grumble-not-a-rant

[lagilman]

Today, I am fighting off the urge to explain to people the difference between depression ("I'm feeling depressed about that,") and Depression, the clinical state. Confusing them does nobody any good - you can't "make someone feel better" when they have Depression.

On the other hand, scolding someone who is talking about depression for not using the proper terms of Depression doesn't do anyone any good, either. Because people DO get depressed for reasons that have nothing to do with the chemical causes of Depression, and they shouldn't be made to feel worse because someone else thinks only in terms of the clinical form and penalizes all others to the point of abusing a person who's already feeling bad.

Should there be different common terms for the clinical and non-clinical state? Possibly. Until then, can we at least read the context before we go off on someone for using the terms? Sometimes "I'm depressed" just means they're (justifiably) depressed. Not that they have Depression.

Eeyore thanks you.


(this grumble brought to you by somebody else's rant on Tumblr)

Comments

[jaylake.livejournal.com]

My therapist makes the distinction between clinical depression and situational depression. From childhood through my mid-20s, I experienced severe clinical depression, up to and including a suicide gesture that landed me in the hospital. This was largely biochemical, exacerbated by an early childhood parental divorce and early grade school sexual abuse.

These days with incurable cancer, I experience severe situational depression. This is not at all biochemical, as the causative issues are crystal clear, though one of the ongoing goals of my therapy process is to keep from channelizing the depression into something that could slide in chronic. (And yes, it's odd that I've had situational depression for years, which would seem by definition to be chronic.)

I am extremely clear on the difference. Not everyone around me is.

So, yes, this.

Re:

[paulliver.livejournal.com]

Situtation depression sounds like the logical result of being in a depressing situation. I hope that's not an illness now.

Re:

[jaylake.livejournal.com]

Well, it's certainly a diagnosis... ;)