Life Changing Mindset

What is the difference between minor depression and major depression ?

Isn't a depression just a depression
I was diagnosed with major depression.
What's the difference

Public Comments

1. a shower

Edit: ok. So I tried to make light of it. But I've been there.
On the good days, I bathed. I even left the house for more than just to buy groceries.
On the bad days, I didn't bathe, 'cause I didn't care.

So... a shower.

2. I'm not a doctor, but I'd assume it's a sliding scale.

Depression is caused by chemicals, right? So having only a few chemicals offbalance would be minor, but having a lot of chemicals offbalance would be major. ... Or maybe he is measuring your symptoms this way.

3. major depression usually takes prozac while minor takes a less strong pill like lexapro

4. I guess it's the depth. Like comparing a small pothole to a huge crater. It could have been triggered by a lot of factors. I hope you feel better soon. Keep your spirits up and good luck.

5. Minor depression usually only last a day to a week while major last a long time and requires medical attention and maybe some medicine. Thats my opinion. Give your regular doctor a call if you have one. It's free and can't hurt, only if you let it!

6. none, both depression, maybe one would be easier to get rid off and the other one is chronic

7. major depression: plan for suicide. potential self-harm. suicidal thoughts. loss of appetite. lack of sleep. loss of interest in activities and things you used to be very passionate about. isolation. feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness. these feelings last over a very long period of time.

minor depression: take out the plan for suicide and potential self-harm "criteria," and i think that's minor depression. These thoughts, however, don't last long at all.

clinical depression (though you didn't ask what that was): an ongoing endurance of either major or minor depression, or, even subsiding depression to only resurface again at a later time.

8. When depression happens its because the chemicals in the brain aren't being sent through correctly so the emotional messages aren't being sent through. Minor depression is a little disturbance in brain chemicals functioning, major depression is when very few chemicals are being sent of very incorrect amounts of chemicals are being distributed.

9. This is the way I've always seen it:

Minor depression - a feeling of sadness caused by an event, but the feeling will pass. Eg, someone's parent might die and they will feel very depressed for a while, but they will not need medication or therapy to feel better.

Major depression - a feeling of sadness with no apparent cause that is constant and lasts for months. Only medication and/or therapy can treat it. For example, a person might feel very sad all the time for a month even though nothing is really wrong in their life, because they have a chemical imbalance; a lack of a substance called 'seratonin', and this causes the depression.