To check out first-hand experiences with how black depression can be, visit www.crazyboards.org and lurk in the Depression category.

I have two thoughts on people who have not been diagnosed:

1. They just can't understand what it is like...just as someone with physical health can't understand what it's like to live with cancer or etc. It's a blameless situation - it just is.
2. Perhaps they should be tested and see if a diagnosis applies.

After five people died here lately - the father stabbing his wife, tenant, his two young daughters and then himself to death(the baby was unharmed) - calls to the Helpline increased by 30 a day, this in a city of 1 million. People were concerned about themselves, or about a relative or friend.

I think staying on top of that is almost a civic responsibility.

It's been proven that the cause of much true mental illness is due to chemical changes in the brain. Funny - when the chemicals create physical symptoms, we can call it Parkinson's and say it is a real disease.

But when the chemical imbalance results in emotional symptoms, people are just supposed to 'snap out of it.'

OK...people who believe that can just 'snap out of' their next bout of diarrhea....