Although some of the symptoms of depression can be similar to grief or PTSD, depression is quite different. Depression has been called “anger turned inward” by psychologists and psychiatrists. It is the result of an emotional injury in which we lose value in our own eyes.
There is always a sense of shame at the source of depression: the shame arises from a belief that we have failed and are not good enough to create our value. Our shame can lead to self-anger or fear for what we have done or failed to do. The depressed person can interpret anger in many ways. Feelings of fatigue and weakness can accompany it. The person may experience a “mental or emotional breakdown” and a physical collapse when this occurs.
The fear side of depression usually has to do with the thought that “I am a failure and cannot or will not be respected, I am not like others and can do nothing about it.” The fear is typically caused by an upsetting event in which we believe that we have failed and fear that we will not be loved or respected by others.
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Depression Questionnaire