Quote:
Originally Posted by AAAAA
You're jumping to the conclusion that I base my opinion on how she looks in a few photos that is just not the case, it's the actions, ie the ability to travel to another destination. This is not someplace she had to go, she chose to. She was able to make the decision to go, make the travel arrangements, in theory pack, and follow through with those plans. This is a HUGE undertaking. Compared to this, the daily work routine is easy. I'm not saying that this is something I wouldn't do or that she shouldn't have done, I am saying that when I was clinically depressed it is something I couldn't do. Lonegael put it well, I couldn't do it if my life depended upon it.
I have no control over how the question "if she can go on vacation, why can't she work" strikes you, but it is a legitimate question. In fact, unless I'm very much mistaken, the qualifications for disability (whether through the government or private insurance) depends entirely on that exact question.
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actually, not a legit question. having worked in assessing applications for the pension myself (in australia) - we don't look at whether you can have a vacation, we look at whether you can work. and we also recognise that scheduling pleasant activities is an important part of combating depression and encourage clients to do so.
as for clinical depression, perhaps you don't understand the meaning. you only have to have a low mood for 2 weeks (along with a few other fairly generic symptoms) to be classified as "clinically depressed". being clinically depressed doesn't necessarily mean being "disabled" (in terms of ability to do work). most people who have depression can continue to work, in fact. what you are describing as your experience sounds somewhat more severe, but i would also question your perception of going from fully functioning to fully disabled without an in between area. current understanding of depression simply does not support that view. rather, you might be severely depressed (unable to get out of bed), mildly depressed (still clinically significant, but able to work for example), and then not depressed. it's a dimensional scale not a dichotomy
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