How do I tell if my depression is meme depression or genuine?

>>18295237
How long do you think you've been depressed for?

>>18295311
Certainly since around October at least.

How is it impacting your ability to function?


That said, a big part of any sort of slump is figuring out how to deal with it, and the reason depression is a meme isn't because it isn't real, but because people put all the focus on the idea of being depressed or not and no focus on dealing with it. Focusing on whatever it is you need to do (school, work, social stuff, whatever), and developing a sense of agency by doing that I think is the best way to deal with a slump regardless of how it's categorized.

If you do think you're severely depressed though, try to talk to someone and get a professional evaluation. BTW, medicine and therapy don't work for everyone, don't think they're a ticket out of doing personal work on yourself

>>18295354
I sleep practically all day in order to escape and stave off anxiety attacks. My dorm at university is a shithole (sink is blocked with my vomit), and I have exams that I haven't studied for.

>>18295373
That was pretty much me at my first college. I ended up dropping out. Meds and therapy never worked for me, they might make more sense for you though, who knows. There have been a number of years for me where I've been NEET-ish, felt directionless, incapable of doing anything effortful, etc. Really though, I've noticed when I'm less depressed it's when I'm more productive. I think the causation goes both ways. The best thing I've found to do is force myself to be productive. Unless it's a lost cause, of course. Just imagine you just now became yourself and ask what a reasonable person would do about your situation, and do it.

>>18295400
I'm allowed to drop out and rethink my life for a year, aren't I?

>>18295418
It's probably good to understand that that wouldn't be the worse thing. It may seem like how shitty you're doing in school means you should kill yourself or something, and it's good to realize that no, that's not the case, and yeah, it wouldn't be a big deal to drop out and rethink your life.

But I also think to an extent, the idea of rethinking your life or focusing on how you're depressed and need to fix that is a bit of a trap. It might be worth a shot to spend some time rethinking things, but if you're anything like me, you may not be happiest, but you'll at least be the least depressed if you throw yourself back into work that (absolutely essentially) is directional in some way (a job you can rise up in or at least that isn't totally dead end or school)

>>18295431
I'm thinking of maybe working as a teaching assistant for a year, or something along those lines. Dedicate the rest of my time to practicing musical instruments and reading.

>>18295460
If your classes this term are fucked, I'd say don't worry about them. If you can save any of them, you might as well focus on the ones you think you might be able to save, and at least get a passing grade. If it's too much late work you'd have to do and you don't feel you're able, just focus on one maybe.

More than that, I'd say prioritize talking to a school counselor about how badly you're doing in class, and find out if you can stay in school based on your performance/anticipated performance for the term. It's good to know that whether you want to stay in school or not. If they say you aren't totally fucked, it might be a relief and motivator too. Then find out what you'd have to do to work as a teaching assistant. You might as well use your school as a resource since it's something you have at your disposal and chances are, if you have to drop out and end up needing more school to be an assistant, you won't get into as good a school the second time around and will have to deal with all the BS and non-transferable classes involved with transferring.

To do lists are good as long as you stick to them and they aren't bullshit that just strokes the feeling of getting things done. Tailor your to do list to focus on the three goals you identified (especially the teaching stuff since it would help support the leisure ones, eventually and ideally at least). Keep it manageable. If it's too imposing (or the items seem too meaningless) for you to open it everyday, you need to change its content.

Good luck

>>18295418
I would do this.
Give yourself time to relax and just do nothing. I took a 2 month holiday after working for a long time and it did wonders for me. Not because I did anything important, rather that I did nothing and just relaxed.

I really thank you guys for offering your advice on this matter. My next step is presenting this as a palatable option to my parents, whom I really don't want to disappoint.

I need to convince them that I have every intention of getting a degree and do not want to escape into the comfort of a retail job or whatever, but I just need a year to think things through. I also need to convince them that I am totally genuine and that I physically cannot continue in my current state, due to extreme social phobia and the fact that I have been a victim of stalking by a student who I'm meant to be doing a house share with next year. I've also made plans to pack up everything and become homeless on more than one occasion in order to escape this intense fear I get. Hygiene has fallen through the floor, I've allowed a homeless man to sleep on the floor in my dorm, and I haven't been eating properly.

This has left me permanently on edge apart from the times that I visit my hometown. I want to emerge from this proposed year off as a changed human being. I am not happy with who I am at the moment. Do I sound like a whiny upper middle class cunt, or do you see why I feel this way?

>>18295558
desu, in a way depression is the privilege/burden of the upper middle class. That doesn't mean it isn't real though. All I mean to stress in any case in my posts is that that transformation takes meaningful work towards being the person you want to be, don't just not do anything because you're too depressed to feel like it, because that'll just make you more depressed. However it could be a good idea to take time off from school if it's really fucked up