Is there a difference between medical and mental depression?
It depends on what you mean by depressed. There isn’t a difference, as you say, between medical and mental depression. When you say that you’re drawing a false distinction between the brain and the mind–the truth is, they’re the same thing. Some people use the word depressed when they’re simply sad or disillusioned, which is different from the clinical meaning of the word. But if you are truly depressed, then what you are experiencing is equally medical and mental, and in fact, there’s no difference between the two. If you are actually depressed as opposed to just sad, then like I said, there’s no difference. But you don’t need to rely on medication for treatment. Many people find relief from their symptoms with therapy alone. Your mention of alcohol use does suggest that you are actually depressed, and therapy might give you the relief you need.
