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Yes, both sides - it's a somewhat inherited trait from my mother's side so luckily when I experienced it I already knew that there was no shame in asking for help. What was far more scary for me was experiencing anxiety issues after my mum passed away - it was something that I had no experience (1st or 2ndhand) with whatsoever, which made it hard to acknowledge the extent in which it was impacting my life.

Yes. I've been treated and medicated for depression since age 15 (along with generalized & social anxiety disorders). I have a feeling my dad also deals with depression, though he wouldn't ever go to a doctor or discuss it. My sister also has depression, combined with borderline personality disorder. Its extremely interesting to see how we're all impacted differently by the same disorder.

Yes. My sister has dealt with depression episodes since we were teenagers. It was always frustrating to me; I didn't understand how she couldn't "get happy" already! As I got older I got more compassion and helped her find a therapist because I knew I couldn't understand what she was going through.

Then my husband and I moved to a new state away from my family, friends, and job I loved. I knew I would struggle with the change (it's not my strong suit), so I denied that I had a problem for most of a year. On top of the move, we got a puppy & I was at a job where I was constantly emotionally bullied and abused. I would flip out about the littlest things, have no motivation to do anything, and I always felt like I was suffocating. It was awful & when I realized what it was doing to my husband I went to therapy. That helped a lot (as well as quitting that job), but I still have some depression "behaviors" when I feel overwhelmed.

It's so hard to understand it unless you have had it yourself. It's so complex! And I've apologized to my sister for all my unhelpful words when we were younger!