Talinda Bennington Shares Photo of Chester Days Before His Death

She posted the photo to show that depression isn't necessarily something you can 'see'.

Depression and other mental illnesses aren't always detectable when you look at someone. It's not like people are walking around with a big brand that says "depression" on their forehead. Depression can effect anyone and everyone.

I have depression. I've had for as a long as I can remember. I'm not suicidal, but my thoughts aren't always hunky dory 24/7. I'm no doctor, but in my opinion, judging by my depression and people I know that have depression, the reason that you can't "see" it...Is because we care too much. We have friends and family who are there for us if we ever did need help, but we don't want to burden them with our problems. We're selfish and selfless at the same time. We don't want to be the Debbie Downer of your day talking about how we feel with our 'sadness disease'. So we plaster on a smile and pretend everything is okay.

Not all depression is like this. I have another friend with depression that is very open about it. They post how they're feeling and what's going on in their mind everyday on Facebook. Which I applaud, but doing it is risky. You have to have a strong backbone to take the backlash. Not everyone on social media is kind. Sure, it is a wide net to cast out to talk to people who can help you through a bad day. But there are also people that don't understand how cathartic it can be to just tell the world how your feeling and what's really going on in your head. These not-so-cool people on social media don't understand that depression is real and that it's a disease and sometimes we just gotta talk it out with someone. These people just see you posting 'Debbie Downer' updates almost every day, get annoyed, and then tell you to get over it. Which is not cool. That can actually make your depression worse, and maybe even cause suicidal thoughts depending on the person.

If you're brave enough to post about your problems or feelings on social media, go for it. Good for you. I'm just warning you that there are people out there, maybe even people you know, that might try to stop your progress. All you need to keep in mind is this: If they don't understand your situation, if they don't want to understand your situation or help you, then their opinion doesn't matter. Nothing they have to say will be helpful to you or anyone in your position. Ignore them. You were the one brave enough to put yourself out there and tell the world how you felt. You should be getting a comforting pat on the back, not getting reprimanded for it.

And if you're one of these people that see's these posts on Facebook and thinks "Why is so-and-so posting all this really depressing stuff?" TALK TO THEM. Ask them what's up. It may just be that your friend is just having a bad day, or maybe it's someone will depression just looking for a friend to get them through a rough patch.

Because you can't always detect depression just by looking at someone.

This is depression:

This is depression:

This is depression:

This is depression:

Depression has one name but many faces. One of those faces could (and probably is) someone you know. So be good to one another, okay? Sometime's it's hard to see, and sometimes we just refuse to see it. I mean, go back and listen to ANY Linkin Park song. It's clear as day that this was an outlet for Chester and his pain. But we thought nothing of it. Because he smiled. Because he laughed. Because "he looked okay".

If you are having trouble with your depression or have suicidal thoughts please call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or CLICK HERE for helpful links that can connect you to hotline and helpline information.

You're not alone.

Be good to each other.