Ah this is something that bugs me too, feeling sad for a while and depression are two very different things.

I've been told several times that I should really be on some kind of anti-depressant to stabalise my moods and help me feel a bit happier but I always refuse... Maybe that's a stupid idea... I seem OK at the moment. I've seen a few psychs and shrinks and I have quite a history with self harm and I have shown a number of the symptoms but I refuse to believe I have any kind of depression

I think I just get real sad sometimes.

Any psychiatrist/psychologist will tell you that every person experiences a depressed mood at one time or another. The difference between most people and myself are that they are able to cope and move on. It's not considered a disorder in those cases. My depression is clinical/major and I can't make it go away.

I understand the pain a breakup can cause. It's "situational" depression as is a death of a loved one. It's extremely hard to deal with if one already suffers with clinical depression. For instance, some people bounce back and function in society while others may grieve for months or longer.

Anytime someone claims to think about death or says life is not worth living, I pay attention. It's better to be safe than sorry. I agree that antidepressants are overused. However, I'm glad that there's a name for an extremely crippling illness that is clinical depression. More lives will be saved now, I think.

Jazz, I'm sorry for your loss. Thanks for posting this.

Whether the person is "depressed" or not is one thing.

Belittling someones pain, grief, "momentary laps of happiness" is another.

Each individual person feels differently regardless of an established and widely accepted definition.

If you will not help them through there grief what purpose does belittling there feelings serve other than to legitimize your own?

I suffer from clinical depression. If a person says they are depressed I take it to mean they are really really really sad. Like more than sad.
I don't care people use that word if that's how they feel.
Hell, I get depressed some days..not clinically depressed, but sad. More than sad.
I don't see the big deal.
It's not like they are saying "I'm clinically depressed"

Depression is depression is depression. The severity is different to each individual. I do not discount any type of depression whether it be Clinical or Not.

Sadness is a common emotion in all depressions.

Everyone deals with depression differently as each person is an individual.

I've had what they have found out after many years of having it "Co-Morbid Anxiety/Depression" which is Clinical.

I chose to try the meds after seeing a therapist for over a year so we could come to a solid diagnosis.

Every person that suffers depression and has had it diagnosed or not will be using some form of self medicating to deal with it.

I call it and my therapist calls it "A poison of choice". I chose prescribed meds. Some will turn to alcohol, some to street substances, some OTC meds and self medicate, some will choose working. But whatever you do choose it's all the same in the end "Depression".

To be able to tell sadness from depression is extremely hard for they both have the sadness which is a common denominator.

Some think it's them so they think they have to deal with it because it's the norm for them.

Either way I don't discount any feelings of sadness for today it may just be sadness but tomorrow it may develop into a full blown depression.

I can go on about this as I've had much training and done a lot of research and also have a Mental Illness myself and seen others with Mental Illnesses. But the bottom line is, whether you have it or not it's up to YOU to get the help or live with it on your own and keep hiding behind your Poison and denying it.

I have been depressed for about 2 weeks now. Usually, I am upbeat, happy and outgoing. The past couple of weeks, all I do is go to work, come home and stay on the computer.
In fact, I never started feeling this way until I got this dang computer a couple of months ago. Seems like I have drawn away from doing things that i used to do because I stay on here. Seriously. People need to get out and have a life sometimes. Sunday, I made sure to turn this off and called my brother and picked him up and drove to a theme park on a boardwalk, had a couple of margaritas and watched the boats go by. Really made me feel better.
AS Musteria said, sometimes you need to make a change. Next, I want to start an exercise program and lose a few pounds I have put on and do something to make me feel good about me.

I used to feel this way when people used the term panic attack loosely. A lot of these people have no idea what a real anxiety attack is. When words that are used to describe psychological conditions creep into everyday vocabulary, they become diluted and lose their real meaning.