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Depression Versus Normal Sadness? -Do You Know The Difference?

By: Harold Ulvaeus Do you ever wonder if you have depression? Many of us will have feelings that fit the definition of depression, but is it really depression? Clinical Depression is a mental disorder that affects millions of people. Disrupting lives, weaving itself into all aspects of our life, yet the feelings of depression can also be normal. Confusing? Let's look at some of the criterias for depression.

All of us experience blue moods once in a while. We all experience feelings of sadness. It is just a normal part of going through life. When those blue moods turn into a dark heavy persistent cloud, and when those sad and hopeless feelings become your predominant feelings, you may indeed be suffering from depression.

Depression is an illness, a mental disorder that overwhelms your mind and body. It is not a transient mood that can be dismissed. The victim of depression is powerless to command it to leave. It changes how you think and how you feel. It essentially changes who you are and affects how you interact with others.

Normal feelings of sadness and that feeling of feeling "blue" and the feelings of depression are very similar. How to tell the difference? Basically it is about time and intensity. The emotions associated with depression will not only be more intense, they are also longer lasting. With depression there is often difficulty to function on a day to day basis.

The threshold for diagnosing depression in terms of time seems to be about two weeks. Being sad and withdrawn for a short period of time is a normal human reaction to significant negative events. However, if your personality and interaction with others fails to return to normal after about two weeks time, then you may have entered a major depressive episode. Depression can last for weeks, months or even years--without treatment.

The great news is that depression is very treatable. Traditionally, a combination of therapy and medication is really quite effective. Today an entire range of alternative therapies have shown impressive results at relieving even long standing, serious depression. Some alternative therapies very effective for the treatment of depression are: Emotional freedom Techniques, Tapas Acupressure Technique, Chi Gung, nutritional supplements and a simple thing such as walking are just a few examples.

Depression can affect anyone. It is not a disorder for "weak" people. If you feel you may have depression, do not hesitate to seek help. The sooner you do, the sooner you can get back to your old self again.