[jay-pinkman]

not all cases of depression can be attributed to unbalanced brain chemistry. sometimes the chemistry is ok, it's just your life is fucked. in this case depression is a normal reaction. you just can't remain all cheerful when you're drowning in shit. i don't think taking up meds or doing other things to cover it up is a good answer to such situations. with all its negative aspects depression is also a big reminder that something is off and must be fixed, it pushes you to make drastic changes because your regular routine doesn't quite help. sometimes it pushes you to a suicide which is sad but notice how many successful people with stellar careers and shiny popular products or art had been struggling with depression when they were failing at their job, when their dreams were crumbling, and no end to this horror was in sight. maybe it's a stretch but i'd say suffering from depression at some point in life is a normal thing for a maker. sometimes difficulties that you prepared yourself to are just greatly overshadowed by the actual state of affairs. that's to say marking all cases of depression as illness that needs to be treated is a wrong way to look at the problem. in my opinion at least. what helps is support and understanding, phrases like "pull your socks up" or "go get some pills" don't.

[alan_cx]

Why is this voted down? It's a valid opinion.

Please tell me we don't have depression Nazis who can only accept one narrow definition of depression. What I see described here is possible how most people experience depression. Or does only extreme depression count?

[DanBC]

Depression is a jargon term with a specific meaning, as well as an everyday word with a fuzzy less specific meaning. That causes some confusion in discussions like this.

Depression covers a range of different illnesses, with different severities.

Depression is not a normal reaction to a life event.

When someone dies you feel grief. That grief may be severe. But grief is a normal reaction to death. If, however, the grief is overwhelming and lasts for years, and interferes with your life then it has developed into depression. Depression is an abnormal reaction to life events.

There is a form of depression termed "reactive depression". Something happens, and a person doesn't have a normal negative reaction but has an abnormal extreme negative reaction and falls into depression. The main treatment for that would be to correct the thing that caused the reaction, with some CBT, and medication if needed.

[michaelochurch]

not all cases of depression can be attributed to unbalanced brain chemistry. sometimes the chemistry is ok, it's just your life is fucked. in this case depression is a normal reaction.

PTSD is also a normal reaction (to extreme circumstances) but it's maladaptive.

Still, I disagree with you that actual depression is a "normal reaction". Sadness and anger are normal emotions that normal people feel. Depression is something else.

People tend to conflated depressed mood, which is transient intense sadness, with the disease of depression, which is something else-- much longer lasting and more devastating.