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I don't want to be pedantic, but this is not depression. Depression is 6 months without a single high point. Depression is not a roller coaster- there are no ups. Just down. For a long fucking time. I've been depressed off and on for the past 10 years- about 5 depressive periods, each 6-18 months.

I don't want to minimize the OP's struggles- he most certainly has some kind of mood disorder (possibly rapid-cycling bipolar disorder or RBD). There may be depressive episodes involved, but I don't think the word "depression" should be used unless it's referring to Major Depressive Disorder or one of its close siblings.

Again, I'm trying hard to not be pedantic. It just frustrates me when people think that depression is something you can get over, or that will get better in a day or a week. That's just not the case.

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> depression is something you can get over,

Just want to point out that mild to moderate[1] depression respond well to cognitive behaviour therapy. A typical course lasts 8 weeks, but can be up to 14 weeks.

Severe depression can respond well to CBT, especially if there's other stuff (other forms of long term therapy, sometimes medication) in place.

I only say this because it's important for people who feel they are depressed to know that they're not necessarily going to be out of work for months or on weird medications for years. (Indeed, there's plenty of research showing that work is useful and not working is harmful.)

I agree there's a big difference between a carefully crafted course of therapy and an attitude of "just get over it" / "pull your socks up" / "stiff upper lip".

[1] Mild and moderate are not trivial; they can have big impacts on the life of the person with them and the people around them.

Perhaps you should see Bipolar / Manic Depressive disorder. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

There are many forms of depression as well as Major Depressive Disorder.

Major episodic depression only has to last two weeks or so to be a clinical episode, but what I read in between the lines is a general dysthymia punctuated by some nasty episodes. But I am not a clinician. :)

I am sympathetic both to your comment, and those replying to it. I think what this suggests is that modern psychiatry does not have a rich enough understanding of the enormous variety of mood disorders involving depressed states. If it did, we'd probably have less confusing names for them.

I don't think one can say he obviously has a mood disorder. I have been running my own business for 8 years, and I can tell you while it isn't the same thing, it is tough. There are times when you get tired and you just want to lie down and rest but you can't.

It can be brutal sometimes. And we all have episodes. Sometimes I will lose a few days to one. But you stand back up and soldier through as soon as you can.

I have worked for other people and I have worked for myself, and this is something I only have experienced while self-employed. It is the flip side of being master of one's own destiny--- that is a heavy burden to bear sometimes.

I have never become suicidal or anything due to being self-employed. I HAVE had episodes that have cost me projects, money, time, and all sorts of other things.

This isn't something that can be medicated away. Even vacations don't help that much. It just requires constantly assessing balance in addition to everything else.....

I've struggled with it on & off for about 20 years. In the last 3 years I've found Zoloft works remarkable well for me. I'd tried other SSRIs in the past but didn't get much out of them.

Also, for the fatigue, my psych diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue and put me on some vitamins and supplements. I have never felt more energetic in my life. Adrenal fatigue is a common side effect of stress and my doctor says it's really common among entrepreneurs.

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