What’s the Difference Between Sadness and Depression?
Sadness is an emotion most people experience. There are many causes of sadness, and most people will experience a period of sadness at some point in their life. Sadness is a normal emotion, it is a reaction to loss, and it can have both a physical and mental impact on you.
Sadness may be triggered by events such as the death of a loved one, the break-up of a relationship, or any other kind of loss. It is usually self-limiting and usually passes over time without the need for treatment. But how do you know if what you’re experiencing is Depression or Sadness? That’s a question people struggling with mental health often ask themselves. The answer: quite a bit.
What is Depression?
Depression is more than just feeling sad for a period of time.
It is a medical condition that affects the way you think, feel, and behave. It can affect your sleep, appetite, energy level, concentration, self-esteem, and overall enjoyment of life everyday life activities. It is more than just ‘prolonged sadness’
Depression is not something you can just “snap out of”.
No matter how hard you try to lift yourself out from under it by sheer willpower alone—something many depressed people do—it is an illness that persists over time and changes the way your brain functions. People who suffer from depression cannot simply “pull themselves together” or “shake off” their symptoms like they would with a cold or even flu. They need treatment in order to overcome their symptoms and get better.
Depression doesn't mean you are weak or flawed.
Depression is not a personal weakness or character flaw, but rather a medical condition beyond your control that requires understanding and compassionate care to overcome successfully. You would never tell someone with diabetes that they are weak or flawed. It’s the same with Depression.
Depression doesn't have to have a distinct cause.
Sadness can be a normal reaction to the difficult circumstances of your life. Unlike Sadness, which usually has a distinct cause, depression doesn’t have to result as a reaction to something specific in your life. Depression can, however, be caused by several diferent factors: These include your genes, brain chemistry, or medical conditions (like diabetes), hormone changes (such as those that occur during pregnancy), traumatic experiences, difficult life events (death in the family, divorce, loss of a job), or even environmental factors (such as living in poverty). In some cases, though, depression can begin for no clear reason at all. Experts aren't sure why this happens; some people may just be more likely to get depressed than others are.
Depression looks different for everyone.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ for Depression. The Depression you are living with may be different than that of your best friend. It may even look different from the Depression you knew 10 years ago. For example, someone could go through a period of sadness after losing a loved one and recover later on their own without needing treatment. However, they could also experience another episode that was triggered by something else entirely—stressful work hours or marriage problems—and would need help getting through it.
I think I have Depression. What Do I Do?
First of all, don’t panic. Depression affects many people, and it’s not an incurable disease. There’s always something you can do, even if you may feel like there is nothing that gives you hope.
Diagnosis
First step is to receive a diagnosis. This allows the healthcare professionals to know what would be the best approach and treatment for you. Assessment for a depression diagnosis can occur either with your primary care physician, a mental health professional, or a psychiatrist
Medication
Talk to your therapist or doctor about starting a regimen of antidepressant medication. These drugs work by affecting the chemicals in your brain that control your mood, such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Taking an antidepressant doesn’t mean you’re “crazy,” have a “chemical imbalance,” or are weak for not being able to handle something yourself. It means you have a medical condition just like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Psychotherapy
Talking with a mental health professional is another effective way to treat depression. You may choose individual therapy, couple's therapy, family therapy, and/or group therapy depending on what you think will help most.
Lifestyle Changes
Making changes to things like diet and exercise can also be helpful in treating depression and making it less likely to return in the future.
Together, these treatments can be highly effective at restoring your energy, motivation, and sense of hope so that you can feel like yourself again and experience more joy in life.The treatment plan that works best for you depends on the type of depression you have (major depressive disorder or persistent depressive disorder) as well as its severity and symptoms. Your doctor may recommend one type of treatment initially but suggest switching later on if it isn't working well enough for you (or isn't working at all). The important thing is to take action so that you're feeling better soon—and remember that there's more than one way to get there! If you’re experiencing either sadness or depression and would like to talk to a therapist, please contact us to schedule a phone consultation.