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?

[twinkles6801]

i think its a sickness becaus eit effects everything that you do and the people around you.

[flc]

i think its a sickness becaus eit effects everything that you do and the people around you.

How on earth does that automatically make it an illness only? Moods can do that too. You could be in an extremely bad mood one day. This could make you perform badly at work or school because you can't take your mind off of whatever is angering you. You might talk to people differently because you're ticked, you might take it out on them. This could in turn put them in a bad mood, too. Isn't that affecting what you do & those around you as well?

What do I think? It's both, duh. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain, something that someone cannot help. But on the other hand, someone could one day be feeling really, really down. A kid could be depressed that his parents are divorcing, perhaps. It doesn't mean there's anything biologically wrong with him.

[*mipadi*]

What do I think? It's both, duh. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain, something that someone cannot help. But on the other hand, someone could one day be feeling really, really down. A kid could be depressed that his parents are divorcing, perhaps. It doesn't mean there's anything biologically wrong with him.

This highlights the difference between "healthy sadness" and depression. Any mental health therapist will point out that merely being sad doesn't qualify as "depression", and there are times where it's perfectly normal and healthy to be sad. Events such as a parents' divorce, a friend or family member dying, losing one's job, and so forth are all causes for sadness. Depression, however, is entirely different—it's sadness without any meaningful stimulus.

In fact, the key word to associate with depression is not sadness, but apathy. Most sufferers of depression seem "down" not because of sadness per se, but an extremely apathetic view towards life. In that vein, many of them who have suicidal tendencies do so not because they're sad, but because they don't see a point to, or meaning in, life.

So, depression or illness? I'm inclined, from my own experiences with depression, to say disease. However, it's important to note that the disease is not merely one of a biochemical nature, nor is it purely one of the environment, but a bit of both. I believe some individuals are predisposed due to chemical imbalances, but it takes an environmental trigger to set it off. Likewise, treating the biochemical signature of the disease is generally ineffective—traditional therapy goes hand-in-hand with treating depression.