You might have heard many myths about depression, but that's what they are, just myths. Now it's time to learn the facts.

Myth: Antidepressants are habit-forming and will change your personality.
Fact: Antidepressants are not habit-forming. They don't turn you into a different person. They make you feel more like yourself again.

Myth: Depression is not learned
Fact: A research study done of college roommates shows that among roommates of the same sex, depression (but not anxiety) was contagious.

Myth: Depression only happens when something bad goes on in your life, such as a divorce, the death of a loved one, or losing your job.
Fact: Sometimes depression can happen, even when life is going well. Depression can be set off by things going wrong in your life, but that isn't always the case. Depression might be associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Myth: It's normal for teenagers to be moody; Teens don't suffer from "real" depression. 
Fact: Depression is more than just being moody. And it can affect people at any age, race, ethnic, or economic group including teenagers.  

Myth: Manic depression is a genetic disease
Fact: Manic depression is a presumed disease. The presumption declares, "carries the implication that some as-yet-undemonstrated pathological mechanisms and etiological agencies will emerge to explain the stereotyped set of symptoms."

Myth: If you can't snap out of your depression, it means you're weak.
Fact: Depression doesn't mean you have something wrong with your character. It doesn't mean you aren't strong enough emotionally. It's a real medical condition, like diabetes or arthritis.

Myth: The chemical balance in the brain cannot be changed by thinking or behavior.
Fact: Research studies at the UCLA School of Medicine show that cognitive-behavioral therapy alone actually causes chemical changes in the brain.

Myth: If you wait it out, your depression will always go away.
Fact: If you're suffering from depression, it might not just go away. For some people, if it isn't treated, their depression can last months, or even years.

Myth: Depression is a medical illness caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Fact: The cause of depression is not known. Its symptoms are associated with low serotonin levels in the brain but there is no proof that low serotonin causes depression.

Myth: Only suicidal people need antidepressants.
Fact: Antidepressants are not just for people who think about suicide. Antidepressants might help people who are depressed feel better. It doesn't matter if they've had thoughts of suicide or not.

Myth: Doctors cannot prescribe medicine to cure a theory
Fact: Doctors can prescribe medicine for a theory if they call it a disease, such as depression, even without any corroborating physiological proof that such a disease actually exists. They only have to prove, in blind studies, that the medicine makes people self-report feeling a little better than those who took placebos. Placebos also have a significant mood-elevating effect.

Myth: Talking about depression only makes it worse. 
Fact: Talking about your feelings to someone who can help you like a psychologist, is the first step towards beating depression. Talking to a close friend can also provide you with the support and encouragement you need to talk to your parents or school counselor about getting evaluated for depression.