Is depression a disease or a mood?

Is depression a disease?

  • Depression is a disease

    Votes: 22 45.8%

  • Depression is a mood

    Votes: 14 29.2%

  • Depression is neither (a dip in the ground or something?)

    Votes: 12 25.0%
  • Total voters
    48
Dan

Dan

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I've seen a lot of ads lately describing depression as a disease which afflicts millions of Americans. Personally, I have always understood depression as a mood, and I think that calling it a disease is just a marketing ploy to sell more mood altering drugs. Just like ADD is a disease, and not just energetic kids being kids with too much sugar. If depression is a disease, would that make happiness a disease too? If so, the cure is a daily treatment of structured work from 9 to 5 for a couple of years.
 
It's a chemical imbalance in the brain. So yeah, it's a disorder, and should be treated.
 
Meh, depends.

Sure, there are the true depressives, in which their brains are actually chemically ****ed, but I think the great majority of people just run into a long period of the "mood", proceed to "insist" they are depressed, and once they're so sure they're depressed, they never really get out of it.
 
Disease: an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

Disorder: condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning
 
Yikes, as the son of a psychologist and psychiatrist I'm a bit disturbed that young people still think it's really up to debate. Depression can be used to describe a mood, obviously, but is also the name of a very serious illness. It's one of those things that's not really realistically debated anymore amongst any kind of health professional. It's proven fact.

Though I suppose the exact terminology is up to debate (see previously posted article), very few deny the existence of clinical depression.
 
BHC said:
Yikes, as the son of a psychologist and psychiatrist I'm a bit disturbed that young people still think it's really up to debate. Depression can be used to describe a mood, obviously, but is also the name of a very serious illness. It's one of those things that's not really realistically debated anymore amongst any kind of health professional. It's proven fact.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth.

Also quoted for win.
 
BHC said:
Yikes, as the son of a psychologist and psychiatrist I'm a bit disturbed that young people still think it's really up to debate. Depression can be used to describe a mood, obviously, but is also the name of a very serious illness. It's one of those things that's not really realistically debated anymore amongst any kind of health professional. It's proven fact.

Though I suppose the exact terminology is up to debate (see previously posted article), very few deny the existence of clinical depression.
Click to expand...

Quoted for agreement.
 
Depression can come from food poisoning or through unsanitary environments. If it gets into the blood stream it can cause unhappiness and even death.
 
I think depression can be genetic. I've seen some personal evidence to back it, at least, and just reading an article it apparently is.

I think disease is the wrong word to describe it, merely from the images it can conjure up, and the association to physical symptoms. Affliction might be a better word.
Of course it can be a mood, like happiness, but I think what most people are thinking of there is just plain sadness. Depression is generally longer term.

Urgh, this topic makes it worse, too.
 
My dad has bipolar disorder, that sucks to witness.
 
Depression is a disorder.

It is also very :| and makes the Cheo :| when his important others have to live with it, AND the horrid side effects of the medications.
 
sea said:
Isn't it just awesome when you find out someone has depression after you get to know them? That way you don't get to avoid them like everyone else! Man, you sure fell into that trap.
Click to expand...

Nah, it was before. I've been more of a help than the meds, I think.
 
BHC said:
Yikes, as the son of a psychologist and psychiatrist I'm a bit disturbed that young people still think it's really up to debate. Depression can be used to describe a mood, obviously, but is also the name of a very serious illness. It's one of those things that's not really realistically debated anymore amongst any kind of health professional. It's proven fact.

Though I suppose the exact terminology is up to debate (see previously posted article), very few deny the existence of clinical depression.
Click to expand...

Truth... check out the different types of depression such as bipolar disorder for more evidence.
 
EVERYONE WHO SAYS CLINICAL DEPRESSION IS A MOOD CAN KINDLY LEARN TO READ A BOOK.

Clinical depression is a disease, or chemical imbalance, of the brain. It affects millions of teenagers.

It is genetic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression#Genetic_predisposition

There is medicine for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression#Drug_therapy

There is other treatment for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression#Psychotherapy

Suicide (caused by primarily minor or major depression) accounts for about 2.8% of all human death.



One can not "tough it out", it is a clinical disease. People have gone from top of the class, popular, great relationships to minor depression which often leads to major depression. It is usually a life long thing, although some people have been able to fight it so that it doesn't affect their daily lives. The most affected ages of depression are between puberty and 24, though it can happen in anyone.

I know someone with clinical depression and the best thing you can do for someone with it is to just be their friend like you'd be anyone else's friend.
 
Depression is a serious disorder/disease and it's also just a mood. It depends entirely on the person and what's going on with them that defines what it is for them.

It's not one of those things that applies universally to everybody. For me, I consider mine a disorder, whereas the next guy could of just had his girlfriend dump him and be in a depressive and bummed out state, but one that quickly goes away and may not resurface at all until something else bad like that happens to him.


So for me to even vote on this poll, it needs an option, "It's both."
 
Its a mood, but can become a disease i guess.. If you over do it.
 
i put mood, but the mood is a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, so it's really both.
 
It's a disorder but I flipped a coin and said disease.
 
WE NOW DEMAND PICTURES IN THIS THREAD.

Too many people have depression. Im sick of all you asshats ruining my mood.
 
Krynn72 said:
WE NOW DEMAND PICTURES IN THIS THREAD.

Too many people have depression. Im sick of all you asshats ruining my mood.
Click to expand...

sadnamesxo0.gif
 
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