Do you all think that when people are sad, they think that they are depressed...not understanding that depression involves the whole nervous system and body being affected....not just emotions?

Over prescribed meds.

[NoIdeaWhatToDo]

I have known people that have used the term 'depressed' to describe a time of great sadness in their life (and some that have used the term for wholly unrelated feelings - like disappointment in an outcome that wasn't what they wanted or something). I've not known anyone personally that has been prescribed meds for depression when it doesn't appear that's what they're experiencing.

I do think, in general, people who haven't experienced true depression have a very difficult time understanding the magnitude of what that term means from a clinical perspective.

[BipolaRNurse]

I'm sad and cry a lot because I was recently widowed, but I'm not depressed...my underlying mood is actually very stable. I am self-aware, and that helps me determine what depression (or mania) is and what it is not.

Yeah, I think it's common for people to think they're "depressed" even though they're just sad or having a bad day.

The problem is that society tends to equate sadness with depression, so people seem to use the two words interchangeably. No one cares to correct this misunderstanding either. *But* this type of misunderstanding is nothing new. For example, some people think they have OCD just because they like to keep their desk neat. We see these misunderstandings/ignorance due to a lack of education on mental illness.

As far as overprescription of meds goes, I can't speak much about it because I don't know, but I suppose it's easy for a dr. to throw meds at someone if they're constantly b#tching about feeling sad. It's a means to shut them up and make some money off them.