Vocabulary

Yesterday’s post has had me thinking about vocabulary today. I realized in writing that post that I don’t like the terms “Depressed” or “Depression.” They’re alright for a medical term, I guess, but to me they don’t seem to have any connection to what they mean.

When people ask me how I am, I never say depressed. On the days when I have trouble getting out of bed or gathering energy for anything I’m “tired”, when it’s one of Those Days I’m “Not having a good day”, when it’s a day where I feel like I’ll cry if I talk to people, I’ll simply shake my head.

Anything is more descriptive that depressed. To me, depression means “A chemical imbalance in the brain resulting in the persistent feeling of sadness” and not “A crushing weight on all four of my limbs and an especially heavy one sitting on my heart.” It’s so much more than sad.

The other reason for avoiding the term is its prevalence in the media. I feel that there has been such an expansion of depression in the public view the past few years that the word no longer holds any importance to the people you interact with daily. I’ve considered informing my professors, but I always back down because I feel it won’t be considered valid. Maybe that’s a matter of ignorance, but I think that being more descriptive would lend the matter more importance and make some people realize that depression is a real, often debilitating problem. It often seems less so when it’s heard everywhere. Sometimes the media makes it seem like everyone and their brother suffers from depression and that makes me think that I have less right to use the word.

And for something more upbeat on the topic of vocabulary, I love the word “Twain” and wish it was used more often.