When I was 17 I was hospitalized for depression, or as my psychologist diagnosed "schizoaffective disorder". Some people will tell you that it's hereditary, and sometimes, like Sim mentioned, it could be the result of something terrifying in your life that triggers it. I personally think it was both of these things for me. My mother, though she would never admit it, is depressed. Her younger sister is actually in a mental institution in South Dakota right this moment for trying to kill her son since she thought he was "the Devil reincarnated". She supposedly heard voices that told her to kill him. My sister was even hospitalized in Atlanta when she was 14 for the same thing that I was hospitalized for. Knowing that my family history has a long list of mental and medical problems that's just what I blamed my depression on- heredity. I was in Windwood Psychiatric Hospital in Rome, GA at least 3 times over the course of 18 months before I told myself that it wasn't going to just go away on its own. No matter how many times I talked to someone about what was going on all they would do was listen and nod thier head, not give advice on what I should do. After being doped up on meds all the time, not being able to concentrate in school, and having to keep in touch with a psychiatrist every other week, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to help myself get better I had to find it within myself to change. The medication did nothing but make me into a fake person. I quit taking them but didn't tell my doctor, and I started thinking differently, acting differently, even dressing differently. After 2 months of me taking control of my mind and my life my doctor said that she had noticed a huge difference in me and that I could stop taking the meds if I felt comfortable with it. I didn't tell her that I had stopped them months earlier, but it made me feel so good to know that I done that myself. When I found myself getting depressed about something I would either call my best friend to come get me, chill with my dad and watch TV with him, or I would write a letter to my sister. I had to get into a very positive frame of mind, as cheesy as it sounds, and it honestly worked for me. Here I am 5 years later, and when I tell people about what happened with me they don't really believe me considering the person I am now. There are times that I feel I could relapse, and I do momentarily for a day or two, but I pull myself up before I get bogged down too heavily with it. If you have never experienced real depression before it is very frustrating, nerve-wracking, and something you never want to deal with, but if you have dealt with it, or are dealing with it, then you know exactly what I am talking about. I'm not telling you to NOT get help if you are depressed, but from what I have experienced it's really something you must do for yourself. I'm no professioal psychologist, but I know what worked for me.