Depression = Sadness? Maybe not....

So I was in the middle of reading a NYTimes article on suicide among the elderly when I came across the most fantastic word in relation to a discussion on depression.

The writer (Jane Brody) notes that most people think depression is about being sad when its really about anhedonia--the inability to enjoy life.

Depressed people aren't necessarily sad, they’re irritable. Cranky. Hard to get along with.

Now, as someone who has deal with depression more than she'd like to admit, I have to say I've never heard a more accurate depiction. It is true: at my worst I felt so uncomfortable in my skin and so incapable of enjoying anything that I pushed everyone away.

And I've seen other people in my life do that same thing. It's no easier being on the other end of it.

Luckily for me I seem to have found some sort of formula: working out, yoga, eating well, sleeping well. And acupuncture, actually. That's been a godsend for anxiety and stress relief.

At any rate, take a look at Ms. Brody's article. And when you're done, call your Grandpa or Dad. See how he's doing.