I agree... for the most part... ish. I think there are a few types of depression: There is a type of depression based on sadness, such as a reaction to someone's death, albeit this type is temporary. Then there's the depression that is straight out of the DSM -- it's this type of depression that I agree 100% with you about. Another type, which seems to be disregarded by doctors, is existential depression. I've been struggling with this one for the last year and I guess I haven't explained it sufficiently to my doctors. It's probably tied to one of the Borderline Personality Disorder-esque symptoms I have but my identity as a person has always been tied to my job... So last September, when I came to the conclusion that I was done being a teacher, I realized that I didn't know who I was if not a teacher. It's not sadness, a lack of enthusiasm, or apathy... It's more like I'm a puzzle with half of the pieces missing. I feel like I don't know who I am.

I strongly, strongly, strongly disagree with the idea that depression is self-centered. Depression is a perspective on life. I've equated it -- accurately so, according to doctors and others suffering from it -- with looking at the world through rose-colored glasses, only instead of it being rose-colored the glasses are darkened. Rather than label it with a specific color, since it varies from day to day and from person to person, I refer to it as looking at the world through depression glasses.