Depression can seem obvious to you. However, other people: family, friends, significant others, they will not understand it as clearly as you see it. You need to be able to tell them what you are going through in laymans terms. You need to make sure that you can convey to them that what you are experiencing is real, not imagined, and can be fixed. But most importantly, when talking to your family, you need to make sure that they understand that it is not their fault, what you are going through is not caused by your family. Even if it is a lie, you do not want to cause trouble when discussing your condition.

Start by explaining that depression is not strictly suicidal tendencies. There are other things involved in depression, and you may not be suicidal at all. You want to make sure that you are able to communicate the feelings that you have, that you feel sad but there is no specific cause; that you are tired even after you get a full nights sleep. The issues are not so simple that they can be dismissed with basic cures.

It is probably best, though, to avoid saying that you have a problem with your brain chemistry. Since it is too hard to truly explain what that means, you are better off leaving any topics about your internal workings for smaller discussions separate from this time. Focus more on your feelings, on how you are working to get better, and stressing what makes you uncomfortable. That will help you to clarify it for yourself as well as for your supporters.