Depression is a common mental health disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. It can affect how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, often leading to significant impairment in daily functioning and quality of life. Depression can manifest in various forms, ranging from mild to severe, and may involve physical symptoms such as changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

For BIPOC depression may look a bit different, posing as irritability, a sense of foreshortened future in the form of thoughts about not being able to provide for one’s family or concerns about finding a partner. Depression can also show up as a lack of motivation; hard to get out of bed or difficulty engaging in the world (decreased participation in social activities, venturing outside to run errands etc). While the exact causes of depression are complex and multifaceted, they often involve a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.