Can I still be depressed if I cycle through short, really high intensity bursts of positive emotion every once in a while?

Yes, you can. I am struggling with depression and I have days when I'm happy; I feel good about myself, I make jokes and laugh, I do things I usually wouldn't do. Depression is not only rain clouds and sad faces. There are also sunny days and endless laugh.

That actually sounds like you are bipolar, not just depressed. A short, high intensity burst of positive emotion can be a manic episode. I think it might be best to seek help from a professional. Hope everything goes well!

That is probably bipolar disorder, not depression. Bipolar disorder is serious, too, and you still need help.

I find myself being happy and it's the bursts of happiness that don't get me too lost. Focus on this

I think you can, I'm not an expert so what your experiencing might be a different thing (Like bipolar or something) but what your feeling is valid, whether its depression or not. If you feel depressed sometimes, that counts as something, regardless of the fact that you're not always feeling like that.

Yes, depression can affect anyone at anytime and at any age. If it swings too high to low then it maybe something else

Of course you can. Depression comes in all shapes and sizes and even if you have regular spurts of sadness at random moments it's still considered depression.

Yes, absolutely. Depression isn't necessarily characterized by *constant* sadness. However, these emotional extremes might point to another disorder, such as Bipolar Disorder.

Yes you can. Depression doesn't mean that you're depressed 24/7. Positive feelings are normal from time to time.

Of course. There are lots of different symptoms for depression, which is why depression is such a complex disorder because people experience it all differently. For example, having a cold is pretty much the same for everyone; headache, blocked or runny nose and a cough. Obviously the intensity changes depending on the person but overall it's the same thing. Depression is very different in that one person may not be able to leave their bed but another may be able to go to work and function properly but still suffer with suicidal thoughts. It's different for everyone so for you it's a positive little thing that you can hope for and I'm sure in time the positive bursts will last longer and become more frequent :)