How do I know if I'm sad or depressed?
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Last Updated: 02/25/2023 at 7:32am
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Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
December 16th, 2015 8:43pm
That's a good question. I would encourage you to take a free online depression test that would be a good guide to answer that. Although these tests cannot diagnose anything, it may provide insight into what you're feeling. Ask yourself this: how long have you felt sad? Does this interfere with your daily life? Have you lost your motivation and pleasure in things once enjoyed? Finding out for sure may warrant a visit to a professional.
best thing you can do is go see a doctor about it if you are concerned about it you may just be sad for a little bit then go back to normal but best thing is to go see a doctor
RESEARCH !!!!(: that's the best resource we have and normally if you feel like its not getting better and it seems to be getting worse it may be depression especially if its every day and if not it may be sadness.
Anonymous
December 17th, 2015 8:30am
Being sad and/or depressed feels like you're drowning in your feelings. Being sad for a day doesn't really count as depression, but if you have a bunch of sad days in a row, you might have depression.
Even through these sad or depressing days, the people on 7cups are more than welcome to help you out
Depression is ongoing, you lose motivation and you feel empty. In my experience when you have depression you lose yourself and you lose hope.
Anonymous
December 17th, 2015 3:40pm
You don't like to do the things anymore you'd loved to do at first. You're not able to get out of bed and if you do, you feel tired all of the time. You'll notice that you're not smiling as much as you did and that you might be loosing contact with the people who were at first so important in your life. You're living more inside of your head and don't want to go outside and do things anymore.
Anonymous
December 17th, 2015 11:02pm
Everyone experiences sadness at points in their lives. Depression is far different. Depression tends to be prolonged in nature and can be accompanied by mood swings, weight changes, decreased interest in normal activities, insomnia, and other non desirable personality changes. If you think you are suffering from depression please consult your doctor.
Being sad is the general feeling of just being blue. A lot of people feel that way sometimes. However, if it gets to a point where you constantly feel sad, if you are feeling suicidal, if you have an urge to self harm, or if you feel hopeless, that is known as depression. If you feel depressed, please seek professional help. Stay strong! c:
Anonymous
December 18th, 2015 6:41pm
When you are sad or depressed you tend to act different. Since all people are different, you might not k ow as soon as it started. Sometimes you might find yourself more distant from others. Or maybe you don't wanna leave a certain place.
When sadness persists for more than two weeks and affects your life in some aspects you're probably depressed. When you're depressed it's harder for the ones around you to notice that you're not okay, because when you're depressed you tend to pretend that everything's okay with you and your life.
Anonymous
December 18th, 2015 10:09pm
Great question. Well, if you're depressed it usually lasts longer than 4 weeks and is persistent. Depression can be felt at all times, but sadness isn't felt as extreme. Sadness is natural, and it's okay to be sad. But I recommend never going through sadness or depression alone!
Anonymous
December 19th, 2015 5:51pm
You'll know that you're sad or depressed when people around you make jokes and everyone is laughing but you, you start losing appetite, you find it hard to concentrate on your work and/or even when worse come to worst, the possibility to hurt yourself somehow crosses your mind.
Sadness is a momentary feeling, considered healthy and important for doctors. Help in the preparation of losses, or occasional pain. People affected by the occurrence of losses, employment or loved ones are going through a phase of suffering and distress, which may last for a certain period of time.
Now, if the sadness does not pass, and begin to arise feelings of apathy, indifference, hopelessness, lack of prospects or enjoyment of life, know that this is a clear symptom of depression. Symptoms can appear or disappear in a subtle and almost imperceptible, but it is important to know that they can come back. Depression is a serious illness and so should be treated.
Anonymous
December 23rd, 2015 9:43pm
It's that feeling in my gut when I wake up or am in the middle of the day. It's this feeling that something is off. I know I don't WANT to feel this way, but I do. I would give anything to stop it. One day... I don't know how... But it mostly went away... I think it was when I really started to let go. It comes back from time to time. I know it'll always be here with me... But I can live. I know I can survive.
Anonymous
December 25th, 2015 4:32am
Sad is temporary. You get sad for maybe a week. Depression is the loss of motivation. Emptiness. Constant sadness. Feeling like nothing matters. Feeling alone, like no one cares. Depression is long term.
When your sad, you know the reason why you are sad and sadness is just temporary. The feeling will go away, also, when your sad you cant hide it. When youre depress you hide it in smiles and laughters but youre just empty inside. When youre depress you never really know the reason why...you may had from the start but in a long run, you get lost in it and the feeling never really goes away. There are good days and bad days in depression.
Your sad when something gets you down and you cry and feel down a little while about it but you pick yourself up and move on afterwards. Depression is when you feel down for a long period of time and find it hard to pick yourself up and move on.
If you want a quick and dirty answer: You know you're depressed when you're persistently sad *and* you feel like you can't do anything to change that.
If you're unsure, see your doctor.
Depression is not just an extension of sadness. In addition to low mood and loss of interest, depression can have other troubling symptoms, including:
Sleep problems: either sleeping too much, being unable to fall asleep, or waking up in the night
Appetite issues: either eating too much, or not wanting to eat
Low energy levels
Concentration problems
Negative thinking or feeling very pessimistic
Anonymous
December 27th, 2015 11:03pm
If you're sad you are just sad but if you're depressed you don't care about anything at all it is usually easy to tell
Anonymous
December 30th, 2015 8:55am
When you are depressed, you'll know. Depression isn't just I feel a little sad today. It's I've felt sad continuously for a few weeks or months. You may not enjoy things you use to, be more tired, and just be worn out when you haven't done anything.
I think that sadness its a momentary feeling that will eventually pass with time. Depresion It is based on a permanent grief, sadness in the long run, a sadness that dominates our brain which doesnt allow you to feel any other feeling but negative feelings. Ill hope that i make my self clear:)
When you don't want to get out of bed anymore, that's when you know things are getting bad again....
It is not a mood. It won't just disappear, no matter what anyone says or what you want to feel like. So please, if your sadness is incurring and not going away, seek help. We're all here for you and we aren't going anywhere. Xx
Anonymous
December 30th, 2015 8:41pm
depression is when youre very sad for long periods of time. being sad is when its a day or two. but honestly you can never be sure unless you go visit a doctor.
Depression is usually a reoccurring feeling of sadness thay can come about with no clear reason. Sadness usually occurs right after something sad happens or takes place.
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 1:34am
If you have felt this way for more than two weeks and you have feelings of worthlessness or uselessness and you feel like you are alone and empty, you are more likely to have depression than just be sad.
Sadness is a normal human emotion. It is something we all experience. Depression is a constant state of mind. It is an abnormal emotional state, a mental illness to be more accurate. When we are depressed we feel sad about almost everything. One more difference which i can think of is that sadness requires an event or a trigger to happen but when we are depressed we don’t need any trigger, we are depressed no matter what happens. Considering someone with an illness merely to be “sad†is an insult to that person and minimizes an illness that takes thousands of lives every year.
The best way to find out is check the symptoms of depression using the Depression Self Help Guide or visiting your doctor. From there you can determine whether or not you are depressed.
Anonymous
January 1st, 2016 10:06am
It would depend on how long it lasts. If the sadness lasts a couple of weeks, it may be more than sadness.
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