You could be depressed and not know it. In fact, many people suffering with the symptoms of depression are walking around and going through life without realizing that they are truly depressed and that they could feel a whole lot better. Minor depression is not always recognizable, and those with chronic depression don't know they have it if they have been struggling with it their entire lives. Take a good hard look at how you feel, how your life has gone, and some of the things you have done to see if there is a chance you can do something simple to make things so much better than ever before.
If you have chronic depression, you have been depressed for a very long time. So long, in fact, that you assume the way that you feel and think are the same as everyone else. Those that are most happy and most at ease often perplex you and you may even think they are strange. This is a problem with chronic depression, because those that suffer from it begin to think there is something wrong with their own personality and that they are oddballs, when in fact they have a medical condition with a rather simple remedy.
Not only is thinking and self image skewed with chronic depression, but body image and lifestyle can also be different. Those who are chronically depressed can be over-eaters, leading to obesity and feelings of shame. They may make bad choices with drugs and alcohol because they are trying to find a way to numb the pain of the chronic depression that they do not even know they have. These problems make depression worse, and the problem can spiral out of control for a very long time.
Someone who has used food, drugs, or alcohol to try to numb chronic depression may not be able to stop what they are doing, even after a diagnosis. That is why it is important to get help for chronic depression after you realize that is what is going on. Some think that they have lived thus far with it, there is no sense in doing something to change it. Sometimes, the feelings of depression, though negative to life, are comforting because it is all that a person knows. The thought of a whole new life and way of thinking and be terrifying, even if those are good things.
If you or someone you know is diagnosed with chronic depression, the next steps are crucial. There are medications that can help in the short and long term, and therapy that can help someone adjust and sort out some of their feelings and attitudes. Perhaps you could go through life with your depression and be just fine, but most likely not. Instead, so what you can do for treatment to open new doors to let the sun shine in. You will be glad that you did. If the person with depression is someone you love, encourage them to make the changes, and tell them you will be right there with the the entire time so they don't have to go through it alone.