You're Not Depressed, You're Just Sad.

Under the Merriam Webster Dictionary, depression is said to be “a psycho-neurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies.” Many teenagers would say that depression is just being sad. Their statuses on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, or posts on Tumblr exhort teenage angst and sadness. They say that they are depressed because their iPhone broke, or they get grounded for drinking, or their boyfriend of three months dumped them. Sure, those are reasons to be sad, but they are not reasons to be depressed. Depression is an emotional and physical detachment from the world. It is a psychological problem.

          When people are depressed, they are on the edge of giving up. Each day and night they struggle to find a reason to keep holding on. They may have been sexually abused, they may have an eating disorder, they may cut themselves, they may have divorced parents, or they or someone in their families may deal with alcohol and drug abuse. When you’re depressed, everything builds and covers you like you’re in some kind of deep hole. There is no end. No light. There is no way of escaping the pain and sadness that inflicts you. How do I know? I myself have dealt with this struggle. About two years ago, I was diagnosed with major depression disorder and partial anxiety. Each morning I take an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety pill. Even then, I can still get depressed. I can still find myself deep in a hole wanting to get out, not knowing if I ever will. To me, that is not sadness.

“Depression is just being sad, you’ll get over it.” No, you won’t just get over it. Being sad is more like having a headache. Being depressed is like having a disease. An insuperable disease that you may never get out of. There is a clear difference between just being sad and wanting to end your own life. As mentioned before, these are things that being depressed can mean..

·        Not eating when you should

·        Sleeping more than usual

·        Having trouble sleeping

·        Suicidal thoughts/self harm

·        A constant sadness

·        Random ups and downs

·        Feeling like there’s no escape

I understand when a person is going through a tough time, and they feel down on themselves. I find there to be a difference between that and constantly feeling sad. Sometimes people get over things, they move on and they are happy once again. But being depressed, it’s almost impossible to get over something. Every small thing that happens to you is like an invisible scar that you will always feel and remember. That’s what being depressed is about.

“She was all happy and then really rude to me, she is so bipolar.” Just because someone is happy one second and not the next, doesn't mean that he or she is bipolar. Bipolar disorder is another psychological problem, and it’s not something to randomly call people.

“He sees a therapist, he must be crazy.” I’m sorry, just because someone sees a therapist does not necessarily mean he or she is crazy. Guaranteed, a good percent of people in this world see therapists for reasons other than “being crazy.” Maybe it’s just someone to talk to; maybe it relieves stress, maybe that’s the only way to get better. We may never know a person’s story.

“Ugh, I hate my life. I’m just going to kill myself.” As of 2012, 16 percent of teens have contemplated suicide. Let’s get something straight, suicide is not something to make fun of. When a friend says they just want to kill themselves because they’re so stressed, I ask them to reevaluate what they just said. Suicide is not the answer, and if someone is legitimately contemplating suicide, that is something he or she should get help with. Suicide is clearly not a joke. It’s about someone taking their own life. That’s a huge deal.

I know that the main reason people say these kinds of things is because they are not educated on the topic. They do not understand depression. It’s hard to understand something if you haven’t been through it yourself. I completely understand that. All I ask is that we take a step back and realize that many people around us are suffering from depression or any other type of mental disorder. What may have been said, or is about to be said should be evaluated.

As messed up as it may sound, I’m glad that I am the way I am. I wouldn't be the same person if I wasn't depressed and anxious. I have been through some tough things, and I am able to get better. I can juggle so many tasks and not find myself extremely stressed. I know how to look on the brighter side of things, and I can better myself each day. Depression may be a scary and sad thing, but good things can come out of it. Understand that, too.