Depression is defined as living in a body that struggles to survive with a mind that’s trying to die. Depression destroys. It breaks you down. It shatters. It drains you of the energy and motivation to do anything. It gets to the point where even opening a window requires half an hour of sitting down to rest, gathering enough energy as if you were about to climb a mountain.

Depression is one of those problems you can’t ignore or just push aside by keeping busy. It starts as a small spot inside your psyche and doesn’t let go until it takes over your entire being, stripping away more and more of your ability to handle daily life with each passing day.

I think the reason depression has become so widespread and affects the whole world comes from the way we look at it. We dismiss its effects too easily, thinking it should go away on its own or that if we change something, it will just automatically vanish. But depression is an illness. An illness like any other, and like any other, it requires time and medication to heal.

The Dorna podcast, created by Maryam Safa, is a commendable effort to help people better understand and confront this black dog that, once it arrives, doesn’t know how to leave.