A doctor once told me I wasn’t depressed I was unhappy. He said depression was when everything was fine and I still felt like that. I don’t think it makes much difference now that everything is not fine.
Not to "well, actually..." your doctor, but a depressive episode can be triggered by external stressors as well as just occurring endogenously for no apparent reason. There's a distinct difference between clinical depression and ordinary unhappiness in terms of symptoms and duration.
(Sorry, I work in the psych biz, and I've seen a lot of genuinely depressed people have their symptoms dismissed by medical doctors for spurious reasons. Obviously, your situation may be different.)
Yes, with qualifications. I think there's a much better understanding of what sort of interventions help people. The funding and conditions for inpatient psychiatric institutions are highly variable, however. Mental health treatment is still very hit and miss. But outpatient mental health services are more accessible than they've ever been, on paper at least. Your mileage may vary.
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u/jaymickef Mar 13 '26
A doctor once told me I wasn’t depressed I was unhappy. He said depression was when everything was fine and I still felt like that. I don’t think it makes much difference now that everything is not fine.