Negative Feedback Loop

I think you are seeing depression as something to be afraid of and to be avoided. Depression to me is just a mental state that needs to be recognised and climbed out of. You might need to be aware that you are prone to thinking negatively and to try and spot when you are doing it. I have been depressed over the last couple of years but was never suicidal or wanted to self harm or anything like that. However, I was lethargic and somewhat zombie like and everything seemed to be against me. I got into frequent arguments with shop assistants, car drivers etc etc. I had regular attacks of red-mist. Everything was hopeless. I now recognise that my mood goes up and down, I have good days and bad days and I am much more aware of the mental state I am in.I also recognise that autism contributes by making me more likely to misunderstand peoples intentions and it also leads to dichotomous thinking which also can lead to depressive thoughts.

It sounds as though you are aware of a mental feeling that doesn't feel right, you have a friend who talked you out of it, you may well not need treatment so it may well not be "clinical" depression but I'm not sure if there is another term that could distinguish it from the vague and woolly term "depression" that covers a wide spectrum of mental states.

Have a look at www.nhs.uk/.../about-anger.aspx it talks about the links between depression, anxiety and anger. Does any of that seem to apply to you?

Dealing with depression isn't simple, I don't think it is trivial but I think it is good to recognise your mental state, to understand how it fluctuates, to look for triggers and above all to talk to other people to work through your problems and to help you understand that this is not unusual and by no means necessarily clinically significant.

I think you are seeing depression as something to be afraid of and to be avoided. Depression to me is just a mental state that needs to be recognised and climbed out of. You might need to be aware that you are prone to thinking negatively and to try and spot when you are doing it. I have been depressed over the last couple of years but was never suicidal or wanted to self harm or anything like that. However, I was lethargic and somewhat zombie like and everything seemed to be against me. I got into frequent arguments with shop assistants, car drivers etc etc. I had regular attacks of red-mist. Everything was hopeless. I now recognise that my mood goes up and down, I have good days and bad days and I am much more aware of the mental state I am in.I also recognise that autism contributes by making me more likely to misunderstand peoples intentions and it also leads to dichotomous thinking which also can lead to depressive thoughts.

It sounds as though you are aware of a mental feeling that doesn't feel right, you have a friend who talked you out of it, you may well not need treatment so it may well not be "clinical" depression but I'm not sure if there is another term that could distinguish it from the vague and woolly term "depression" that covers a wide spectrum of mental states.

Have a look at www.nhs.uk/.../about-anger.aspx it talks about the links between depression, anxiety and anger. Does any of that seem to apply to you?

Dealing with depression isn't simple, I don't think it is trivial but I think it is good to recognise your mental state, to understand how it fluctuates, to look for triggers and above all to talk to other people to work through your problems and to help you understand that this is not unusual and by no means necessarily clinically significant.