depression: illness or emotion? Options

[Special_Kx321]

so a while back i had a conversation with a friend debating weather depression was an illness or an emotion.

her side was that it was an illness.
because people are supposibly happy atleast until theres an actual reason to be sad.
and the people who are depressed are ill.

i dont quite remember why she said they were ill.


but i personally think its an emotion.
because depression/sadness are pretty much the same thing to me.
depression is something you feel. for instence happiness its an emotion.
would someone consider sadness an illness?
i dont think so...



your opinions?

[*mipadi*]

There's a difference between "healthy sadness" and depression. It's natural to feel sad about certain events: a family member or friend dying, failing to achieve an important goal, losing your job, etc. This is normal.

What is not normal are lingering feelings of sadness for no reason. My own dealings with depression have lead me to believe that it is a combination of both mental and biochemical factors. I think that biochemistry—a chemical imbalance in the brain—greatly predisposes a person to depression, although it takes an environmental trigger—mental factors, or feelings—to trigger this response. I think overcoming depression takes a combination of behavioral/mental therapy and chemical therapy (i.e. antidepressants).

This idea is similar to genetics. Genes don't cause diseases; they just predispose one to certain risks.