Ms. Sassy,
I'm concerned about my roommate -- she always gets in a funk around this time of year. She's a total hermit and a workaholic (to avoid her personal issues) so when she's off work she has no idea what to do with herself. Her birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and she's already resolved not to do anything because "nobody would come anyway," and while I'm back home for the holidays I'm pretty convinced she'll lock herself in our apartment the whole time and sleep 14+ hours a day.
I try to see things from her point of view and I just can't comprehend it. She doesn't have the best relationship with her family, but they've never been close. She has some great friends, a well-paying job right in line with her dream job, and a dog who adores her. I guess I just can't wrap my mind around "depression" when it seems to stem from little more than a completely defeatist attitude. Wow, that was a lot longer than I anticipated. How do I help her?
-Depressed or Pathetic

Depressed or Pathetic,
Wow, that is possibly the most ignorant I've ever heard. It sounds like you roommate is definitely suffering from depression. Am I a medical doctor? No, but having suffered from bi-polar depression myself, a few years ago, I would say that her symptoms are ringing a bell. The worst part is that I tried to talk to people about how I was feeling, but the did what you're doing now. They invalidated the way I was feeling and down played it like I was just in a funk that would pass.
Stop trying to analyze her. Stop being a bitch and telling her how she should feel and just be her friend. When she talks, listen. You can't solve her problems and she knows that but just talking to someone is her way of reaching out. And her feeling like you're listening to what she has to say instead of judging her as some weak pathetically ungrateful cry-baby can open the next door she needs to walk through, which is seeing a professional.