As Descartes argued, the mind and body are the basis of our existence, and many different cultures view different illnesses either positively or negatively. Some cultures, like the Hmong, believe that epilepsy is a good spiritual thing, but others, like Western culture, believe that it is medically bad because it can lead to death. Many illnesses can be viewed both negatively and positively, some more than others. However, one such illness that is generally viewed negatively is depression. It is viewed negatively in a symptomatic sense – the symptoms are unhelpful – and in a diagnostic sense – people diagnosed with depression are not actually depressed and the illness itself does not exist; it's just an excuse to be lazy. There are many different approaches to depression and most of them view this illness as negative; However, depression is actually an evolutionary tactic employed unconsciously by humans that can have very positive effects. Depression is much more common than most people think. Because it is essentially an invisible illness and is largely in the mind, it is difficult to diagnose correctly and most people suffer from depression for months, years, or even decades. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines depression as "a mood disorder characterized by, among other things, sadness, inactivity, difficulty thinking and concentrating, a significant increase or decrease in appetite, and time spent to sleep, feelings of despondency and despair, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide.” suicide. » Most medical definitions are able to explain what is happening and why it is happening, but after looking closely at this one we only notice that it explains what is happening, but not why. Usually the symptoms of an illness are...... middle of paper ...... hard work and perseverance. The list of successful people with depression goes on and on and there are probably many more people who have had incredible accomplishments and were never diagnosed and had symptoms of depression. And as Friedrich Nietzsche, a famous German philosopher suffering from depression, once said: “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in suffering.” » Works Cited Burton, Neel. "The Anatomy of Melancholy: Can Depression Be Good for You?" Conference. TEDx. Narodni Dom, Maribor. November 12, 2013. Youtube. March 2, 2012. The web. November 12, 2013. Darwin, Charles. On the origin of species. New York: PF Collier and Son Corporation, 1937. 71-86; 497-506. " Depression ". Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013. The Web. November 10, 2013. Hammen, Constance L. Depression. Hove, East Sussex, [England: Psychology, 1997. Print.