The Blues, Situational Depression or Chronic Depression

Let’s talk about depression. There are many myths about what depression is, and what it isn’t. Frequently, people who have not experienced severe depression have a misunderstanding of what they believe it is. They may think, “it’s all in your head,” “you’re not depressed, you’re just having a bad day,” or “you just need a friend.” And they believe you can just pull yourself out of it at will.

There are many diagnosable types of depression but let’s start with varying degrees of intensity. As a comparison, the difference between having the sniffles, the flu, or pneumonia is similar to the difference between having the blues, situational depression, or chronic depression.

The blues can be described as ordinary sadness that will improve, with no intervention, over time. Sadness is fleeting, and is triggered by upsetting life experiences. And it is temporary – it comes and goes. Everyone experiences the blues at times, but we have confidence in our ability to cope with it and understand that tomorrow or the next day will be better.

Situational depression is a short term form of depression that follows a dramatic change in your life, from which you have difficulty adjusting. Examples could be divorce, loss of a job, or the death of someone you love. People with situational depression have not yet adapted to the changes in their lives and they are not confident that they can easily cope with it. They may experience symptoms of depression, but these symptoms will abate as they adjust to the changes. Self care strategies such as keeping busy, exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep can help. But sometimes, people may move from situational depression to chronic depression.

If you are sad most of the day, every day, and it causes an impairment in your overall functioning over a length of time, you have chronic depression. Symptoms of major depression can include:

A depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day;Loss of interest or pleasure in activities;Weight gain or loss;Sleep disorder;Feelings of agitation or listlessness nearly every day;Fatigue or loss of energy; feelings of worthlessness or guilt;Poor concentration or indecisiveness;Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts.People who have five or more of these symptoms may meet the criteria for major depression.

Chronic depression is NOT a sign of weakness or laziness, it is not always brought on by an identified trigger, it is not all in your head, it does not have to last a lifetime and an antidepressant medication will not always fix it.

It IS a serious, complex and treatable condition. Although there is not a clear delineation between these types of depression, there are a variety of treatments and techniques available for people who suffer situational and chronic depression.

If you have a friend who may be depressed, please talk with them about the intensity of their symptoms. Don’t expect them to spontaneously feel better because you told them a joke. They may continue to feel depressed even though they list things they are grateful for, or start an antidepressant medication. They may feel depressed even though they meditate daily, or if they eat a healthy diet. Do have the same compassion for them as you would if they had any other illness such as lupus or breast cancer. And encourage them to see a mental health professional.