People who’ve never suffered a serious mental illness sometimes drastically underestimate the intensity of the suffering mental illness can cause.

Indeed there are people who physically feel their depression so profoundly that they are barely able to lift themselves from their beds in the morning. Depression has nothing to do with being 'down in the dumps' and has to last more than 2 weeks before it becomes a clinical case.

While suicide might seem like a cowardly way out to some, there are other sufferers who choose to take their chances with electro-shock therapy, which has experienced rejuvenated interest over the past 20 years. It should be clear, however, that anyone pursuing it has exhausted all over treatment and is still suffering to some great extent.