What is Depression?
Most of us suffer from being depressed from time to time. However, there is a difference between being depressed and having depression. Being depressed is normal just like being happy or angry or sad etc. No one is “happy” all the time. The problem comes when one of these emotions or states of mind tend to dominate our lives to an extreme.
Being depressed can be any low mood, which may be relatively short-lived and perhaps due to something of even a minor nature, even though it may seem to be much greater at the time.
With the exception of bereavement, which can last for quite some time, many of the causal factors such as being overlooked for promotion, a relationship break up, a loss of money, or an unfair slight on your character, will often soon fade away. Even a rainy day can promote depression in some individuals. An illness, such as a bout of influenza, often brings about a state of depression, especially during its onset. The old adage that “Time cures all ills” is often very true.
This differs from Clinical Depression which is a “state of mind” disease that manifests itself in a condition of intense sadness, or despair that impinges on an individual’s activities and daily living. Clinical Depression is generally more serious than normal depressed feelings and can be the result of many factors; either individual factors, or a conglomeration of factors that can have a tendency to snowball.
Some of these factors are low self-esteem, constant negative thinking, pessimistic views of life, and sometimes substance abuse. In many cases an imbalance of certain hormones and vitamins in the body is linked to the condition. The medical profession tends to treat the problem in most cases by rectifying the imbalance.
Some diseases such as Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Schizophrenia tend to be accompanied by clinical depression.
Extreme depression can result in sufferers inflicting self-harm, or attempting or committing suicide.
Find out how to distinguish between “the blues” and a real episode of depression - to overcome depression it is vital that you be able to identify it as soon as possible when it strikes!
September 11th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Thanks John for sharing that.
I have even heard that overcast and drizzly days can cause depression amongst some people. In fact, from what I have been told, there are more suicides on drizzly days than sunny days. I might have to try and find the source for that.
September 11th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
As a sufferer of Clinical Depression, I would like to quibble about one point. There is a difference between being depressed and having depression. Being depressed is normal just like being happy or angry or sad etc. No one is “happy” all the time. The problem comes when one of these emotions or states of mind tend to dominate our lives to an extreme. I would be just as worried about someone who is excessively happy all the time as I would be about my depression.
Sorry about the quibble! Keep up the good work.
John
September 12th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Thank you John Hayden for your comments and also for your encouragement.
I agree with the point that you have raised and I was actually trying to make that distinction, but I was not as succinct or as clear as you have been.
I too suffer from clinical depression and have done so for the bulk of my life. However, it was not until just over 2 years ago that I was made aware that I was actually affected by an illness. Now that I am aware of this, I can generally recognize when depression is again raising its ugly head and can take steps to nip the problem in its bud.
Sometimes, however, I do miss the signs and endure the agony for a while. Luckily for me I have a loving wife who reminds me where I am at and assists me to take steps to recover.
Whilst medication assisted me to overcome a severe bout of depression, I truly believe that there are other means to counteract the problem. I intend to share these when time permits as I genuinely believe in them and would love to help others to overcome the condition. I have no medical background and can only speak from experience, and as they say, “Experience is a tough teacher. It gives you the test first and then the lesson”.
I welcome your comments as you are obviously very savvy about the subject. So please continue to keep me in line with your observations.
I have amended the post to incorporate your comments.
Regards,
John S