I often wonder if I was always had depression and just didn't know what the feeling was. I do remember crying an excessive amount when I was younger and maybe when it seemed inappropriate. I also remember missing a lot of school. I would say that I was sick but I really wasn't. There wasn't anything i really disliked about school, I just remember wanting to be alone a lot. In my early teens it was worse. After some traumatic events, it became ten fold worse. I was extremely depressed in my late teens. I made some life improvements. Graduating HS and going to college, being with someone who showed me respect and didn't take advantage of me, setting boundaries with my dysfunctional family. My life improved and few a few years I felt happy, but I don't think I was ever "normal". I think depression is always there in the background for me.