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Are you feeling sad, blue, unhappy or just plain down in the dumps? People with these symptoms are often told that they are depressed. But are you really depressed?

Although all of us feel sad, blue, unhappy or just plain down in the dumps every once in a while this isn’t considered major or clinical depression. True clinical depression is a mood disorder that interferes with a person’s ability to function normally. Depression is when feelings of sadness, loss, anger or frustration interfere with everyday life for an extended period of time.

A person who suffers from clinical depression has been in a depressed mood or has suffered a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities consistently for at least two weeks. This depressed mood needs to be a measureable change from the person’s normal mood that affects their social, work, school or other important functions. Examples would be the missing work, missing school, avoiding contact with friends or family or staying home instead of going out.

In an article titled “The Medicated Americans” in the February/March edition of “Scientific American Mind” the author, Charles Barber a psychiatry lecturer at Yale University, states “ “A true diagnosis of major depression involves a combination of the following: inability to feel pleasure of any kind whatsoever, loss of interest in everything, extreme self-hatred or guilt, inability to concentrate or to do the simplest of things, sleeping all the time or not being able to sleep at all, dramatic weight gain or loss, and wanting to kill yourself or actually trying to kill yourself.”

These symptoms are much more serious than merely feeling “sad” or “blue.” In fact, in the Same article Charles Barber states, “Truly depressed people do not smile or laugh,; they may not talk; they are not fun to be with; they do not wish to be visited; they may not eat and have to be fed with feeding tubes so as not to die; and they exude a palpable and monstrous sense of pain.”

So the question is: are you really depressed? If you were really depressed there’s a good chance you would never read this article. If you are depressed or know someone you might think is depressed get help right away from a mental health professional.

Next: Causes of Depression