[Agent Steel]

I've heard people claim that everyone experiences depression. I think this is completely false. Everyone gets sad sometimes, but depression is defined as a debilitating form of sadness that cripples you, hospitalizes you, lasts for months, or inhibits your normal behavior. A sad person can still get by and be mostly normal. They don't go through panic attacks, insanity, mental breakdowns, etc.

Why is there still so much ignorance about depression? No, not everyone gets depressed. If you think that you're uninformed and need some serious reeducation. It's not that hard to know about it. It's surprising people could not know about it today's day and age.

[One Degree]

Comparing sadness to depression is like comparing a headache to a migraine. Most everyone has experienced sadness and headaches so they believe they understand depression and migraines. You don't really understand the difference until you have experienced the latter. It is therefore heartening that so many people do not really understand. They are lucky, so give them some slack.

Edit: Many actually believe they are experiencing the latter because they have no means of comparison.

[anasawad]

've spent 3 years in deprission. To a point i took medication for it.
Its no where near being the same as sadness or grieve.

[anna]

I've heard people claim that everyone experiences depression. I think this is completely false. Everyone gets sad sometimes, but depression is defined as a debilitating form of sadness that cripples you, hospitalizes you, lasts for months, or inhibits your normal behavior. A sad person can still get by and be mostly normal. They don't go through panic attacks, insanity, mental breakdowns, etc.

Why is there still so much ignorance about depression? No, not everyone gets depressed. If you think that you're uninformed and need some serious reeducation. It's not that hard to know about it. It's surprising people could not know about it today's day and age.

Most people, if they live long enough, will experience sadness or grief. Sadness or grief resulting from a traumatic loss (reactive depression) is temporary and eventually fades with time and isn't considered a disorder. It's a cost of being alive.

Individuals who seem to be stalled in the grief stage may have what is called complicated or persistent grief, or with additional symptoms they may be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or other mood disorders. These things can be clinically diagnosed and treated, but are not considered the same thing at all as reactive depression, which is the normal human response to loss, and what you seem to be referring to.

Major depression and other mood disorders carry less stigma than they once did, because people are more willing to talk about them these days than they once were. However, stigma still remains and is still a problem for many with the disorder, who may often manage to get through their days without letting on how much they are suffering. They hide it from family and friends, and sometimes for good reason. When you're told to "snap out of it," and you aren't able to, the burden only becomes heavier.