How many of you have felt depressed for a short period of time? In psychiatry, there is a difference between feeling depressed and choosing to identify with yourself as a depressed person.
For instance, feeling depressed shows that a patient perceives their depression as an emotion that they are dealing with. This is as opposed to someone who identifies with themselves as a depressed person, this perception typically has a higher propensity to be diagnosed with major depression. This demonstrates how much our mind and imagination influence our identity and mental health. Learning to seperate the negative feeling as an emotion and not something that is a part of your identity, is a sign of emotional intelligence and may also have a better long-term prognosis. We may feel certain things, but they do not define who we are. We can change and grow, but only when we choose not to label or define ourselves with what we are feeling. This practice allows you to leverage these emotions and use them as a platform to learn and adapt from, rather than them being the source of your suffering.
Source: First Aid for the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 1. 2015.
Written by: Student Doctor Navpreet Singh Badesha
