Depression: ways of dealing with it

About a week ago my sister was diagnosed as being "severely depressed" and was put on some pretty heavy-duty medication. She's been depressed for a long time, but her psychologist, sensing problems larger than she was capable of dealing with (apparently) referred her to a psychiatrist who determined that she is suicidal because of her desire to sometimes just run away from everyone and everything.

My question is, isn't it normal to feel that way sometimes? Particularly when you have children. I don't know any mother who hasn't felt like running away and never coming back at some point. There have been times when I've thought about purposely running my car off the road, but I never seriously entertained the idea and the impulse left me pretty quickly.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Sass, that piece on depression was awesome! First of all, it really hit home because our mother is/was depressed. I also suffered a bout of depression about two years ago that I was able to work through with the help of my good friend, Effexor. I haven't been on any medication in over a year, and things are going well for me.

Secondly, about mid-way through the article they listed the symptoms of clinical depression, and they match my sister's symptoms perfectly, including the insomnia.

As far as the underlying issues, I'm stumped. She has a seemingly perfect life. She's smart, beautiful, married to a great guy who makes tons of money, has two smart, healthy children, and a great job working at their school as the school secretary. I know that clinical depression has little or nothing to do with what's going on in your life, but I'm having a hard time understanding what the deal is with her.

I'm definitely going to share that article with her, though. It may alleviate the guilt she's probably feeling about being depressed.

There's nowhere I can't reach.