It’s normal for people to experience feelings of sadness and low motivation throughout their life. However, those feelings can be diagnosed as clinical depression once an individual experiences more intense symptoms that last for two weeks or longer. When visiting your doctor, we highly encourage you to bring up any issues or concerns you may have if you think you may have depression. Your doctor may then ask you to complete a questionnaire and request your family history. They may also perform exams or lab tests to rule out any possible underlying medical conditions. From there, you could both work on finding a mental health professional that could help you form a plan that best suits your needs.