Depression is hard to explain to someone who has not lived with it. People often picture constant crying, when the reality for many is closer to flatness, exhaustion and a long list of small things that suddenly feel impossible. That gap is why a set of thirteen hand-drawn charts went viral in 2015: they put everyday experiences of depression into pie charts, bar graphs and Venn diagrams that anyone could understand at a glance.
The World Health Organization describes a depressive episode as low mood or a loss of interest and pleasure that lasts most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks. It often comes with poor concentration, guilt or low self-worth, hopelessness, disturbed sleep, changes in appetite and very low energy. It is not the same as an ordinary bad week, and it is common: WHO estimates that about 5% of adults worldwide live with it.
Below, each chart is grouped by theme and explained: what it shows, why so many people recognised themselves in it, and what is known about that part of depression. The charts are meant to make people feel seen, not to diagnose anyone.
What depression actually feels like day to day
The emotional equivalent of watching paint dry
The first pie chart shows what people imagine depression to be: one solid slice of sadness. The second shows a mix of hopelessness, self-loathing, isolation, anxiety, guilt and a little sadness, with half the circle taken by plain emptiness. Many people describe depression as numbness rather than grief, and clinicians call the loss of pleasure and interest anhedonia, one of the two core signs of the condition.
Hours spent gathering energy
Here a short bar for "doing things" stands next to a towering bar for lying in bed trying to find the energy to do them. Fatigue and slowed thinking are among the most common symptoms, and they explain why a simple task such as a shower or a phone call can take hours of internal negotiation.
Time spent worrying on a good day
This pie chart shows a good day: a thin slice of actually enjoying it and a huge slice of worrying about how long it will last. People who have had several episodes often describe this anticipatory dread, which can quietly spoil the better days too.
Work, sick days and unfinished plans
The mental health day Venn diagram
One circle is the days you need to stay in bed; the other is the days you feel able to tell your boss the real reason. The overlap is labelled "times you actually have a cold". Stigma around mental health at work is real, and many people still find it easier to report a physical illness than to say they are struggling with depression.
Plans versus energy
A tall bar for everything you want to accomplish sits beside a tiny one for the energy available to follow through. The gap between intention and ability is not laziness; reduced energy and concentration are listed symptoms of depression, and they usually improve with treatment.
Small mistakes, big anger
This line graph shows anger at yourself rising steeply even as mistakes get smaller and sillier. Excessive guilt and harsh self-criticism are part of how depression is defined, which is why a forgotten email can feel like proof of total failure.
Recovery is not a straight line
How you hoped recovery would go
A neat diagonal arrow shows the recovery people hope for; a wild zigzag shows how it usually goes, still trending upward overall. Setbacks during treatment are common and do not mean that treatment has failed. If symptoms come back or get worse, it is worth going back to your doctor rather than quietly stopping.
"I'm tired" has two meanings
Half the pie is ordinary sleepiness; the other half is a permanent exhaustion that sleep does not fix. Sleep problems run in both directions in depression, from insomnia to sleeping far more than usual, and neither leaves people feeling rested.
Words that hurt and words that help
The "all in your head" chart
As someone becomes more convinced that depression is "all in your head", the sufferer's irritation climbs in a straight line, labelled with a joking exaggeration about murder. The humour points at something serious: dismissive comments make people less likely to ask for help. Depression is a recognised health condition linked to biological, psychological and social factors, not a choice or a weakness.
Being told to cheer up
This curve shows that the more often people are told to just cheer up, the less cheered they feel. Well-meant advice can sound like blame. Listening, staying in touch and offering practical help, such as company on a walk or a lift to an appointment, usually does more good.
When "I'm depressed" means "I'm a bit fed up"
The large slice says "damn, I'm super bummed"; the thin slice says "I have depression". When the word is used casually for every low mood, people with the condition can feel their experience is taken less seriously. Being precise about the difference helps everyone.
The people around you
True friends and the ones who drain you
A large yellow circle for true friends sits beside a small one for people who make you feel like a burden. Feeling like a burden is a common thought pattern in depression, and supportive relationships are one of the strongest protective factors. WHO lists staying connected with family and friends among the things that help alongside treatment.
A reminder in bar-chart form
The last chart has a tiny bar for how strong you feel sometimes and a tall one, marked with a heart, for how strong you are. It is a kind message to end on, and a fair one: getting through ordinary days with depression takes real effort that often goes unseen.
If these charts sound familiar
Depression is treatable, and most people improve with the right support. WHO says psychological treatments such as behavioural activation, cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy and problem-solving therapy are the first-line approach, and that antidepressants can be added for moderate and severe depression. Which option suits you is a decision to make with a doctor.
Alongside treatment, keeping regular sleep and meals, moving your body, doing small things you used to enjoy, cutting back on alcohol and talking to someone you trust can all help. If you have had several of the feelings above for two weeks or more, talk to a doctor or another health worker.
If you are thinking about suicide or feel you are in danger, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line immediately. For more on how this condition is explained to others, see Matthew Johnstone's black dog animation about depression.
Sources: World Health Organization: Depressive disorder (depression) fact sheet. The charts circulated widely online in 2015 under the title "13 Charts That Perfectly Describe What It Feels Like To Be Depressed"; we could not confirm the name of the illustrator and will gladly add the credit.
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OMG that was really helpful !! But the sad thing is that i can relate :/
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