Is it a depression or is it something else? Could your depression really be another emotion in disguise? Maybe you are frustrated, disappointed or maybe you harbor a lot of guilt and conceal it with continued anger!

When these types of negative emotions are suppressed (e.g., frustration, disappointment, embarrassment), it turns to anger internally and erroneously appear externally as depression. Could it be possible you are unaware of the actual negative feeling that is causing you to feel depressed? Maybe you have a hidden social phobia (anxiety), or possibly your expectations are too unrealistic? There are numerous emotional culprits that may mimic depression, which may be why some depressions are not helped by prescribed antidepressants.

It is highly possible many (if not most) people who have a depressive diagnosis are holding in negative emotions. They may not know how to express these other emotions in a healthy or healing way so they transfer this feeling to anger.

Unfortunately, anger is more acceptable in our society than showing grief (crying).These other emotions usually portray the person in a weak or vulnerable way. For example, it is more common for a grown man to show anger instead of grief if he lost his job. If he can’t find a job to replace the lost employment, eventually he becomes frustrated, disappointed or sad, which he may conceal with inner anger (depression). This may be considered situational, not an ongoing dilemma. Identifying the problem emotion is the first step in an effective treatment.

The misunderstanding of the genuine emotion; expressing it as anger, realizing the prolonged anger and then suppressing this anger may lead to mistaken diagnoses of depression. Additionally, to make this more confusing, this anger could be indicative of other disorders, such as personality disorders.

Odd and erratic behaviors: Spoiled or bipolar?

Do you find yourself getting angry when you are not the center of attention? Or when you don’t have control over situations? Maybe you hide your ‘real’ feelings because you know they are not logical. Are you in denial of your true emotions?

Suppressing true emotions becomes a barrier to intrapersonal acceptance and happiness. Identify your feelings accurately.

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