What being depressed really means

I know this can be a controversial topic as people usually tend to refer to people who feel lonely, sad and worthless as depressed, thinking of It more as a temporal thing than what It really is, a clinical disease whose effects can last for an entire life. Part of the problem might have to be with the fact that today people use the term so broadly, confusing major depressive disorders with things as mild as getting rejected by someone and feeling sad because of It. What defines a person that is really depressed is someone that has a good life with people that support them, projects they feel passionate about, a comfortable financial situation and even spiritual beliefs that would make any other person feel in the best of moods, and regardless of that, they feel empty; while the fact that most of the people are feeling "depressed" nowadays is totally justifiable, as a lot of them just stick to sedentary routines without any purpose (Which is essential to a human's well-being), real social connection or productivity in them, thus resulting in a sense of shame and low self-worth that leaves them in a pretty horrible state. That's why in this article I will talk about some ways in which you can differentiate If what you're feeling is major depression or just the fact that you are sad because things are not like you expected them to be, Let's begin:

It's not how hard It hits, It's for how long It hits

It is normal for every one of us to go through harsh moments, being the death of a loved one, traumatic experiences or even betrayal, and It can take a determined amount of time for these wounds to heal, time in which we tend to grief and experience an array of negative emotions. For depressive people this process can last much longer or even not disappear at all, thus decreasing the pleasure you get from other activities drastically.

Depression attacks your sense of self worth:

When a person is having a bad moment, usually what we define as "self-esteem" is maintained at all times, not affecting how we perceive ourselves (Unless someone poins out at one of our inadequacies, case in which is normal to go through a process of accepting one's flaws) during the process. For someone who is suffering from major depression, suffering is amplified, as the verdugue in this case is to be found in one's mind, with thoughts of self-loathing that are aimed to make the person feel worthless and even get them to end their own lives.

Depression normally doesn't have a reason for It:

As I've pointed before, you can have a perfect life and regardless of that you still feel like you shouldn't exist. Obviously as any other human being, depressed people can go through harsh situations, though most of the time they just have the constant existential dread that lurks when everything is seemingly good. That's why If you find that nothing's wrong in particular and you can't figure out why you are in such a bad place mentally, you should seek a therapist, and If you are diagnosed with this pathology, you should use antidepressants.

I hope that this article could have been of use in differentiating Major Depression from normal grief, giving you some hope that you might not really be suffering from It, and If you think you do, to help you get the encouragement to seek help and make your life better. Thank you for your support and good luck!