Everyone experiences feelings of depression from time to time. For many, these feelings will subside after whatever caused these intense emotions has passed. For instance, someone who has been fired may experience depression until they find a new job, but they recover fully upon beginning to work again. For others, there may be lingering depressive symptoms but they are otherwise able to function in a relatively normal capacity. They may take anti-depressants, seek therapy, or use other means to reduce the severity of their depression to a level that allows them to continue to work and fulfill their obligations.
Unfortunately, for some people, these feelings are so invasive and so frequent that they cause disruptions in a person’s ability to work, perform normal daily activities, and maintain relationships, even with treatment. They can also become so severe that suicidal thoughts emerge and the risk of suicide becomes an emergency. Major depressive disorder is also sometimes referred to as clinical depression. This form of depression is characterized by major depressive episodes lasting two weeks or longer with significant detriment to daily living.