I thought this documentary was really well done. It managed to give real information on the many types and faces of depression, and all in a rather compact 90-minute format. My parents' library has this DVD, too, and I've asked them to watch it so they can learn about some of the things I go through everyday.

Interesting, learned something new..about depression

Anyone who claims that they suffer from depression AND claims that this DVD is over dramatized. Can't possibly suffer depression to the extent I have.

As someone who suffers from this condition, it was hard to know what to expect out of this documentary, especially watching it with family that did not necessarily understand or appreciate mental illness. The documentary itself is well-made, and it goes through various facets. It explores the stories of real people, from a broad range of genders, class, age and experiences. It touches base on a few different types of depression (e.g. bipolar disorder) and explores how the condition ultimately affected these people and those around them. The film also explores some of the medical background behind depression, but it does this later in the documentary (wouldn't have hurt to be introduced sooner, since I feel the introduction minutes were a bit over-dramatic and might discourage a viewer who is doubtful about mental illness to begin with). It is good how the documentary explains how medications work, different therapies, and how chemically in the brain depression affects its victims. They do look at cases where a person is heavily on medication, and where some people didn't rely on medication at all, so it does give the viewer options. Overall, the documentary means well and is researched well. I just feel some of the visual direction was a bit over-played, which makes me wonder how familiar the visual director might have been with the sensitivity of the topic. Some scenes, like at the start where the one man is lighting all the candles like some sort of occult seance, is a bit over-dramatic and makes the depressed person look a bit loony. I don't think the viewer needs this dramatic imagery to understand that a depressed person is in a "dark" place. One of the case studies, which involves a teenage girl, is a bit annoying as well. She acts really upbeat in her interview, and although I'm sure she did suffer before, they could have at least asked her to be a little less "preppy" in tone. I'm sure there are a lot of other teenagers that suffer from this disorder who could have represented the condition better, more genuine.

Very good, especially if you have a vested interest in knowing about depression and the people who deal with it.

Amazing film for those who suffer from depression, those who have a loved one who suffer from depression and those with an interest in mental illness, both from a medical and a psychological view.