Deconstructing depression:
First, there's situational depression and then there's clinical depression.
In situational, the depression tends to follow one or more traumatic or stressful life events, like a death in the family or a hostile work environment - in essence, we are put in a place of emotional pain and our brain is trying to react by withdrawing or shutting down.
With clinical depression, it's a little more insidious, because we can't always pinpoint it to stressors. On the outside, things could appear to be good and stable... And yet the brain is still trying to shut down and withdraw. Most probably, this is caused by chemical imbalances or cyclical swings in brain activity. Like, the brain has become deprived of essential chemicals for normal neural functioning (poor nutrition, drug abuse, natural depletion through a period of high activity...), and it is now reacting with difficulties in neural firings (and hence, it's hard to connect thoughts)
Depression(s) can be characterized by
- difficulty completing thoughts
- reduced physical activity
- abnormal sleep patterns
- change in diet
- poor concentration
- feelings of hopelessness
- irritability and anger
- suicidal thoughts and planning
....and probably much more
I am not a doctor, though, so I would encourage people to look at the DSM-IV or later, to see what the medically accepted symptoms are...
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