As a society we are making some fantastic improvements in having more freedom to talk about depression. A once taboo topic has now become the subject of podcasts, internet videos, meme-culture, etc. Every Youtuber has at least one episode about his or her battle with depression, which in general should be celebrated. While this is generally a positive change, there do become some issues as we consider the implications and consequences of throwing around the term ‘depression’ so frequently.
One of the biggest issues the average person is having due to the over-saturation of “depression culture” is actually differentiating what is and what isn’t depression. Biologically-oriented depression is notably different than the general idea of “going through a depression”. While both are meaningful and valid, there is an incredible difference in how these things are to be treated and understood.
Those of us with an innate biological condition of depression, a condition that tends to rear its ugly head between the ages of 16-25, the core issues are less relational (though still affect relationships) but rather organic in nature. While talk therapy is helpful for dealing with the personal, social, educational, or occupational components; talk therapy alone cannot reach the core of the problem. Psychotropic medicine will address the true core issues and will maximize the effectiveness of traditional talk therapy.
Though it is hard to discern the difference between the two types of depression I hope this can offer something to help you consider if the depression you are facing is biological or primarily personal in nature.
If you find it difficult to find a start date to the depression, it could be biological.
If you cannot imagine a scenario that would free you from your feeling, it could be biological.
If you have a parent or family member with an actual depression diagnosis, it (really!) could be biological.
If you find yourself frequently stuck in bed for no reason at all over a long period of time, biologically-oriented depression should be considered.
If you are finding that talking about it is not really helping at all, it could be biological.
If you find yourself making no headway in personal counseling, it could be biological.
None of these are guarantees of biological depression of course but rather are correlates. The more you check off the list the higher your chances. But you don’t have to have all of them in order to have a biological depression diagnosis.
If you do find that this resonates with you, consider either meeting with your doctor or potentially a psychiatrist. There are different reasons to choose either type of professional but that will have to be another blog post.