This isn’t actually true. It’s right there in the sources you quoted.
> either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities
Note the “or” rather than an “and”, meaning it can be the second half only. And also note that lack of interest/pleasure does not mean you’re sad, it just means you don’t enjoy activities. It’s actually quite different!
Additionally, the DSM paints depression as a constellation of symptoms - so even if you don’t have A.1 you could have a couple of the others and still be depressed.
> clinical depression is indeed the blues, but also some other stuff on a list of 8, for an extended period of time
The most precise statement would actually be “clinical depression can be the blues, but could also be a set of other symptoms.”
> either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities
Note the “or” rather than an “and”, meaning it can be the second half only. And also note that lack of interest/pleasure does not mean you’re sad, it just means you don’t enjoy activities. It’s actually quite different!
Additionally, the DSM paints depression as a constellation of symptoms - so even if you don’t have A.1 you could have a couple of the others and still be depressed.
> clinical depression is indeed the blues, but also some other stuff on a list of 8, for an extended period of time
The most precise statement would actually be “clinical depression can be the blues, but could also be a set of other symptoms.”