Depression is not extreme sadness. It is something else entirely. When you are going through a period of sadness or grief in your life, you feel sadness or grief. When you are depressed, you feel nothing.
People who are clinically depressed tend to identify with these statements:
- I feel nothing inside. I am empty.
- I would rather feel angry or sad than feel this.
- There is no reason for me to get out of bed.
- I feel like everyone else is so far away from me.
- I don’t feel connected with people in my life.
- I feel like I am made of stone / I am not alive inside.
Depressed people usually know in their heads these statements don’t reflect reality, yet they identify with them anyways.
If you identify with any of these statements, talk to your doctor. My personal recommendation is to ask your doctor to get you connected to a therapist who is a good fit for you.
Medically speaking, there are ways to tell sadness and depression apart.
- Spontaneity. Sadness is usually a reaction to an adverse life event. On the other hand, depression appears out of nowhere.
- Disinterest. Sad people may not be in the mood for things they enjoy. Depressed people can’t even remember what it was like to enjoy them in the first place.
- Isolation. Sad people seek the comfort of loved ones. Depressed people push them away.
- Health Issues. Depression often causes symptoms that mimic physical medical problems, such as chronic pain or sleep issues.
- Consistency. Sadness can hit hard but starts lifting almost immediately. Depression hits hard, gets worse, and sticks around for a long time.
Besides being its own medical condition, depression can also be a reaction to another medical condition (such as medication side-effects or heart problems). If you’re experiencing any symptoms of depression, talk to your doctor and make sure it is not indicative of another health issue.
Lastly, always talk to your doctor because it is impossible to diagnose yourself with mental health issues. Because of cognitive bias, we have the tendency to lose our objectivity and over-identify with whatever symptom list we are reading. Doctors are trained both to spot real symptoms and to work as an objective third party.
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