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Julie Answers: Is it a lack of motivation… or more? Recognizing depression
Holly asked: What can I do to motivate myself? The reason I’m here is because I’ve been so unmotivated to do anything. I’m so lost in life, feel like I don’t know what to do. I try to go do something and I can’t focus. I just go back to bed. And I’ve been like this for a year now.
Dear Holly,
I am really glad you reached out, because a year is far too long to feel the way you have been feeling. I want start by going over the symptoms of major depressive disorder. From your description of what you have been experiencing, it sounds very much like this could be what is going on with you. If it is, it is vital that you talk to your doctor or a mental health professional about it as soon as you possibly can. Depression is a nightmare. You deserve to get some relief from your suffering. And help is available.
Being “depressed” means way more than feeling sad or down. In my opinion, the condition we call depression, or even major depressive disorder, needs a new name. The word is simply too overused in regular life — “I feel depressed because the last donut is gone,” “I’m depressed that there are no more episodes to watch of this Netflix show,” “I’m depressed that our vacation is over.” Things like this are said so commonly that I think the word has lost its meaning. It has…
