Feeling sad is quite different from being clinically depressed. You may feel sad because of any reason. But, if that sadness persists for at least two weeks, you may be dealing with depression. A clinically depressed person always feels sad and doesnt take interest in much of anything. It is difficult to get up in the morning and go to work, and often times a depressed person has no appetite and loses a lot of weight. A depressed person is always anxious and that leads to feeling of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

A sense of hopelessness is always prevalent, as is a sense of guilt. Feelings can become so intense that the depressed person may have suicidal thoughts. This happens because a clinically depressed person withdraws from family and friends and prefers isolation. This isolation brings on more negative thoughts with the feeling that ending life is better than living it.

On the positive side, there is help for those who are diagnosed as clinically depressed. A combination of counseling and medication does wonders to lift a depressed person to a level they feel comfortable doing the things that they once enjoyed. The key is to get help if there is any inclination that you or anyone you know is suffering from depression. Depending on the severity of the depression, there are many treatment avenues to explore from self-help books to extensive psychotherapy. Information on depression is available online or you can go to your local health clinic and ask for information or treatment.