feeling

— dirt city (@avxlanche) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs when you don't feel like doing anything, when you've lost all your interest in something you used to like.

— Poseidon. (@bloodyypeasant) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs the guilt. Feeling like you are letting everyone down. That those you love deserve someone better.

— Ros (@GameOverRos) August 7, 2015

While some shared personal stories, others used illustrations to express their feelings on the disease.

#theworstpartofdepressionis being blamed for your own suffering. pic.twitter.com/HUU30AN0mo

— Depression Army™ (@depressionarmy) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs what people think depression feels like. pic.twitter.com/2ob4UjQajJ

— Lyla; (@awesomelyla) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs This is the most accurate depiction of depression I've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/XfKzhMkqbe

— Funny Tweets (@FunnyThingsUK) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartofDepressionIs struggling to communicate your feelings with others. pic.twitter.com/g2NvFO7P8n

— Project UROK (@ProjectUROK) August 7, 2015

Even among the frank discussions of depression’s toxic effects, there was room for positivity, a reminder that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs everything I just said. But in spite of that, depression ends. Depression lies. You are alive. Today you win.

— TheBloggess (@TheBloggess) August 7, 2015

#TheWorstPartOfDepressionIs the every day struggle is exhausting @batshake1 @NoompsyDahling pic.twitter.com/WMsRwzNgPu

— Misty may have (@DaiseyDoesIt) August 7, 2015

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My parents agreed to help my sister and I with college. I went to a state school and saved them a bunch of money. My sister went to a private liberal arts school that cost three times as much. Now she’s dropping out, and she’s convinced my parents to give her the equivalent of her last year of tuition as a “nest egg,” since they “would have spent that money on her anyway.” I think that’s completely unfair, and I resent my sister for manipulating my parents and them for giving in. How can I get over those feelings? I always play by the rules, and I feel like I’m being punished for it.

-THE GOOD SON

There’s a reason parents love falling back on that phrase, “You think this isn’t fair? Well life isn’t fair.” It’s because they’re right.

If you want to tally up what your parents have done for you versus your sister in dollars and cents, you’re right, they’re being “unfair” to you. But the other side of this coin is that you’re clearly more capable of navigating the world on your own than your sister is.

Just look at the facts: You chose college responsibly, while she went somewhere expensive though she clearly didn’t value that. You finished your education and are moving on to the next phase of life, she’s dropping out. You clearly have your shit together in ways she doesn’t yet, but also in ways she may never achieve.

In a cosmic way, your sister might be the one who got the short end of the stick; maybe because of her wiring, or maybe because your parents indulged her, she’s not nearly as capable and successful as you are.

If anything, that’s not something you should resent her for, it’s something you should feel lucky about.

Try seeing this problem not in the light of money, but in the light of your parents loving their children no matter what. Your sister needs help right now, and they’re in a position to provide it. They’re choosing to do so because they don’t want her to wind up in a bad place.

You don’t need their help right now, and I’d wager anything they’re extremely proud of you for that.

If you really can’t get over the money, why not go to your parents with a “responsible child” proposal: Ask if you can use a similar “gifted” sum towards a down payment (now or in the future) or further education. If they say no, tell them how you feel: You’d like to be rewarded for your good choices, and instead it feels like your sister is being rewarded for bad ones.

Or, better yet, stop focusing on the dollar amounts your parents can give you, and try to pay closer attention to the sort of support that really matters, the kind that made you the “good son” in the first place.

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Trending

Depression is often a silent battle. A Twitter hashtag briefly changed that.

The trend appears to have started with Twitter user @ShutUpAmanda.

The signal was then boosted by Jenny Lawson, a popular writer who goes by The Blogess.

Soon, tens of thousands of others joined the discussion.

While some shared personal stories, others used illustrations to express their feelings on the disease.

Even among the frank discussions of depression’s toxic effects, there was room for positivity, a reminder that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Read more

But when Schoen purportedly reached out to her years later with the following tweets, she wasn’t prepared for his utter inability to handle polite rejection.

Josh Ostrovsky, known on the Internet as The Fat Jew, is one of the most popular users on Instagram.

This is Isis Wenger.

Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer is the subject of a digital manhunt after admitting that he killed a 13-year-old lion named Cecil, a beloved (and protected) lion who lived in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

In a cosmic way, your sister might be the one who got the short end of the stick; maybe because of her wiring, or maybe because your parents indulged her, she’s not nearly as capable and successful as you are.

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