I have struggled with depression for a number of years now, probably since I was in middle school. And my close friends are aware that this is something I deal with.

But I've noticed that whenever I mention this to people, most are surprised. Especially if it's people that I don't talk to every day or spend time with.

They always say something along the lines of, "but you're always laughing and making jokes" or "but you're such a bubbly person". They always tell me I don't seem like "the kind of person to be depressed". For a while, I took that as a compliment. I was glad people didn't assume I was depressed.

But eventually, I realized people say that because they have this image in their mind of what someone who is depressed is supposed to look or act like. That because I didn't walk around frowning everywhere I went or was this awfully negative person, that I was always happy.

When in reality, that's not it. I'm not always laughing and making jokes. I'm not always such a bubbly person. But how I, or anyone, may look on the outside doesn't always match how I'm feeling on the inside. It just means I've learned how to function with it.

A lot of the cause of this stereotype on depression stems from social media. I know most people can recall seeing at least one or two pages on Instagram of those "emo" accounts that always post about being depressed, how much they love heavy metal or screamo bands and wear a lot of blacks.

If it's not that stereotype, it's the one where people who are depressed never talk to people, isolate themselves, and always have a mentality of "the glass is half empty".

And while people like this just might be depressed, we can't assume that's how everyone is. So just because someone is smiling on the outside, doesn't mean they don't battle with inner demons.

When it comes to mental illness, as well as many other things, there's no one way to deal with it. And everyone expresses themselves in their own way. Something society needs to keep in mind is that you can never truly know what people are going through by how they present themselves.

It's what happens inside and behind the mask.