There so many questions I want answers to before I succumb to the slumber of the great beyond.
Some answers are to the ethereal and spiritual questions, and some are hardcore murder mystery and drama answers.
What happened to Hoffa?
Are all of the episodes of Dateline NBC correct?
I love a great mystery but an unsolved mystery just eats away at me.
I'm not alone.
Redditor havehart wanted to discuss the greatest mysteries that plague us all. Will we ever know? They asked:
"What is the unsolved mystery you'd most love to see solved?"
This is why these crime series on Netflix and podcasts have gotten so popular.
Everyone loves a good mystery.
In the Sky
"Would love to know exactly what happened to Amelia Earhart. The theories are all more than likely and one of them is probably the truth! But it would still be cool to have the full story and closure." ~ Bitter_Theory5467
Eruptions...
"What happened in 536CE?"
"Records from around the world talk about 3 years of winter, destroying vineyards, frost in the Mediterranean…dendrochronology (tree ring studies) shows a period of reduced to no growth during that period in places as far flung as Ireland and the Pacific Northwest."
"There were no supervolcanic eruptions that year, no evidence of meteor/comet impact. It’s theorized Iceland had an eruption that spread on the jet streams to affect the northern hemisphere, but the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Project has never reported a volcanic event higher than a VEI 6 (basically, amount of ejection and damage), and nothing higher than a 5 from the two most active volcanoes of the period (Katla and Hekla)."
"VEI 8 is a supervolcanic/caldera event, like Jemez in New Mexico or Yellowstone. So what happened? 536 CE - Smithsonian Global Volcanism Project" ~ BSNmywaythrulife
Long Pause
"Why the Polynesian people stopped sailing for ages in an event known as the Long Pause. About three and a half thousand years ago some time after Polynesians explored the Pacific and arrived at Fiji, and despite some evidence that they were expert wayfarers and navigators and boat builders, they just stopped."
"Stopped sailing, stopped exploring, stopped travelling for nearly two thousand years. And no one really knows why. We've got theories from multiple bad storm seasons, to El Nino effects, to Moana's interpretation that it was caused by the Rock stealing the heart of creation and causing sea monsters."
"That last one is probably the least likely. But we have enough evidence to be confident it happened and no concrete idea why. And its a tantalising mystery, because there was so much of Polynesia left to explore." ~ TerrisKagi
Jane
"Opelaika Jane Doe. I know there are a lot of cases for Jane and John Does being solved recently through DNA, and I only hope DNA can help here. Opelaika Jane Doe just stands out to me/pulls at my heartstrings because she’s a young child that was clearly neglected and/or abused during her short life."
"There are pictures that show a young girl that I think even police think is the Jane Doe but no one has come forward with information regarding who she might be." ~ bookaddict1991
Dahlia
"Who killed Elizabeth Short aka 'The Black Dahlia.'” ~ Cosmic_TentaclePorn_
"I feel like this is one of many cases that was never solved bc of corruption in the LAPD- it just happened to get the most attention. that Dr guy (i’ve forgotten his name) had like no morals, he had the surgical skills, he had a lot of power over officials in LA at the time, and when he moved to the Phillipines, another woman was murdered near his home there in a similar manner to Elizabeth Short. the evidence is all there, imo, so unless someone was trying very very very hard to frame him, it was the Dr." ~ romanian-gal
Amelia, Amelia... where are you?
We'll never know.
Or is it obvious???
9/11
"What happened to Sneha Anne Phillip, the NYC doctor who disappeared on the night of September 10, 2001. She was officially added to the 9/11 victim list and memorial in 2007 after her family fought for it in court."
"But her rocky marriage, professional problems, and the fact that no one knew where she was the night of Sept. 10th have led to a lot of speculation that she was the victim of foul play, or that she took 9/11 as an opportunity to run away and start a new life." ~ Darmok47
March 2014...
"What happened to eight-year-old Relisha Rudd? She went missing from a DC homeless shelter in March 2014. She had been absent from school for several weeks and they didn't follow up to ask about her absence. Her mom didn't file a police report immediately either. All the adults in her life failed her, poor girl."
"She was last seen with the janitor who worked at the shelter and used to treat her often. He was found dead of apparent suicide during the search for the girl. His wife/partner was found shot dead in a hotel room."
"The police searched a local park and didn't find a body. So they must have had a lead but never shared anything new after that. I check every year or so since it happened but nothing. Here's a link to more info if anyone's interested." ~ Crohnies
Only 3 have been found...
"The Secret. In 1982 an author published a book with clues to 12 hidden boxes containing keys buried in North America. The keys can be traded in for jewels. Only 3 have been found. The author died and supposedly only he knew the exact locations. I live in one of the cities that likely has a buried key and it drives me crazy that the rest of the puzzles will likely never be solved!" ~ Ashleysmashley42
Into the Wild
"What happened to the LA wild chimp. Okay this one is niche and I can't find anything about it except for a clip from 'Monsterquest' in an episode I've forgotten. Here's the gist: A private chimp owner had their pet chimpanzee escape into the LA national forest. Theoretically from a biologists standpoint this habitat would kill a chimp within weeks from hunger."
"California's forests just don't have the resources for an ape. but a few years later a wild great ape was spotted for just a moment on a hiking trail near a dry wash. If it was a real spotting how did it survive?" ~ CyanideTacoZ
“Peaked Interest”
"Andrew Godsen. Kid who just randomly got on a train one day and disappeared completely." ~ bumford11
"There is a YouTube channel called 'Peaked Interest' hosted by a person who shares this case, then does a very compelling segment where he turns over the different theories and presents the one he thinks makes the most sense."
"It is a GREAT video, I highly recommend it. Long story short, he feels there is a lot of evidence (that he lays out very well) that Andrew skipped school to probably go see a concert with the intention of staying with the family they had in London, and didn’t tell anyone before because he wouldn’t have been allowed to go."
"However, he met some terrible end in London. I think it’s the closest we will get to an explanation. Do check it out! https://youtu.be/o-AmGp3N4RA" ~ nomoanya
1996
"Two hikers on the Appalachian Trail were found in their tents with their hands bound and their throats cut. They never found who did it." ~ sev1nk
"Was that the couple that were killed in Shenandoah National Park, summer of 1996? I was working on the AT that autumn close to where they were killed. It really shook up the trail community." ~ pozzledC
"That's the one. Bill Bryson talked about it in his book as he was in the area just a year after it occurred." ~ sev1nk
Brutal
"I’d like to know who did the Hinterkaifeck murders. Five members of the same family and their maid, all killed. Six months prior to the murders, the previous maid quit because she heard weird sounds coming from the attic. The dad found a strange newspaper. They thought maybe the postman had lost it. But it turns out nobody in their little village subscribed to this particular newspaper."
"A few days before, the dad found tracks in the snow leading to their machine room whose door was broken into. Later that night they heard footsteps in the attic. The day of the murders, the new maid arrived. And then it happened. All six people killed."
"Four of them were lured to the barn where they were killed with an axe or some other farm tool, I forgot. Then the killer or the killers went into the house and freaking killed the two year old kid and the maid with the same axe. It’s considered one of the most brutal murders in the history of Germany." ~ ChhotaKakua
The Escapees
"What ever happened to the guys that escaped from Alcatraz." ~ T00_pac
"They survived. Hell, they even attended one of their mother's funerals in drag and didn't get noticed. Odds are they just left the country or something after escaping and only made very small revisits to the USA for things like family funerals." ~ Hudsony12
Origins
"How the universe started. What was it before? If it’s nothing, how did something come from nothing? Will people have the ability to comprehend such an answer?" ~ -Four-Foxx-Sake-
"Yep, this is absolutely the one for me. Since I was a kid I would sometimes just lay in bed and think 'but what existed before… and before that.. and before that?' It’s the one thing that makes me think existence still has mysteries to us, which I actually find kind of comforting." ~ bottleglitch
Valentine's Day
"The case of Asha Degree. It's been over twenty years and we have no idea why a nine year old girl left her home in the middle of a rainy night. Other than a few eye witness reports and some belongings, there's essentially nothing. No body, few leads, and it's been over two decades. The worst part is that the parents' worst nightmare happened on Valentine's Day, which also happens to be their wedding anniversary." ~ MissDeathAssistant
Lindsey
"I haven’t seen any other comments about this so I’m just gonna put this out there: what exactly happened to Lindsey Baum Me and Lindsey were family friends just before she went missing. She was 10, I was about 8. I didn’t grasp what had happened until years later."
"TL;RD: 10 year old girl is abducted without a trace in 2010 from McCleary, WA. The case is completely cold until 2017 when a fragment of her skull was found 100+ miles away in eastern Washington. Authorities have a possible suspect but to this day no arrests have been made." ~ bayliascaris
Ask Kendall Rae...
"I wish I knew who killed my dad. It’s been 6 years now, and the police have never tried to make a move towards it. And I am not sure how to solve this mystery myself." ~ Direct-Painter5603
"I'm sorry for your loss. the only thing I can suggest is perhaps reach out to Kendall Rae, she's a true crime YouTuber who helps smaller cases like yours. She takes suggestions from family members of those lost. She's huge, too, and she could help give the police a kick in the a**."
"From what I see, she isn't in it for the money. Families she's worked with say she donates all ad revenue from the video(s) about their loved ones, and in addition donate to any fundraiser. I think she genuinely wants to help. If you want to look into it, she has a link to a form you can fill out in every video description." ~ dawnmountain
The Sodders
"Realistic unsolved mystery I would like solved is what happened to the Sodder children. The surviving family members deserve peace after so long. Unrealistic unsolved mystery I would like to know what some of these UAPs we have seen the last 7 or 8 years are. For real." ~ RadicalTzar
Closure
"The Delphi Murders." ~ breadtanglewrangler
"This one drives me crazy. Those girls did everything right. They were together and managed to record their murderer. Yet he continues to live on. They were so brave. They deserve justice. Their families deserve closure." ~ Jigelipuf
"The recording that has been released to the public is apparently just a snippet of what they actually have. This gives me hope that they have more evidence they have not released and that it will lead to the killer." ~ star_guardian_carol
Back of my Mind
"Brian Shaffer's case is one that's been sitting in the back of my mind for years now.The fact that he vanished without ever being seen exiting the Ugly Tuna and that authorities didn't find any trace of him even after looking through everything in the bar is terrifying yet sad.I have a feeling that his friend may be hiding some piece of info but we may never know for sure what it is." ~ GIANTFLOATINGCOCK420
Some questions will just always remain a mystery.
Which is such a negative about life.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
- People Share The Strangest Unsolved Mysteries They've Ever ... ›
- People Share The Craziest Unsolved Mysteries From Their Home ... ›
- People Break Down The One Unsolved Mystery They'd Like To See ... ›
- People Share Which Unsolved Mystery They Would Like To Be ... ›
- People Share Which Unsolved Mystery They Would Like To Be Solved In Their Lifetime - George Takei ›
- Metroid Dread: Unsolved Mysteries the Sequel Needs to Answer ... ›
- The Netflix 'Unsolved Mysteries' reboot might have already solved ... ›
- Stranger Than Fiction: Unsolved Mystery or Lifetime Movie ... ›
- Unsolved Mysteries: 15 Creepy Cases That Were Eventually Closed ›
- What unsolved mystery would you like to be solved? - Quora ›
- What mystery would you like to see solved in your lifetime? : r ... ›
And there are just as many grievances for which we are not at all sorry.
Curious to hear about people's track record of their questionable behavior, Redditor NanoPKx asked:
"What is something bad you have done with no regrets?"
Is it petty theft or flat out stealing? You decide.
The Parting Gift
"'Forgetting' to bring back a company ipad after they forgot about me having it. Actually they never asked for it back so I still have it and use it."
– Koetjeka
Furry Companion
"I stole a barn kitten while delivering packages for FedEx. He kept climbing my legs and getting into the van, sitting under the wheel when I tried to back out (it was a steep driveway, no way to swing the van around). I called the number on the package, looked the name up on facebook, called the local non-emergency to get contact info, all failed."
"So I took him. Now, if you're not from a rural environment, you might not understand that barn cats like that are 'no-man's-cats.' For all the owners know, he got sick or got got by a coyote. And he would have died, because when we got him to the vet he had a nasty upper resp infection and some other nasties."
"Now, one deformed nasal passage and the cutest snore later, we have a bonkers little orange cat with the heaviest penchant for snuggling I've ever seen (his name is Monty btw)."
"Edit: I forgot to pay my Cat Tax: https://imgur.com/a/HIXS4us"
"Edit Part 2: Monty loves the attention. Thank you for loving him as much as we do :3"
"MmmmMMMMRrrrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW" -Montgomerey Valentine, 2022
– SonOfSkinDealer
The Dirty Treat
"A housemate of mine kept eating mine and my girlfriends food and even though I asked him to stop the only thing he would ever say is 'I thought it was mine' then keep eating it."
"Well I bought my girlfriend some ice cream she really enjoys and she put the half she didn’t finish back in the freezer. Well when she want to get the rest it was gone and it made me madder than I think it probably should have."
"The very next time I saw him and somehow keeping a straight apologetic face I told him how he accidentally ate our sex ice cream and that bits of it had been on our parts etc. I told him I felt guilty not to tell him and that I had to apologise for him to eat such a thing."
"I will never forget the face he made when I told him. A face of pure self disgust and shock to which all he had to say was 'I wish you never told me that' and proceeded to move out around a month later."
"Although he didn’t actually eat sex ice cream, like why the f'k would you put it back after use anyway? Sometimes I wonder if I went to far but in that moment I just did not care at all. He still doesn’t know it isn’t true and I’ll probably never see him again."
"F'k you Vitas buy your own food."
– SpicyDolphin74
Vengeance is sweet.
Payback Time
"A drunk driver hit my parked car, left a huge dent in the front driver’s side door, and then drove away. I happened to be looking out the window at the time and saw the whole thing, including his plate number. Cops got there not long after and took my statement. After a couple days and a couple phone calls, I found out nothing was going to come of it because he was the son of the sheriff the next county over."
"Fast forward a couple months, I see his car parked behind a local bar within walking distance of my apartment. I got out my hunting knife and sliced all four of his tires, and made a couple trips around it destroying the paint job. Yellow Pontiac Sunfire, and I still remember the goddamn plate number even after almost 20 years."
– IgnoreMe304
For The People
"I was a GM for a retailer that was going out of business. During the liquidation I let my employees that worked until the end store product they wanted to buy in a closet I claimed I didn't have a key to. Oh the final days I sold them all the items they requested for 95% off. 70" tvs, ipads, gaming laptops whatever they requested."
– Midnights606
Surreptitious Swap
"Years ago I worked for a wealthy dude who was married to someone semi-famous. He would waltz in every morning and talk about the fantastic dinner he had the night before, how he hung out with some other famous person or whatever else."
"He paid me peanuts. I had a hard time making ends meet."
"I was the office assistant and IT guy. So it comes time to get a new computer for one of the designers. I spec something out, and show it to him. It was a ripper of a machine for the time (early 2000s). But it wasn’t expensive enough for bossman."
"So I added a really high end graphics card. Boss was happy then. The card added nothing for the designer: they only did illustrator and photoshop."
"So I came in that weekend and swapped the graphics card for my aging one from home."
"No one ever knew. Or cared. And I got a new graphics card."
– Dudeinairport
When times are tough, people had to do what it took to survive.
T.P. Crisis
"In college I was so poor I would steal toilet paper from the supply closet in our major building."
– Business_Loquat5658
Hungry College Buddy
"I stood watch for a college friend who was going hungry because he’d been disowned and his roommates had made living with him intolerable after he came out."
"I was loosely affiliated with an off campus program with local churches that gave free student dinners on Thursdays. We would go to church to eat, then bring dishes into the kitchen."
"Anyway, he would go in there and steal stuff like peanut butter, literal bread (not an allegory), granola bars etc. while I watched out for the pastor."
"Eventually we both got caught, the pastor for the college students got a bit mad because he was responsible for us while we were there to eat. And I think it was offensive on some level to steal from church. But then he saw what my friend was taking, and asked him if he had enough to eat. My friend shamefacedly said no, not usually."
“'Okay, fine. Put the food back, and come with me.' Took my friend grocery shopping instead, got him connected with the food pantry and community garden at church instead."
– SchnarchendeSchwein
Based on these examples, people didn't twice about their actions in the heat of the moment.
Within reason, we all gotta somehow get by.
But do you think their actions deserve punishment?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
When a person sees someone they care about going through a struggle or crisis, their instinct is to uplift them with positive advice.
But sometimes, the wisdom imparted by friends isn't always helpful or relevant to the situation.
Curious to hear from strangers online who could do without specific knowledge, Redditor Saibotnl1 asked:
"What life advice can just f'k off?"

These Redditors have a problem with how certain people have on outlook on life.
Time To Rest
"Sleep when you’re dead."
"Cool, but you’re going to be dead a lot sooner."
– Tag2graff
Irrelevant Sadness
"People have it so much worse than you so don’t be sad!"
– notrachelmar
"To that I like to say, 'people have it so much better than you so don't be happy!'"
– ___jupiter____
Your Life Path
"Almost anything relating to what age you must be in order to buy a house, have children, marry, have a profession, or do anything else. Seriously, everyone's life is different from everyone else's. Make your life the way you want it to be. If you so desire. Up to you."
– Frn071
On The Contrary
“Cheaters never prosper”
"Yes, they f'king do."
– waqasnaseem07
People can get out of any situation they find displeasing.
But others feel people should just "stick it out."
Ignoring Bullies
"Just ignore bullys or get someone else to handle it for you. I have never seen this work, only makes it worse. The only effective way I've seen to deal with them is by not making yourself an easy target and make them scared to f'k with you again. If going psycho on their a** is the only thing they'll respond to that's their fault. Also want to add in schools they will punish you for self defense but that punishment is only sitting around a few hours in detention or sitting around at home with a suspension. The punishment is temporary boredom, it's absolutely nothing compared to being bullied and when it's over the important message will still stand that you will not tolerate being a victim."
– User Delted
Remain to be Miserable
"Stick it out"
"Whether that's sh**ty jobs, shi**y relationships, shi**y living situations..."
"By all means don't just give up on things when you face challenges, but if something feels wrong or is wrecking your peace then take some control and change it if you can!"
– petitezoey
"Easy for you to say," might be an auto-response to these suggestions for many people.
Invitation For Recklesslessness
"Live like everyday was your last"
Yall know what people do when they learn they have a single day left to live?"
– LimeGrass619
A Possible Consequence
"I did that as a teenager and ended up homeless and addicted to heroin. Didn’t pan out for me too well."
"19 years sober though today."
– Open-Section-7263
A Practical Approach
"If I knew with certainty that I had one day left, I'd double-check all my financials, my will, and my insurance policies, make sure my wife had all of my passwords and knew where all the money was, spend the rest of the day with her and the kids, then call the medical examiner and ask to lie down on the gurney so that when I die they won't strain their back moving my remains out of my house."
– Asteriad
Nose Stuck In A Book
"Work while they sleep. Study while they party"
"That's not a recipe for success, that's a recipe for a lot of white hairs, burnout syndrome and a stroke before your 40s..."
– Khomuna
Doesn't Apply To Everyone
"Do what you love and money will follow"
"I love walking my dogs and grilling food for my friends but That sh*t doesn't pay the bills as well as my engineering degree!"
– Elons_android
While people's intentions are good, they're better off keeping their two cents in their own pockets.
Not everyone likes to hear platitudes.
Sometimes, people just want to know they're not alone with their problems over listening to unlikely solutions that are nothing more than superficial pick-me-ups.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Kids start going to school from the age of five, and for the most part, they spend more time at school than at home. Because of that, teachers can become very important figures in the lives of their students.
Some students don't have the best home lives. Some keep it to themselves, but others confide in their teachers.
Curious about various situations, Redditor Delicious_Mastodon83 asked:
"teachers of reddit what is the saddest thing you found out about a student?"
In Need of Parents
"Not a teacher but was a school-based therapist. Had a student (7 -8 y/o) I didn’t know knock on my office door and ask if I’d adopt her and “if you have room, my brother too, but if not, that’s ok, we can be split up. We’re split up now. And I don’t take up space. I just need a sleeping bag”. Broke my heart."
– secretkpr
Heartbreaking, But Industrious
"My mom taught at a school in a bad neighborhood in Chicago in the mid 90’s. There was a second grader that would save his milk and ketchup packers from lunch for his mom so she had something to eat when she got home from work."
– PowerstrokeMe
Big-Hearted Mom
"Not a teacher but a parent with a 9 year old son. Every day I pack extra in my sons lunch because he tells me he has a friend that never has anything to eat. It's winter and my son came home and told me his friend was turning up with shorts and shirt and holes in his shoes. So I sent in a jumper and long pants for him to wear and some slightly used but good condition shoes. I have been up to the school recently and the teacher pulled me aside and thanked me profusely for helping this child. Apparently teachers are not allowed to aid kids they teach here in Australia and they have already reported the issue 3 times to child welfare without results so I was the only one helping this child. The teacher told me before I started sending in more food and clothes, this child would steal others food from their lunches and look through the bins because he was so hungry. They doubt he gets fed at home. So now I make sure to always send an extra lunch and some school clothes/supplies when I can. I can only hope child welfare eventually does something but it breaks my heart."
– spetzie55
Amazing Big Sister
"It was right after winter break and before class started I was just talking with some students and asked if they got anything fun for the holidays. One girl said on no, I don’t ever get presents, my mom is a drug addict. But I went out and got some stuff for my little sister so that she can have a real Christmas."
"She just said it so matter-of-fact. She was so used to being the parent to her little sister that she didn’t even care about her own childhood. It totally broke my heart."
– tonydanzascaulk
The Importance Of Human Affection
"Second hand story from my mom, elementary teacher for 30ish years. She had a hug or a handshake out the door policy, just some small contact and a proper goodbye, and had this young boy who always picked the hug. She wondered why he always went for it, most kids would go back and forth depending on their mood that day, so she asked him why he was always so excited for the end of day hug? His answer, "It's the only one I ever get.""
– needsawholecroissant
Coming Out The Other Side
"Two teenage boys (16/14) with learning disabilities were on my caseload, they never missed school but often ditched class. They were homeless mid-year after they went home from school to find the locks changed, their Mom had abandoned them for a new boyfriend. She didn't leave an address for them to find her."
"*Edit: both eventually dropped out, however a couple of years later the younger brother came back to visit. He and his brother were both working construction, and his brother had gotten married, had a child, and was living with his wife’s family."
"The younger had roommates and was saving for a car. He told me it was a shame I didn’t have kids, because I would make a good Dad."
"People often persevere, even with the odds stacked against them."
– Kursch50
True Parentification
"Not me but my daughter is a teacher, she has lots of stories but one that stands out for me is one of her kindergarten kids saying she was tired and her asking why, the little girl explained that she had been up all night with her mums newborn baby. She did this every night, fed her bottles and everything."
– lb47513343
Luckily, He Was Resilient
"This year I had a 17 year old kid enroll at my school. He was sitting in my math class and I could tell he was struggling. After class I took some extra time to go over a concept with him. I asked him to read the question to me, and he sat there silently. He then looked at me and said “I’m not going to lie to you, I cannot read. I have no idea how to say these words""
"Turned out at age 17 he was illiterate and had been kept out of school by his very religious, controlling parents. Over the past few months he has worked very hard! Now he can finally read at an 8th grade level and he is STILL improving!!"
– User Deleted
A Heroic Teacher
"I worked in an inner city charter school. One of my students (`M10) had a sib (M8) in a lower grade. The mom was there every day in the beginning of the year encouraging them, helping them and generally being very supportive... until a CPS agent spoke to me asking about her behavior. After CPS left things went downhill. The boys showed up late to class even though they lived a half block away from school. When in school both boys were tired from sleeping in the car while their mom "went fishing". She also had two very young girls which she dragged around making the boys take care of them. One day the boys didn't show up and their teacher walked over to the house to find the mom had loaded up the fridge, paid the rent for the month and abandoned them. The teacher (a candidate for sainthood btw) took them in, adopted them and grew them up to be great men."
– mopedarmy
This is really heartbreaking stuff! Luckily, teachers aren't just another adult in your life; they can be your saving grace as well.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains sensitive content about depression and mental health.
As the stigma around mental health lessens (however slowly), people are more forthcoming about the problems they are facing. One of the most common mental health issues is depression.
Depression can affect many different types of people. Factors such as gender, race, nationality, and even age have no bearing on whether someone suffers from depression or not.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, "...an estimated 3.8% of the population affected, including 5.0% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 years..."
Depression displays in certain patterns, such as mood changes, physical difficulties, and social isolation. However, depression manifests differently in different people and feels different to different people.
Reddit users divulged what depression felt like to them when Redditor iodineseaspray asked:
"What does depression feel like to you?"
Some of this is sure to sound familiar.
The Worst Kind Of Boredom
"Like being more bored than you could imagine but also not wanting to do anything at all, even breathe. So you want to do something, but you can't imagine anything that you would like to do so you're just sort of stuck."
– BuddhistSlater
"So you then spend literally hours staring at a blank wall hating yourself, your life, and everything around you. Well, as much hate as you can summon in the absolutely mentally numb state you find yourself sat in day after day."
– merryman1
Lack Of Motivation and Energy
"Complete lack of motivation."
"Ignoring people that I love, and who are trying to help."
"Just sh*t"
– HatFromStraw
"I feel it extra at work. Letting things slide until you either get into trouble or trying last minute to prevent it."
"Funny those times when I'm working to save my butt, the depression goes away and i feel super focused and motivated."
"I try to carry that energy over but no, it's rinse and repeat."
– ExtraBitterSpecial
Powerful Insecurity
"Insecure about absolutely everything, no hope for the future, dissociation from society and not knowing how to “act” anymore, feeling like I’m not as good at the things I always thought I was good at or that the “talent is wasted on me”, only food cheers me up and sometimes even that doesn’t work"
– tenamonth
Loss Of Creativity
"This. It's like some numb fuzziness you feel in your brain. It's the worst thing ever for an artist who just wants to create but your brain comes up dry with a dense fog that wants to just lie down for a few hours"
– FinnProtoyeen
A Mental Inability To Breathe
"For me, it feels like I’m in a lake with a ball chain tied to my feet, desperately swimming up for air, the only problem is the chain isn’t long enough. I can only get an inch of my head out of the water to breath, and as soon as a high tide comes, the water just floods over me and I feel like I can’t breath again. I live like this, constantly feeling like I’m struggling to breathe, weighed down by my own mind. It’s a struggle and I can’t really describe it in any other way, I’m jealous of people who don’t worry about depression"
– DrowningInBrokeness
"Like suffocating under a heavy cloak"
– kmartfreak
"Like being crushed. Like if the air was crushing my muscles and bones and I can’t breathe because I’m being crushed…"
"Kinda like that."
– Afreshnewsketckbook
Listlessness
"Scrolling thru your steam library. Thinking you want to play something, either not settling on anything or not wanting to put the effort into the game. Going back to the scrolling."
– Aistadar
"It feels like you're forced to play a game of Monopoly (represents life) and your just rolling the dice to appease everyone but you genuinely don't care about where you go, where you land, what you pick up, what you pay, what you gain."
"You kind of just watch it happen without interest and while people are cheering or oh no-ing for you, you genuinely don't care. Everyone is a piece on this board that hardly matters and you feel like we're all just running in a circle over and over again and it's boring and disinteresting as hell."
"You lose all curiosity for everything and just let everything happen and pass by you. No motivation, hardly any love, hardly any care. Feels like the world is in black and white and your waiting for the game to end became it's so absolutely boring and disinteresting, but it never does."
"You come to resent the game and eventually hate it because it feels like you're being forced to play it and suffer it's consequences when you never asked to play it in the first place."
"That's what depression felt like for me. Since then I've been medicated and recieved therapy. I'm doing a lot better now and I don't feel this way anymore, thankfully."
- KnlghtLlghts
A Relation To Fantasy
"You know that scene in the Lord of the Rings where Bilbo is describing to Galndalf what having the Ring all those years felt like? "I feel thin. Like too much jam spread over too much bread." That's honestly the best way I've seen to describe it."
– Electrical_Age_336
"I always say the closest thing to compare it to is a dementor in harry potter. It sucks every ounce of happiness out of you until there is only darkness left."
"Side note: chocolate always helps"
– sunfacer
Fear Of Lack Of Justification
"Like someone close to you died yesterday. Expect no one has, and nothing has happened to justify how you feel."
– AlterEdward
A Physical Pain
"Physical pain in my heart, will start crying just by attending to the physical sensation in my body."
– sagieday
Help Yourself
"I've always described it as having a shadow fixed to your brain which fuels things like indecision and negativity. You can do things to temporarily help but you can't truly shift it. Previous normality is forgotten. But it's amazing how much you can mask it."
"I found I didn't realise how bad I was until I started to get better"
"For anyone suffering with depression. Please, please speak to someone. Best thing I ever did"
– DavosLostFingers
Depression isn't something you can just deal with or get over. Learning to cope is not easy. However, as Redditor DavosLostFingers pointed out, talking to someone can literally save your life.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression, contact the American Psychological Association by phone at 800.374.2721 or 202.336.5500.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.