The term depression is being used quite commonly these days. While I would like to believe this to be a mark of growing awareness regarding mental health, that is not exactly true! Often, ‘depression’ or ‘depressed’ are used loosely as synonyms for sadness. This leads not only to misunderstanding, but even trivialisation of a debilitating health condition, preventing people from reaching out for timely treatment. To avoid labelling all sadness as depression, and more importantly, to know the warning signs – it is important to understand what depression is.