And that is how situational depression is supposed to work, I think. You feel empty and unable to even care for yourself; you learn to care for yourself, but are still empty; and finally, your life is stable enough that you can feel again. Perhaps there might be medical ways to shorten the period of situational depression, but, even if there are, why would you want to? It's performing a useful function -- protecting people until their world can heal.

what i get is situational depression, not clinical. and while i agree with you in principle, here, in practice, i disagree. i think the difference is how long we think that period is, and how severe the wound has to be to kick it off. for me, the answers to those are months of my life, and not very severe on an absolute basis. so i take celexa daily, and if i'm having a bad spot, i go in and talk to my therapist about it, so that i can get out of it, or at least so that i can see that i will get out of it eventually.

i am sick and stressed and underslept; i don't feel like i'm writing very well here. if i'm not making sense, please ask questions.