Why does it feel so hard to accept depression as an illness that can be treated instead of punishing yourself for not being ok ?

it's difficult because depression is normally seen as a mood like when people say that they feel "depressed" when in fact they're just having a bad day and it's sometimes difficult to realise that you're not okay when it could just be a bad day so you punish yourself because you think you're in a bad mood when in reality you have a very treatable illness

Because depression slows down what you are able to think about and accomplish and traditionally that was thought of as being willful or lazy or some other character trait. At best it was thought to be a "lack of motivation" so it requires a change of thinking from the very same organ that is affected by the illness. Your brain has a chemical imbalance that makes it even easier to beat up on yourself, and so it can be like swimming upstream to accept a new train of thought regarding all these things that you learn, but its worth it.. just keep at it.. keep reinforcing it.. eventually it will stick and you will remember that it is an illness not a flaw of character and you will be able to move on to other parts of the onion and peel them away too.

Because accepting that your own mental state is currently ill is a whole new level. You will feel as if you were insane. and depression already causes low self esteem.

Because for me personally, it makes me feel weak. I feel like I should be able to deal with it myself and be strong enough to beat it without help. And it is harder when you feel like you are the only person who is going through this issue.

"Punishing yourself fo not being ok" is part of depressive thinking and part of the depression itself. Don´t beat yourself up for beating yourself up (so to say). You are depressed, you are most likely angry with yourself. It´s okay and part of depression. Take your time to heal.

Depression can often be characterized by individuals experiencing the illness as an internal problem that they are responsible for rather than a obstacle many of us face that can be overcome, especially with the support of others.

I think one of the main things that makes this so hard is that society has such a negative stigma surrounding mental illness. If loved ones in your life think of it negatively or 'not real,' you might feel ashamed yourself in fear of disappointing others.

I think there's so much social stigma around any illness that can't be seen by others, that we sometimes feel embarrassed to admit it to others and even ourselves. Unfortunately I think a lot of people judge others by appearance, and if we appear to be alright then they find it difficult to believe that we aren't. It is really important to realise that depression is a medical illness, though. It is nobody's fault, there may not be any simple cause or simple solution, but being open to understanding our illness and seeking help, therapy, medication, whatever method works for us, is incredibly important if we want to get better. There is nothing to be ashamed of- you wouldn't be ashamed of a broken leg, depression is just the same except others can't see the damage.

Because people falsely believe that they should be happy because everyone they see on TV are happy, or their friends seem happy, but everyone has problems and every has low points. It's okay to feel down and depressed, and it's okay to have clinical depression (a chemical imbalance of the brain), keep talking to people, and you'll realize that you are not alone and neither are your experiences.

I have the same problem. For me, I hope you won't apply that to yourself unquestioningly cause for you it may be completetly different but it is my view. I see it the way if it is a proper illness then I'm hopeless and can't do anything execpt for waiting for some magical cure (as nothing worked properly yet) so it makes me even more depressed. And when I see myself as lazy and moody I feel aweful I am this way but also it gives me hope I can fight that cause it's only my "bad behaviour". Unfortunatelly I end up only more depressed cause I never manage to take that chance I see in "not being ill" so I guess it's better to accept depression as an actual illness and not losing hope for recovery anyway :) I know it's easier said than done and I haven't managed that myself yet but I hope you will do or at least my explaination will help you somehow, take care :)