...yaw laNg basaHa!!!

"I'm depressed." Depending on who is saying this, and what your relationship is with that person, you will probably react differently:If it's your teenager you may think: "Uh, just another one of her moods!" A teenager may have a new pimple, have a disagreement with a friend, or be doing poorly in school or in a sport. The ups and downs of the teen years may make you think that depression is just part of growing up -- that it's a normal mood state when it's not. Don't be fooled by the emotional upheavals of the teen years. Depression can be a serious problem!If it's your husband you may think: "He's had a rotten day." You may just pass the comment off. But on the other hand you may react strongly: "This must be serious -- he usually doesn't talk like this." Your second reaction would probably be on target since, as you noted, this kind of statement represents a departure from his usual conversations. Men are less apt to disclose feelings about their emotional state than women as a general rule, but the key here is change in the individual and his "usual" way of operating.If it's your elderly mother you may think: "She's just getting old." Don't people who are older feel depressed? Actually most older people cope with the multiple losses experienced (spouse, friends, health, job) quite well. An admission of depressed feelings may be a call for more social support, may indicate the onset of a disease or may be the side effects of a medication. Depression does affect many of the elderly but it may be overlooked because the warning signs given off are often indirect and confused with the signs of other illnesses.Feelings of depression can indicate many things. As the above examplesillustrate, these feelings may be interpreted differently depending on how you view the person who is expressing the concerns. Our expectations of others can reduce our ability to understand what is happening to that person. We may misinterpret or ignore verbal distress messages and we may miss the non-verbal messages altogether. This may be taken as a signal by others that we don't care when we really do.