'Depression' and misuse of the word.

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Its very frustrating the way the word 'depression' is misused. Its not like I can 'snap out of it'. I guess I'm lucky because I've always been able to force myself to go to school/work even if I'm feeling depressed. Having good meds makes such a huge difference. But even with meds I can easily spend the entire weekend without leaving the apartment or changing my clothes. I've been fortunate to finally find a therapist who really gets it and is helping me see the 'warning signs' of when I'm falling into another depressed episode and find a way of coping better. Small things, like how she reminds me to change my clothes every day in a very gentle way without judging or chastizing me. So I try to get out a little more and change my clothes every day, though it can take all day on a Sat. to get the energy to do it. I guess it helps. Its something I've only started to do the past couple of weeks so we'll see if it makes a difference.

Depressed is an emotion, clinical depression is a diagnoses for when a person is depressed all the time. Basically regular depression is acute, while the psychiatric disorder clinical depression is chronic.

It is misused though, a person doesn't get depressed over the trivial things most people use it for, like missing a favorite TV show. Right now I'm depressed because a bunch of doctors screwed up and now I can't have anymore kids.

Awww Goche21

Speaking of depression, I need to go find my citalopram...

I agree though, it is rather annoying when people use the wrong words for things.

There is a (major) difference between Clinical Depression and feeling depressed.