15 Artists Try To Show What Depression Looks Like

Chances are, some of your friends or family are dealing with depression. Sometimes the best start to helping the person who is suffering is to put yourself in their shoes for a moment. The symptoms of depression have no face. But understanding these two things—what depression feels like and how harmful it is—can show helpful clues.

However, not everyone is endowed with such empathy. That's why we're here! The collection of depression drawings we've put together below might give you an idea of what this mental illness feels like.

What is depression drawing?
Depression drawing is the artistic expression of people who suffer from depression. When these people express themselves through depression drawings, it can help them cope with their emotions and improve their mental health.

The artists behind these grim drawings have first-hand experience in treating mental illness, and their drawings illustrate this in a very relatable way. From monsters living in your head to feelings of complete loneliness, depression is much more debilitating than one might think.

Depression art compilation with deep meanings
Scroll down to see these depressed artworks from various artists and see how they feel or imagine this mental illness.

Living with depression is difficult, but it can be treated, so if you think you might be suffering or spot the first symptoms of depression with your family member or friend, don't ignore it. Get help. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 and provides free, anonymous and confidential support. If you or someone you know needs urgent treatment for depression, please don't hesitate to reach out. Call 988 or dial the helpline at 1-800-662-4357, or visit their official website to chat with Lifeline.

15 PHOTOS

#1 brain patient

#2 Devour the mind

The painting depicts a person with mental problems such as schizophrenia, insanity, depression, or other mental health problems. His endless screams make his mind devour him.

I have periods in my life where I feel like this. I wanted to make an illustration of my thoughts and my inner pain.

#3 depression

#4 Colorful depression

#5 Depression drawings

Why do depressed people make art?
As we said before, depression has no face. And people who suffer from it find it difficult to express what they are going through. But art is a medium through which they can express themselves. Art therapy is a popular type of therapy that helps people explore and express their emotions to cope with stress and improve their mental health.

If you suffer from depression, seeking help is always the first step. But you can also try to express yourself through art. Start with depression drawings, easy at first, and let your mind flow. I could help you in some way. You can also get inspired by the artworks in the list below!

#6 Major depressive disorder

#7 Artwork about depression

#8 Teenage depression

#9 falling

A figure sketch from "Falling", a unique art project I worked on between 2010 and 2014 about my experience with depression.

#10 broken soul

How is depression illustrated?
Illustrating depression has no rules. You simply explore your mind and try to express what you are going through through drawings and illustrations. So, give free rein to your mind and let your emotions flow through art.

#11 My depression looks like this

On my 27th birthday, my depression finally became too much. After many years of silently dealing with the severe recurrent episodes of my depressive disorder ma

Yor, I gave up. I wasn't feeling well and needed to take the time to face how bad the situation had gotten. So I basically "came out" when the phony great depression had been telling me...no more masks.

#12 My demons

#13 Can't Escape

#14 Fading Into Depression

#15 Falling Into Depression

What Represents Depression in Art?
Many symbols represent depression in art. As you can see in this compilation, monsters, darkness, tears, and clouds are a few of the symbols that express depression.