Understanding the Difference Between Sadness and Depression

Life can throw many challenges our way, from creative setbacks to the loss of a loved one. It’s completely normal to feel sad during these times, but it’s crucial to ensure that sadness doesn’t consume you. Distinguishing between sadness and depression can be difficult, so it’s essential to pay attention to the signals your body and mind are sending.

Similar Symptoms, Different Conditions

Experts note that the primary challenge in diagnosing depression is the similarity of symptoms between sadness and depression. Extensive discussions on this topic led to the creation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1970. This manual outlines various conditions related to depression but not classified as depression itself. Today, doctors must spend considerable time to confirm a depression diagnosis, ensuring that a person’s inability to lead an active life isn’t merely due to a prolonged bad mood.

It’s also important not to confuse depression with grief:

‘The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality—the ability to experience a full range of emotions, including joy, excitement, sadness, and sorrow. Depression is not an emotion but a loss of feeling; a heavy blanket that cuts a person off from the world and simultaneously wounds them.’ — Richard O’Connor, psychotherapist

The Importance of Time

Experts also emphasize that the key distinguishing factor between temporary sadness and more severe depressive states is time. If you’ve been feeling down for more than two weeks, it’s crucial to consult a professional, especially if it’s affecting your daily functioning. While everyone has off months, spending an entire month in despair is a serious symptom.

If you think you can handle it on your own, even if it takes time, be aware that the chemical effects of depression can damage the brain, erode self-confidence, lower self-esteem, and impact physical health. The longer depression goes untreated, the harder it is to recover.

Wider Range of Symptoms

Depression symptoms are extensive and unrelenting. There’s a stereotype that depression means endless tears from morning till night, as often portrayed in movies and TV shows. However, other, less well-known symptoms include difficulty making decisions, excessive sleep or insomnia, feelings of hopelessness, and persistent guilt. Some patients describe depression as a state of numbness. A depression diagnosis is confirmed if these factors, along with sadness and low mood, persist over a long period.

Another crucial indicator is the intensity of the symptoms. If you can’t even imagine things getting better and have thoughts of suicide, these are serious signs of depression. People experiencing temporary sadness can often find things that make them feel better. For those with depression, relief doesn’t come.

Anyone Can Be Affected

Sadness can strike anyone, just like depression. If you fear judgment because of your condition and hesitate to seek help, the consequences can be severe, and it’s not worth the risk.

For many, depression is an expression of pain and unresolved issues and doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them. Having depression also doesn’t mean you’re mentally ill.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health in the USA, 16 million adults have experienced a depressive episode, indicating the seriousness of the problem. In our country, precise statistics are not kept due to the stigma still surrounding this topic in Russia. However, thanks to the popular hashtag #facesofdepression, people have started sharing their experiences and how they cope with the illness more openly. This has made finding a suitable specialist much easier.

No one is immune to depression; even practicing psychiatrists can be affected. If you try to convince yourself that as a positive person, you’ll never experience depression, you might overlook a brewing problem.

Free psychological help is available from state psychological centers and helplines, which can be easily found in any city. You can also call the free psychological helpline at 051 or reach out to public organizations like ‘Sisters’ or ‘Anna’ for assistance in finding a specialist.

For more information, you can visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.