Dear Boo

🕊️Is this depression? 🕊️

Dear Boo,

Thanks for helping me last time. I'm sorry to bother you again, but I need your help.

So, basically, I'm scared. But the thing is I don't know what I'm scared of. Maybe I'm scared I might develop depression.

yesterday, I was so emotionally unstable. I just wanted to laugh hysterically and cry at the same time, and I did that—twice. I feel the same today.

I feel sad, I think maybe, but I don't know what I'm sad about.

So, to be honest, I don't know what's going on and I'm just scared.

Love,
Aphmau*

🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

Dear Aphmau*,

Hey sweetie, thanks for writing to me again, I definitely appreciate it! You're always full of love and support every time we talk.

What scares you the most about depression? Is it the actual diagnosis? The uncertainty of what it is? Or something else? There is a lot more to depression than being sad and feeling like you want to cry.

I've been diagnosed with a for many years now, as well as bipolar type two—which is a type of depressive disorder. I can tell you almost anything you want to know about depression. If you do have depression, that doesn't mean you're doomed and must be miserable.

Depression can be managed with talk therapy and medication (if indicated). I see my therapist twice a month for individual therapy and once a month for group therapy. It took me a bit to get the right combo of meds, but most of the time my depression is managed and I'm okay with it.

According to the DSM–V, there are certain criteria you must meet to be diagnosed with depression, or major depressive disorder.

The individual must be experiencing five or more symptoms during the same 2-week period and at least one of the symptoms should be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day.

2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.

3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.

4. A slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movement (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).

5. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.

6. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.

7. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.

8. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

To be diagnosed these symptoms must cause distress in your daily life. It can interrupt your personal or social life or both. Many people don't realize that having depression is more than just feeling sad.

If you keep feeling this way and want to find out what's going on, go see a doctor or a therapist. Start writing how you feel every day in a journal—this will be beneficial if you choose to seek help, the therapist will be able to understand your personal thoughts. Take things one day at a time. Since this is something new to you it can become overwhelming quickly. Remember, it's okay to take a break and say no to people when you want to get yourself mentally better.