How to Tell If You Are Depressed or Just Down

Most people feel some degree of depression at various points in their lives. This can range from feeling a bit down, without any particular cause, to feeling depressed for a specific reason, like the death of a loved one. On the other hand, some depression is more serious and long-term. This type of depression often can be dealt with through counseling or medical treatment. To determine whether you are just down or have a problem that needs professional assistance, you can take a number of steps.

Instructions

• 1

  Keep a daily journal. A journal can allow you to track how you're feeling over a period of time. Through your journal's entries, you can also glean insights into possible reasons for why you're feeling down. If you are experiencing more severe bouts of depression that seem to have no immediate cause, this can prompt you to seek help when things don't appear to be getting any better.

• 2

  Create a list of things that make you feel hopeful or positive and a list of things that make you feel despondent or negative. If your list contains few or no positive things, you may be dealing with more than a simple case of the blues. A positive list could also describe things that you will be taking action to change. For example, if you want to be more financially secure, going back to school to earn a degree that will garner a higher salary should be a positive. Making the determination to stop a bad habit once and for all can give you a real sense of empowerment. Self-empowerment is one of the best ways to start feeling better about your life.

• 3

  Consult a professional therapist, counselor or other qualified mental health provider to assess your situation and offer guidance. Depression can be a sign of a serious mental disorder, like bipolar disease. With the proper treatment program, including therapy and, in some cases, medication, you can alleviate many of your symptoms and live a productive and happy life. You may also want to check with a medical doctor, since in some cases there can be an underlying medical cause for depression, like hypothyroidism.