Living With the Black Dog: What the Video Gets Right About Depression

If you’ve ever struggled to explain what depression feels like, I Had a Black Dog by the World Health Organization and illustrator Matthew Johnstone might help.

This short animated video uses the image of a black dog to describe depression—how it follows you around, drains your energy, dulls your enjoyment of life, and often shows up uninvited.

It’s powerful because it speaks in simple terms. No complex theories. No clinical language. Just clear, honest reflection.

The black dog gets in the way of work, sleep, relationships, and motivation. It makes people feel like a burden. It tells them they’re not good enough. It lies. And yet, like the video says, the more you try to push it away or hide it, the bigger and more disruptive it becomes.

That’s what depression often does—it isolates. It convinces you to suffer in silence.

The video also makes an important point: living with the black dog becomes easier when you stop trying to fight it alone. Talking to someone—whether that’s a friend, GP, or therapist—can be the first step toward taking back some control.

In my work as a therapist, people often tell me they’re ashamed of how they feel, or that they “shouldn’t” be depressed because they have a good job, a loving partner, or no obvious reason to feel low.

But depression doesn’t work like that.

You don’t need to hit rock bottom to ask for help. And you don’t need to wait until the black dog is unbearable before you speak up.

If the video resonates with you, you're not alone. There’s no shame in naming what you’re going through. Sometimes, just putting it into words—saying "this is how it feels"—can be a relief in itself.

Have you watched the video? What stood out to you?

And if you're living with your own black dog, what might help you take that first small step?