Of all of the maladies that I see in a week, the most common problem is depression. It is an equal opportunity illness, not bound by age, race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

If you or a loved one has not been afflicted with depression, you may not share an appreciation for what can be a most debilitating disorder.

I get a sense that non-depressed people have had it up to HERE with talk of melancholy. One therapist said, "If this is how all your friends are, it has a certain terrible normality to it." Are we, in fact, becoming a "Prozac Nation"?

For all of you eye-rollers out there, it really isn't about being just sad.

Everyone gets sad. There are life moments that inspire moods of anger, tears, and frustration. But then, as the situation becomes resolved, we rejoin the human race and can experience joy even in the mundane.

No, what I'm talking about is the black hole. What William Styron refers to as "Darkness Visible". It arrives slowly, insidiously. True clinical depression exists long before symptoms become problematic. It is often in your emotional peripheral vision. You know something is there, something is not quite right, but you cannot see it clearly.

It is, to me, analogous to some forms of cancer. It is growing, its host unaware of the tempest brewing, until one day it gets your attention with undeniable symptoms. There are the more vegetative symptoms such as appetite and/or sleep disturbances, lack of energy, problems concentrating. You take to your bed, held there as if by centrifugal force.

Less visible, but more debilitating is the emotional devastation. Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, an invisible illness like having a broken rib. You can't see it, but every breath is painful. You are quite certain that no one can help, nothing will work, and you will always, always, always feel like this.

Then, it may feel as if your friends and family are beginning to avoid you, which is probably an accurate assessment. It is so incredibly easy to get annoyed with someone who's depressed. They seem so very self-involved, self-pitying, attention-seeking. Conversing with them is either a perseveration on the same old issues, or like talking to a wall, and who needs that?

If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, please seek help.

Even if you start with your family doctor, you will be moving in the right direction. Contrary to your thinking, life can be joyful again, not merely endured.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. Christine Priesol is a licensed clinical social worker. She maintains a private practice in Munster. She can be reached at cpriesol@aol.com. Due to volume, she is unable to answer each letter individually.