We have all probably experienced moments of sadness, of shorter or longer duration. There are situations and events that change our mood, but do not fundamentally affect our health. If we are sad, does it mean that we have an episode of depression? No, explain the specialists, who teach us how to distinguish sadness from depression.
Sadness is characterized as a feeling of discouragement, loss, helplessness, disadvantage. When we are sad, we mobilize all our attention towards the event that caused this state and which, certainly, affected us strongly.
An important characteristic of sadness is its duration: a short period of time, meaning hours or, more rarely, days. The state and concern about the event that caused it resolves on its own or with minimal help. Although we are sad, daily activities (work, household chores, interactions with other family members) do not suffer significantly. In other words, we continue to “function” despite the sadness we feel.
Things are completely different in the case of depression. Depression is characterized as an intense and persistent emotional pain that lasts at least two weeks. A depressed mood causes us to significantly lose both interest in most daily activities and the pleasure of doing them.
A person with depression will always feel tired during the day, will have low attention and will be less and less able to make decisions. “A state of restlessness, irritability or psychomotor slowness sets in, with detachment from daily activities and a decrease in the level of functioning. Added to these are feelings of uselessness or guilt,” explain psychiatric specialists.
Depressive episodes are also characterized by changes in appetite, with weight loss or gain, depending on the periods in which we eat very little or, on the contrary, we overeat. Sleep also suffers: periods of insomnia or hypersomnia appear, which become persistent.
All this leads to a decrease in the survival instinct and the appearance of recurrent thoughts of death.