What is Depression?
Depression seems to be in the news a lot lately, and you may be wondering, "Just what is depression?" Let's start with what depression is not.
• Depression is not a bad mood.
• Depression is not a case of the blues.
• Depression is not imaginary, although it is in the sufferer's head.
• Depression cannot just be shaken off or wished away.
• Depression is not a state of being that you can snap out of.
• Depression is not a sign of weakness; mental, physical or otherwise.
• Depression is not something to ignore.
Now that you know what depression is not, let's focus on the question of the hour, "What is depression?" Depression is a debilitating physical illness that can affect all areas of a person's life, leaving them feeling hopeless, sad, guilty and sometimes suicidal.
What is depression, you ask? Here is the answer:
• Depression is a serious mental illness with a multitude of symptoms.
• Depression has no one cause but many contributing factors.
• Depression prevents a person from functioning normally.
• Depression interferes with every area of life: work, family, school and more.
• Depression sucks every ounce of fun out of life.
• Depression is the inability to get out of bed in the morning, every day for months.
• Depression is not experiencing joy when your child gives you hugs and kisses.
• Depression is feeling guilty about not being "normal."
• Depression is a "case of the blues" that lasts months, or even years.
• Depression is a debilitating disease that negatively affects the mind, body and spirit.
• Depression can hit anyone.
• Depression varies in severity and duration of symptoms.
• Depression can be caused by one life
•shattering event or a combination of many.
• Depression is all of these things and more.
The problem with asking "What is Depression" is that there is no single answer. The fact is that depression is a serious mental disability that prevents normal functioning in millions of Americans. Beyond that, there are variances that make depression difficult to describe in 500 words or less.
In a nutshell, depression is feeling sad, empty or lifeless all day for several days. It is a pervasive and debilitating pessimism that cannot be shaken off. No matter what you do or how hard you try to feel better, this dark hole plagues you night and day, day and night, for months and sometimes years.
One of the saddest things about depression is that is has a stigma attached to it that makes sufferers - who are already miserable - feel even worse. This is why some people with depression never get treatment. They try to ignore the symptoms, even though they are always evident (at least to them).
The good thing about depression today is that it is getting a lot more attention, and the negative stigma is fading ever so slowly. New and more effective treatments are being discovered that will make the road to recovery from depression more accessible and easier for many.