[ebolyen]

Instead of imagining that it works like a number line and then observing that you can use induction, you could measure outcomes: suicide, suicidal ideation, quality of life, etc.

That puts a pretty reasonable lower bound on what is or isn't depressed. It is absolutely an altered state of mind, and an information processing disorder.

For anyone who might feel like "it's ok to be depressed", this is not a normal thought, and there is no normal amount of suicidal ideation. Seek professional help or strong social support; just ask for help anywhere it might exist (go to an emergency room and just have a seat if you must). If you aren't depressed, these thoughts literally don't happen, as strange as that may sound if you are in the thick of it.

[endisneigh]

> , this is not a normal thought, and there is no normal amount of suicidal ideation

being depressed doesn't mean you have suicidal ideation, though.