Thanks for this. Because depression has been talked about for so long as something chemically different and distinct from “just the blues,” I’ve never felt like I could use the “D word” to describe my own mental state. Somehow it felt like trespassing, or as if I were insulting those who had “real” depression. It’s nice to know that I can describe myself as depressed when that’s precisely what my mental state feels like, even though I know it’s transitory. It’s still miserable while it lasts, but it’s also liberating to think of depressive feelings as being on a continuum rather than a condition that you either have or don’t have, forever.
Deeply appreciate the note Laurie. I feel exactly the same. I think nobody's helped by the bifurcation. 'Clinical depression' gets exoticized while 'the blues' (i.e. life sorrows) get dismissed - and neither side is able to effectively talk to each other. Something very liberating about moving away from the psychiatrists and back towards common sense. - Sam
Thanks for this. Because depression has been talked about for so long as something chemically different and distinct from “just the blues,” I’ve never felt like I could use the “D word” to describe my own mental state. Somehow it felt like trespassing, or as if I were insulting those who had “real” depression. It’s nice to know that I can describe myself as depressed when that’s precisely what my mental state feels like, even though I know it’s transitory. It’s still miserable while it lasts, but it’s also liberating to think of depressive feelings as being on a continuum rather than a condition that you either have or don’t have, forever.
Deeply appreciate the note Laurie. I feel exactly the same. I think nobody's helped by the bifurcation. 'Clinical depression' gets exoticized while 'the blues' (i.e. life sorrows) get dismissed - and neither side is able to effectively talk to each other. Something very liberating about moving away from the psychiatrists and back towards common sense. - Sam