Depression Doesn’t Need An Explanation
Depression Doesn鈥檛 Need An Explanation
Most people will experience depression, or extreme sadness, at some point in their life. It鈥檚 the pain you feel when you lose a loved one. It鈥檚 the emptiness that lingers while going through a difficult breakup. It鈥檚 the lack of fulfillment during a period of unemployment. Depression is a natural emotional reaction to traumatic events or major changes in a person鈥檚 life.
Although, for adults, depression is not due to any negative occurrence or life change. Rather, it鈥檚 a chronic and/or cyclical state they experience regularly. In other words, it is a clinical and medical condition. And it is more severe than situational depression and can include intense symptoms such as suicidal ideation.
While , the condition, and depression, the feeling, (capitalization used for distinction) can appear quite similar, there is one very important difference: Those with Depression often don鈥檛 have a 鈥渞eason鈥� for why they鈥檙e depressed鈥攖hey just are.
While it is possible that a person with Depression can be triggered into a depressive episode by an external stressor, their symptoms won鈥檛 go away once the stressor is removed. For a person with depression, they will likely only have symptoms until they cope with whatever triggered the symptoms.
Those with Depression are frequently stigmatized and misunderstood due to this distinction. People will show endless compassion to a person experiencing depression due to the passing of a loved one, but not to a person who just can鈥檛 help but feel sad all the time.
This misunderstanding occurs because people often don鈥檛 know how to respond to someone if they don鈥檛 know the reason for their pain. For a person with depression, you can reassure them that the pain will fade and time will heal. But saying that to a person with Depression would be both inaccurate and unhelpful.
If you鈥檝e ever experienced depression, think back to that time and recall how difficult it was. Now, imagine what living like that every day must feel like. Imagine what it must feel like to not have the motivation to leave your bed for months at time or for it to be an accomplishment to move from your bed to your couch. Imagine what it鈥檚 like to feel as if you鈥檙e drowning in darkness.
Keep this in mind when you鈥檙e interacting with a person experiencing Depression: Don鈥檛 judge or stigmatize them for not knowing the root of their symptoms. Telling someone they 鈥渄on鈥檛 have a reason to be depressed鈥� is the same as telling a person with asthma: 鈥淭he air seems fine to me.鈥�
You may not fully understand what is causing someone to miss days of work, skip showers or cancel plans. But when it comes to Depression, 鈥淲hy do you feel this way?鈥� is not the important question. The important question is: 鈥淲hat can I do to ?鈥�
Laura Greenstein is communications manager at NAMI.