If you’re feeling a little depressed, you might figure it’s okay to ignore it. After all, everyone struggles a bit sometimes, right?

It may be true that mental health struggles are a common thing in this modern age. But what if it’s a bad thing that they’re so common?

Maybe instead of taking comfort in the fact that so many people seem to be struggling, it’s time for us as a society to start taking it seriously. It’s time to talk about depression—and to do something about it.

How Bad is the Problem?

The odds are very high that you know someone who is battling with mental health issues. Even if they don’t talk about depression, it doesn’t mean they don’t have it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 million people worldwide are dealing with depression. That’s about 18 percent of the population, which is close to epidemic levels. But a lot of those people aren’t receiving treatment, which is a very big problem indeed.

Why Don’t People Talk about Depression?

There are a lot of reasons that we don’t talk about depression enough. For starters, it’s the American way to “suck it up” and pretend everything is fine. We’re supposed to project an image that everything is under control. A lot of people are still fighting against society’s stigmas and prejudice against depression.

According to Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General, that stigma prevents a lot of people from seeking the treatment they need. In a statement, Dr. Chan said, “These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to rethink their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency that it deserves.”

WHO started a campaign to make people aware of how many people are suffering from these mental health issues and to encourage people to talk about depression. The more we talk about depression, the more we take the power out of the stigma around it.

What’s at Stake?

Depression is about more than just feeling a little blue. In the big picture, its impact is more like a heart attack than the common cold. In fact, untreated depression actually increases the risk of having a heart attack—and a long list of other serious ailments, too. Depression increases the risk not only heart disease but also diabetes and substance abuse. Untreated depression is even life-threatening, putting people at a significantly greater risk of suicide.

There are societal costs to depression as well. Depression causes lost productivity due to missed work, which has a major economic impact. In short, the downsides and drawbacks of depression are devastating and widespread. It’s not just a minor issue we should sweep under the rug.

What Can We Do about It?

We need to open up a conversation about depression to reduce the stigma around it. But we also need to do more than just talking about depression. In short, we need to put our money where our mouth is. Investing in mental health care has significant payoffs, with each dollar invested paying off in four dollars of benefit. But it’s not always a matter of money alone because even people in wealthy countries struggle with depression.

Treatment for depression is not always quick and easy, though. Most health insurance programs cover antidepressant medications. But medication alone is often not sufficient to fully resolve mental health struggles; many people need a combination of both medication and talk therapy.

The good news about depression is that it’s extremely treatable. When we talk about depression and eliminate the stigma around it, we can help people live happier, more productive lives.