Major depression can be hard to understand if you've never experienced it. So you may find that your family members are a little confused by what you are going through. You need to let them in on what's going on with you. The idea SEEMS daunting, but major depression is a burden that will feel lighter once you LET yourself open up to people who care about you. You don't need to tell EVERYONE in your family-start SLOWLY and confide in one trusted relative first. If you're feeling up to it, answer questions about your major depression. They'll want to know about your symptoms. If you inform them about the most common ones--such as fatigue, disinterest, irritability, sadness and lack of appetite-they'll better understand why you may sometimes behave in ways they don't expect or understand. They may MISTAKENLY think that you can just SHAKE OFF your depression. Tell them that you have a very REAL illness which is caused, at least in part, by a CHEMICAL imbalance in your brain. Your antidepressants correct the imbalance, and YOUR work in therapy will relieve your symptoms, but NEITHER work right away. Eighty to ninety percent of people diagnosed with major depression DO recover successfully, but it takes time. You might need at least a couple MONTHS of treatment to feel the full effects of medication and to begin to benefit from therapy. Your relatives will be EAGER to support you-and you should let them. But they may not KNOW what you need, so give them specifics to the best of your ability-you might prefer encouraging words, an entertaining diversion or simple conversation. By the same token, you should feel comfortable with politely telling them when you DO want to be left alone. But...COMPLETE isolation isn't a good idea. Social connections are important- a 2005 study showed that emotional support helps ease depression. To get more information about major depression, watch other videos in this series.