Is it normal to feel depressed for a long, long time because you can't help anyone?

[DoomGodess]

I feel depressed because I can't help people. I'm virtually worthless to society. Why do I feel like that?

[Poo44clooner]

You sound like you are depressed. I have depression and it does help to volunteer in your community. I volunteer as often as I possibly can and it helps to get out of my head and accomplish something and helping others does make you feel better about yourself. Try to find an organization in your community through the internet that attracts your interest and apply to volunteer. I think it might help you as well as seeing a doctor about possibly being depressed.

[specialmom]

I'm really sorry you are feeling this way.  I don't think anyone can judge why you feel you are depressed as this is your own thoughts about your own life.  Clinical depression though is often more than feeling worthless.  It has symptoms like not wanting to get up in the morning, always feeling hopeless, disturbance in sleep, eating, sadness, etc. (those are just some).  And it is also present for at least two weeks ever day, all the time.  

We could give you lots of ways to feel helpful to the world or find value in your life but that's hard not know more about you.  But know this . ..   just by posting here, you've helped others.  Someone else may feel the same way and see this . . . and it sparks them to not feel alone and to know that people care and want to help them (us and you).  So, stay in touch with us and let us help.  hugs

[Paxiled]

Just to be helpful to people, Mom's list of what makes up depression isn't going to apply to everyone, it's a generalization.  Many depressed people sleep fine.  Many have great appetites -- many eat too much.  The two week thing is just an indication, because almost everyone has had a bad few weeks or months or even a bad year or two.  Getting diagnosed with depression for the sake of getting a medication from a psychiatrist isn't the same as getting a diagnosis that is accurate, which is sometimes easy to do and sometimes hard to do.  I only add this to make sure that everyone who suspects depression first get a very thorough work-up from a physician to make sure there isn't some physiological cause, and then to see a mental health professional who does more than read the diagnostic manual -- you want that first appointment to be pretty long and pretty thorough.  You can just be hopeless and have a bad case of depression, and you can have all those symptoms and not have depression at all.  Life isn't that easy, unfortunately.  So don't give up trying to get better.

[Paxiled]

You're not depressed because you can't help people, if that's really true and not just hyperbole, but you aren't helping people because you're depressed, assuming you really want to help people.  What you're describing is depression.  What are you doing to address it?

[AnxiousNoMore]

In addition to paxiled's good question, how old are you?