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Depression has not been claimed to be a viral disease, but I have witnessed the transfer of the mental disorder from one person to another. A few years ago, I saw a friend of mine fall into depression when she tried to help her boyfriend to deal with his own melancholy. I watched my friend's mental state deteriorate into a dark abyss. I did not understand what was happening to her then, and now that she is no more I feel guilty for about not being able to understand and help my friend, Amy. The preeminent way to prevent depression from spreading is by providing emotional support to friends and family in times of need.

It all started when Amy's boyfriend's childhood friend passed away during an unfortunate car accident. After the news of the death, Amy's boyfriend, with whom she had been in a common law marriage with for the last four years, fell into a trauma. He distanced himself from everyone, including Amy and spent his time alone. He always complained of feeling tired and not wanting to continue with his daily activities. He would spend his time around the house all day while Amy worked. When Amy got back from work, he did not want to spend time with her or even have meals together. He always seemed to be irritated of her presence.
However, Amy noticed he was still acting like his old self when he was with his high school friend Jessica. Therefore, in order to help him, Amy opened her arms towards Jessica, but ended up losing him to her. Amy watched her boyfriend move farther away from her as he spent more time with his friend from the past. They would go away for a weekend, and he would come back and tell Amy he needed a break from thinking about his deceased friend. Soon Amy came to the conclusion that her boyfriend was not depressed because of the death of his friend but he was simply unhappy with her and making excuses not to be with her. This new revelation tore Amy's heart apart. Amy's boyfriend suggested they go on a break to sort out their feelings for each other.
Amy was heartbroken. They had been sweethearts since college and she had let her life to be all about him. Since he was gone now, she felt lost in her life. She distanced herself from everyone and spent her free time alone at home. She did not like the company of any of her friends. The Amy who once smiled all day long had lost the spark from her eyes. At times she would criticize and blame herself for letting her relationship fail and at other times she would dwell in her sadness feeling helpless and worthless. When she would see some concerned friends, she would give them a fake smile to convince them she was okay. I fell for those fake smiles and thought she just needed time alone and then she would be able to move on.
I had not realized Amy was planning to move on forever. I failed to understand the seriousness of her mental state and that not everyone has the same level of strength to deal with problems in their lives. When Amy needed support from her friends, I left her to be alone. And I found the result, one morning, when her parents called to tell me that one of Amy's neighbors had found her dead in her apartment. She had hung herself from the ceiling fan using a rope. It is very tragic how changes in our life can cause us to slide into a depressive and in serious cases lead to death. My once full of life friend was a victim of depression. I believe her death could have been prevented if she had the support of her friends and family. After Amy's death, I have seen her mother have the same symptoms as Amy and since I know how important having someone there in times of sadness is, I spend a lot of time talking to Amy's mother to prevent depression from capturing its next victim.

Learn more about this author, Isabella Scholosky.
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