Hello Dancer456: Welcome to PsychCentral... from the Skeezyks! I hope you find whatever amount of time you spend here on PC to be of benefit.

I don't know if what you describe could be considered "normal". There are a variety of different ways people experience depression. In my case, I imagine one of my diagnoses would include depression. (I've never actually received a formal diagnosis from any of the mental health professionals I've seen.) However, I'm certainly not depressed in the sense that I can't get out of bed, etc. I get up every day, take a shower, etc. & do what needs to be done. My depression involves more just overall sadness & a lot of anxiety & anger.

Diagnosing depression, or any other mental illness, is a job for mental health professionals. And, of course there are levels of depression. From my perspective, it's certainly possible for a person to have some depression, but to not need antidepressants. In my opinion, the question really is... is the depression you experience significant enough that it impairs your ability to get along in your day-to-day life. If it is then perhaps antidepressants are something to consider. However, as you probably already know, antidepressants come with their own load of problems. So I certainly wouldn't take them if I didn't have to. Perhaps a few sessions with a skilled therapist might be a way to clarify what it is that's going on with you... before you consider antidepressants further. I wish you well...