No one believes your depressed? How to deal?

Hasn't happened in years, but when I was younger people thought I was just trying to get attention. It made me afraid to show anyone I was sad. I put on this happy front constantly. It became mentally, emotionally, even physically exhausting. I slept all the time and would half-heartedly float through life when I was awake.

I remember finally talking about depression again, many years after the last time I'd tried. I discussed it with people who had been depressed themselves. They understood what it felt like. It was the first time I felt someone really knew what I was going through. That went a long way towards helping me be more open about my depression, instead of suffering silently.