Word: sadly
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...tear gas. Last week, both the U.S. and European Union condemned Lukashenko's regime, with the E.U. banning him from travel to member states of the Union and the Bush Administration calling for the early release of those detained since the election. Belarus, said the E.U., was a "sad exception" to the condition of democracy in Europe...
...what gets lost in this heated back-and-forth is the definition of depression. Depression is not simply feeling sad. Rather, it a feeling of deep sadness for a prolonged period of time. People may suffer from suicidal thoughts or even attempt suicide, or they may not. They may cry uncontrollably at times or they may keep their grief inside, feeling like they are ready to explode. They will not, however, get over sadness in a week...
...talk to a friend, someone at Room 13, or a therapist at UHS; if he thinks it will be helpful, he should. But no one is going to declare that this forlorn lover is depressed and put him on Prozac. On the other hand, people who have been very sad for a prolonged period of time must seek help for their depression...
Granted, what defines very sad and long is fuzzy. Unlike other illnesses, there’s no blood test for depression or a surefire symptom checklist, so it’s better to err on the side of caution. And granted, some people can live with their depression and even achieve great things. For example, I know a Harvard undergrad who got straight A’s one semester while battling severe depression. Did his depression help him do well? Should he have refused to seek treatment...
This is not to say that people should live without any sadness or anxiety. When many mental health advocates speak or write, they seem to imply that their goal is a world free of grief and worry. Not only is this impossible, it’s undesirable. Imagine if you weren’t able to be sad at your grandmother’s funeral. Or think smaller. Imagine if you couldn’t feel down when the Red Sox lost. Life would be less enjoyable, worse, not better...