Is depression real or am I just lazy?
I remember clearly the first time that my doctor said the words “you have clinical depression”.You would think that I would become upset that it was a real problem but instead I felt immense relief because it WAS a real problem. I now had a name for the debilitating clouds that hung over me and kept me from wanting to do anything.Having a name for your problem can really help you to face it down because if we don’t name it then we think that the problem is US.Think about it, so often we make our challenges our identity. We say “I AM lazy” or “I AM depressed” when in reality you are dealing with laziness or dealing with depression. By giving it a name we can then say “I HAVE depression” and we no longer have to take on the burden of being something we hate.I invite you to go to a doctor to get a diagnoses, but in the meantime don’t wait to identify your problem.I spent countless nights debating if I really had a medical condition or if my personality just sucked. But here’s the thing, if this problem is causing you any pain in your life then it is time to identify it right now!You can call the problem what ever you want, I personally like to call them my “Inner Demons”. Naming them is so important because then the problem becomes real! My friend, if it is just laziness that doesn’t mean its not hurting you. Even if depression isn’t “real” to others, its real to you. Everyone deserves to heal whether or not they have a medical condition, so start by giving name to those hurtful feelings so that you can face them down and beat the daylights out of them.
Why are the depressed people lazy?
Depressive affect has several distinguishing qualities that may appear like laziness. Slow ambulation, slumped body posture, reduced eye contact, supination, etc., but in my experience, the idea of being “lazy” or “productive” is never really in sight when I am depressed. For me, it is the combination of three main feelings: Loneliness, hopelessness, and pain. Try to imagine the most lonely, hopeless, and painful times you have ever had - double the intensity of each - and imagine them all happening at once with no reason to believe the feeling will ever end. This is kind of like what depression feels like to me. So it is easy to understand why depressed people may appear lazy. It looks like that, but laziness can only really apply to people who are capable of some kind of “working”. Depressed people are incapable of much because all their energy is spent on simply trying to stay alive.
How can a person tell whether they are depressed or just lazy, unmotivated or lacking in willpower? Is this depression: no interests, less enthusiasm for a hobby, inability to converse and respond appropriately, lack of friends, and loneliness?
Hello, Thank you for the A2A:Feeling lazy and unmotivated are 2 criteria towards depression, as long as they are a change from a previous level of function, but there are other things that would be necessary to reach the threshold of depression, over a longer period of time, and physical issues would have to be ruled out as well:Major Depression (DSM-V)A. Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2- week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. Note: Do not include symptoms that are clearly due to a general medical condition, or mood-incongruent delusions or hallucinations. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others). Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day. • Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down). Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick). Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others). • Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide. B. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. C. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism).Hope this helps, and good luck!