I've had to go through it for three years and still deal with it every day. Please, if any of you are depressed, you can talk to me any time! I'm always here for all of you, and though I might not always be able to solve your problems, I can be the non judgmental listener that understands exactly what you're going through. Just remember that I'm always here <3
I've been diagnosed with Major Depression and Dysthmia, however seeing myself as having "clinical depression" has in my case not really been the most constructive thing. There are some people, especially in very severe cases, that medication can truly benefit. However medication never benefited me. Some people who are said to be "clinically depressed" probably do have some sort of imbalance that can respond to medication- but in my experience this is not the case for many people. Medication can not change facts about your life, such as being socially isolated, not having a partner etc, that may be making you depressed. In some cases I feel social issues and lack of social support are probably critical for the persons unhappiness / depression. Focusing entirely on medication or even therapy to correct "bad thought patterns" may not be a solution for such people if action is not taken to ADDRESS THE ISSUES IN THEIR LIVES that are making them unhappy. Sometimes it can be hard to tell which is which. But never discount the potential importance of resolving issues- especially social ones- in your life that may very well be central to your pain. If your depression is primarily a reaction to social factors (no friends, or partner, no support/love etc), then medication is unlikely to be your savior. In this way focusing on "clinical depression" in such cases a medicalized concept and rellying entirely on medication can be counter productive. Some doctors unfortunately do not seem to look much into the circumstances in a persons life which may be making them unhappy.
