Anyone can think of life events that would make you sad or frustrated, take away your energy, and even make you question the meaning of your life. We don’t want to call every passing low mood depression because we’d be making an illness out of what might be a normal way of feeling under bad conditions. Not every sad or mad feeling is depression that needs to be checked out by a doctor or therapist, but that may be a possibility. How can we tell the difference?

Here are some general questions to ask yourself when you’re trying to understand certain feelings:

Chances are, you or someone you love has been impacted by suicide. In the US alone, someone dies by suicide every 11 minutes. The good news? Suicide is 100% preventable, and knowing how to help your loved one navigate these rough times may be instrumental in their road to recovery.
Keep reading for CVT’s essentials on suicide awareness and prevention.

We’ve been there, we’ve done that, and we’ve learned from it. Read on for our insider tips for getting back on track – and staying there.