Depression Or Clinical Depression?

Depression Or Clinical Depression?

It's one thing to be depressed. It is something altogether different to be suffering from clinical depression. How do you know whether your depression is "common" or clinical?

Well, it is "normal" to feel sad or down from time to time. People say that it is "normal" even though feeling down or sad is not your "normal" state -- but it really is normal as far as mental health goes. This type of depression is usually an effect of a cause. For example, if a loved one dies, you feel sad. If a beloved pet dies, you feel sad. If a relationship fails, there is sadness.

It is when depression -- or that sad feeling -- lingers that it becomes abnormal, and treatment should be sought. It is also not normal for there to be no apparent cause of the depression. Even if there is a cause for the depression, it is not normal for the depression to linger on and on. Then, it has become clinical depression.

Some people see it like this: Being sad is a state of mind that will pass, and usually has an apparent cause. Being clinically depressed is a physical illness, which requires treatment, just like any other illness would.

There are still those people who really don't understand clinical depression. They think that you should be able to "get over it" or "snap out of it" without realizing that you really can't. In fact, it is important for you to realize that they just don't understand clinical depression -- otherwise, if you believe that you should just be able to "get over it," this can only serve to make the depression worse.

Sadness lasts for a short period of time. Clinical depression, on the other hand, can last for weeks, months, or even years. When a person is down or feeling blue, they can still function in their everyday lives. People who are clinically depressed cannot.