Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States affecting 16.1 million (6.7%) of the adult US population

A little over 1 in 10 adolescents are affected by depression, or about 12.5%.

In other words, if you were in a high school of 400 students, 50 of your classmates would suffer from depression. (additional article)

This is reflected in children as a whole, with anxiety disorders affecting about 1 in 8 children.

Depression can arise in children as young as 2 or 3

Globally over 300 million people suffer from depression

Depression is characterized by negative thoughts and/or the lack of positive thoughts

Though common, there is still a great perceived stigma concerning mental health disorders. Mental health is unseen and often left unnoticed and/or not discussed.

Only 25% of individuals with mental health symptoms believe that others are sympathetic to mental illness.

In other words, Three quarters of those who suffer from mental illness, believe that they are not understood. This perceived stigma can prevent individuals from seeking help and treating their illnesses.