You're listening to a special archive presentation of TED Talks Audio.

This talk features comedian and activist Kevin Briel, recorded live at TEDx Kids at Ambleside, 2013.

For a long time in my life, I felt like I've been living two different lives. There's the life that everyone sees,

and then there's a life that only I see.

And in the life that everyone sees, who I am is a friend, a son, a brother,

a stand-up comedian, and a teenager.

That's the life everyone sees.

If you were asked my friends and family to describe me, that's what they would tell you.

And that's a huge part of me.

That is who I am.

And if you're asked me to describe myself, I'd probably say some of those same things.

And I wouldn't be lying,

but I wouldn't totally be telling you the truth either.

Because the truth is, that's just the life everyone else sees.

In the life that only I see, who I am, who I really am,

is someone who struggles intensely with depression.

I have for the last six years of my life and I continue to every day.

Now for someone who has never experienced depression or doesn't really know what that means,

that might surprise them to

hear because there's a pretty popular misconception that depression is just being sad when

something in your life goes wrong, when you break up with your girlfriend, when you lose a loved one,

when you don't get the job you wanted. But that's sadness. That's a natural thing. That's a natural

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