“I thought ‘depression’ and ‘sadness’ were basically the same thing…”
– Anonymous
I’m sure we’ve all heard someone say in a fleeting moment, ‘I’m depressed’ or ‘I feel so depressed’ after something devastating happens, or when life doesn’t pan out the way in which they intended. It goes to show that the term depression is sometimes used very casually and even carelessly. However, I’m going to briefly discuss the difference between ‘sadness’ and ‘depression, from my viewpoint.’
A couple months back, I was having a discussion, dare I say debate – around the difference between ‘depression’ and ‘sadness’ with my younger sister. She expressed that everyone will or has experienced some sort of depression at one point in their life. I quickly corrected her that everybody may experience some sort of sadness at one point in their life, however not everyone will experience depression. The term depression and sadness are distinctly different but are often confused has being one and the same thing.
Let’s first explore some definitions of depression to get a better understanding.
‘Depression is a low mood that lasts for a long time, and affects your everyday life.’
– Mind
‘Depression is a long lasting low mood disorder. It affects your ability to do everyday things, feel pleasure or take interest in activities.’
– Rethink
Notice, these two definitions state that depression effects the everyday (everyday life.) When I experienced depression after my first episode, it was difficult to get out of bed, even simple things such as going to the local shop was a chore in itself. I lacked motivation, so working full time was out of the question (even though I wanted to.)
In my case, my experience/s of depression usually followed after an episode or a relapse, because I felt as if I had to start my life over again. I was put on medication which inevitably impacted my energy levels, caused weight gain and made me really sleepy in the evening and sometimes during the day.
The point I’m trying to make is that sadness, is a natural human response to pain, disappointment and loss. Whereas depression is beyond a state of sadness and has moved towards a lack of ability to cope with everyday life, for example, self-care (having a wash, cleaning clothes) or (remembering to eat, and sleep/rest) or stay connected with family members or friends.
This video below shares more light on the topic of depression:
Psych2Go
More info on the topic of depression below:
LookafterU4me 