Travis B. wrote:alynnidalar wrote:Doesn't it have to go on for a long enough period of time before it's considered depression? I dunno, for some reason I had the idea it had to last more than just a couple of months to "qualify".
No, alynnidalar - the threshold, according to the DSM5, is two weeks.
A confusion here is the varied way that people use the term 'depression'.
The threshold for a major depressive episode is 2 weeks. That's if you feel badly depressed most of the day, every day, along with a selection out of a bunch of other symptoms (things like insomnia, hypersomnia, weight loss, feelings of worthless, suicidal thinking, inability to make decisions, etc). Remission is considered 2 months without symptoms, and a distinction is drawn between those who have isolated or rarely repeating episodes and those who have chronic symptoms. 40% begin to recover within 3 months, and 80% recover within a year.
However, what people often mean by 'depression' is persistent depressive disorder. That requires 2 years of symptoms without any remission period of longer than 2 months. This is much rarer, and more likely to be associated with other conditions.
Yearly prevalence in the US is apparently around 7% for major depressive episodes (much higher for people in their twenties), 1.5% for chronic major depressive disorder (repeated episodes without long periods in between) and 0.5% for persistent depressive disorder.
Other possible diagnoses include sadness (periods of depressed mood that aren't sufficiently long-lasting (less than 2 weeks), or constant (not every day, or only part of each day) or lack the other social and personal impairments (apathy, insomnia, suicidal risk, etc) to be a major depressive episode), natural responses to horrible things, and adjustment disorders with mood symptoms, which is where a traumatic or stressful event occurs and you fail to adapt to it in a healthy way.
However, Travis is certainly right to encourage you to take it seriously, even if it's only brief. The longer a depressive episode lasts, and the more the episodes recurr, the worse the long-term prognosis is, so it's good to address it in some way as quickly as possible, rather than wait for it to get better (even though it probably well). Of course, 'addressing' it can be done in various ways, from lifestyle changes (controlling diet and exercise, making a point to see friends more (or less, if they're part of the problem) to self-help books and meditation, to talking about your problems with friends or family, to seeing a therapist about it. If the thought of seeing a therapist right away when you're not sure you 'qualify' for one intimidates you, you may want to see if other things you can do make a difference - that way, not only might they deal with your problem for you, but if they don't then you'll be able to feel better about seeing a therapist, when you're able to say you've tried other approaches and they haven't worked.
[But of course, if it's really severe then you absolutely should see a therapist]