Is depression a physicall disease like any other

I was diagnosed depression 6 months ago, and I have been following a psiquiatric treatment which includes therapy and medication. Though there is a "trend" towards improvement, still I have very bad days and I wonder if because of the negative things that happen to me I feel depressed as any "normal" person would in the same situation, or if I feel sad for any reason, just because my body is not working properly and consequently I feel sad about anything, and also the malfunctioning is which causes my depression.

With depression, it has been proven there is a physical problem in people with depression, but unfortunately, it's not possible, at the moment, to discover whether the physcial problem is the cause of the depression or an effect of the depression. The physical problem is the lowered levels of neurotransmitters, particularly seretonin, in the brain. This is found in pretty much all people with depression, but like I said, there is issue with cause and effect. It's a swings and roundabouts sort of thing.

Medication usually increases the levels of seretonin, which should make you feel better, whilst the therapy is to deal with the problems that could be causing the depression. Having both is a pretty perfect way of dealing with it, because it should eventually help whatever the cause of the depression is.

It's common to have good and bad days, but if the bad days start to outweigh the good, I'd talk to your doctor about changing your meds. How long have you been on the current medication? The pills usually take 4-6weeks to work. If it has been over this and you are still not feeling better, you might consider changing them, as different ones work for different people. Other things to do on days you don't feel great is exercise (it's hard when you feel sad but this also increases the seretonin in your brain).