I feel sad a lot, unmotivated, and I often can't stop crying for many hours. But I sleep and eat decently and I also can smile or laugh sometimes. Am I depressed or just sad?

Unfortunately, no one here can give you a straight answer to this question, only a professional can. However, please be aware that you do not need to fit a cookie-cutter version of a mental illness definition in order to be diagnosed. Symptoms vary for each person, and a lack of certain symptoms does not make your condition any less valid than someone who has double the amount of symptoms you have. I suggest consulting a professional on this, because you may have a form of depression, but you may also just be facing a rough patch! Even if you are not diagnosed with depression, please do not think that your feelings are not valid. I hope this answer has helped, and I hope you receive the answer and/or treatment that you are seeking.

I think you are simply letting your emotions come and go which is good. Feel the emotions and let them be visitors. Good tip though do more of what you love, and have things planned that you look forward to. when you are feeling sad, right a journal entry with your non-dominant hand (proven to be more insightful) and become more self aware about why you are feeling what you are feeling. Practice gratitude and self love and even maybe reciting affirmations. Stay positive and come up with a really good routine that you can follow to develop good habits.

I personally think this sounds like depression, but I'm not a medical professional and cannot make a diagnosis. If you think the sadness, crying, or lack of motivation is getting in the way of your life, I'd also learn further to depression. Depression doesn't always mean depressed 100% of the time or having each and every symptom. Everyone is different. There are ups and downs, good days and bad days. I'd recommend talking to your doctor about this! They'd be able to refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist who could officially diagnosis or help regardless of a diagnosis or not!

To have depression, a person must have a chemical imbalance in their head that makes it difficult for them to be happy, even when good things are happening in their life. It usually has to affect someone for three months before they can be diagnosed. That being said, depression does not effect everyone in the same way. Having depression does not neccessarily mean that you don't eat well or sleep, or that you can not smile or laugh. You can have depression and still enjoy a good joke. If you are honestly thinking that you may be depressed, it would be in your best interest to speak to your doctor or a therapist about the situation.

The human mind is very complex. Being sad can be caused by depression as well as sadness can cause depression. Life goes fast and most of the time you don't have time to focus on yourself for a few and wonder what is happening. The answer to your question is within you, it always is. Whatever pain you may face, accepting it is part of the healing process. I know I like to meditate when something bad happens. And it helps. Find your own way of dealing with sadness and/or depression, and soon enough you will start growing happy again!

having regular sleeping and eating habits, as well as being able to smile and laugh on occasion, doesn't somehow invalidate the times when you feel unmotivated and sad. both parts of you are completely valid, and while i'm not qualified to tell you if you have depression (or even dysthymia), i urge you to seek professional help and find a therapist who can help support you. you're not alone, and you deserve love and support.

Depression is a severe case of sadness. It may help to think about things that may have caused this, as many cases have been the result of a significant change or event which may have taken place to trigger your sadness. Depression can't be diagnosed from anyone other than a professional. Talking about your emotions to a loved one or someone you trust may help. It may also be beneficial to talk to your doctor to get some professional help who may refer you to a specialist. However it is always best to talk to friends and family first. Best wishes

It sounds to me like you may be depressed. Depression comes in waves; sometimes you can be feeling perfectly fine, but other times it can seem like the world is coming down around you. In my personal experience, depression seems to linger. It may fade or wane, but it always seems to come up again in varying degrees of severity. Sadness is often the result of a specific event, while Depression is something constant that, while certain things can make it more prominent, is there whether or not something has happened to trigger it. Sadness is an emotion, depression is something far deeper.

I can't diagnose you, only a licensed professional can. However, you could be depressed and are just showing a few symptoms of it. Again, only a professional can give you an accurate answer so I would at least advise you speak to one if you feel like that is becoming a problem. Sometimes they are only small symptoms but can either develop into bigger issues, or maybe not. It would still be the best advice to speak to a professional before it becomes a major issue, or if you are still unsure. I hope I helped you out even a little!

The American Psychiatric Association defines depression as a persistent feelings of sadness that can include other symptoms such as loss of interest or pleasure in activities you usually enjoy. Having a normal appetite and sleep schedule and being able to occasionally laugh or smile does not negate these symptoms; if the feelings of sadness and lack of motivation persist and remain severe to the point of crying for hours, then these symptoms are consistent with depression, not mere sadness. You should consult a health professional for a full diagnostic evaluation, and continue a healthy self care routine to the best of your ability, eating and sleeping properly.

It depends; are you feeling this way from time to time? Is this a constant thing? Has it happened for a while? Depression is much more than just being sad, but it can come in many different forms. One only knows that they have depression when they seek a professional and get a clinical diagnosis, so to truly know whether you are depressed or not, it would be best to seek a professional. Crying for many hours, lack of motivation, and intense sadness is completely abnormal, but not uncommon. The best thing to do right now is to take a look at the depression section of 7Cups and talk to a therapist, doctor, or other professional.

If these feelings persist for weeks, you might be depressed. The way that you sleep and eat decently and smile and laugh might just mean that you're at the beginning of depression. You should be careful because at first, we all think we can go through it alone, that we're strong but comes the tough times when we can't even get out of bed when depression strikes at its worse. Anyway, if the feeling doesn't persist, maybe you are just sad for a particular reason and you just need the time to heal your scars. Mostly, sadness is due to a specific reason unlike depression.

First, it is important to remember that both depression and sadness can manifest in different ways for all of us. If you feel like you might be experiencing depression, making an appointment with a mental health professional is a good first step. If you can't start there making an appointment with your primary care doctor is another good place to start. In that appointment you can discuss what you are feeling and your symptoms and get the appropriate help that you need. Even if you don't end up having depression, therapy can be incredibly beneficial for a lot of people. I hope this helps.

It might be that something has happened, i.e. the loss of a loved one (even if it has been a while ago), a relationship that is not going well, a divorce, dealing with a difficult boss, feeling lonely etc. Sometimes we are not even aware of the underlying reason. It is good to recognise the feelings of sadness, feeling unmotivated or if you can't stop crying. I usually take time off to think about what is causing these feelings and use the simple technique of keep on asking why, why, why to try to get to the root cause. Once I understand where the feelings are coming from, I can make a better choice on how to deal with them. Sometimes easier said than done, but truly listening to yourself helps me get through these difficult times.

You feel unmotivated and sad a lot, and you cry for hours on end. You can sleep and eat regularly, and you smile and laugh. But you're still feeling terrible throughout the day. I sounds to me that you're depressed and have been having a difficult time. I know just how hard it can be to get yourself out of that space and how helpless it can feel. But I'll tell you that you are strong and have the will to get yourself through this. It's okay to feel the way you're feeling and it's nothing to feel ashamed about. I've gone through what you're going through and I can tell you that you will get out of this and overcome it.

You don't need to experience all the symptoms of depression to be diagnosed with it. A prolonged feeling of sadness is a very common depressive symptom and should be taken seriously. The ability to smile or laugh genuinely also does not mean you don't have depression. Depression comes in varying forms depending on each person - and severity differs for each person. Seeking professional help and talking to others to overcome it is the best course of action to avoid feeling this way. I know people who have been diagnosed with depression and their only symptom was feeling sad all the time.

Depression is a medical word used to describe sadness and the behavior that comes with sadness. You could say that feeling sad a lot and also unmotivated is depression. It sounds like in this situation there are also good days or at least moments that there is relief from feeling sad. If you want to call it depression or sadness that is up to you. It does sound like it would be good to have more relief from the sadness so you do not feel so bad as often. Ask yourself why do I feel so sad. If you know what is causing it it can help in knowing what to do about it. Be kind to yourself and try and give yourself what you need when you feel sad. Take Care.

Is there something in your life that you think could be the cause? Or are you living a normal and uneventful life? Sometimes when something happens, even if it was years ago it can still have a great effect on us, maybe you wish your life to be more then it is? Perhaps you need someone you can talk to without any restraints, if so, I'm here and I'll be happy to talk with you, so will many other listeners, and if we can't help, don't worry, whether you are depressed or just sad, we are here to help you, in whatever way we can,

Hey, Depression has many faces. I am no psychologist so don't value my answer heavily. Out of personal experiences, I'd say you sound like you suffer from Depression or a Depressed episode. When I first got my diagnose, I felt exactly the way you did. My psychologist also told me to go to the doctor, because that behavior can also be caused by less iron in your blood ( also fewer vitamins than you actually should have etc.) In case you haven't talked to your family about it, I'd highly advise you to do so. I know, that this might seem to be frightening at first but I felt more relieved after I did so. Sadly my parents first kind of"underrated" my problem, so I started to isolate myself more than I already did. If this happens to you as well if you choose to tell them, I'm begging you to not isolate yourself because it ends u making things worse.

I am so sorry that you are feeling so sad. Crying for many hours and being unmotivated point to depression. Some people can smile and laugh through depression all the time around others, but when they get home and are alone, the tears and overwhelming sadness has a way of finding them. Being depressed is a big challenge, and I am here for you. 7 cups also has trained therapists, and I can help you with finding one if you would like to explore that option. Are there any specific obstacles in your life that you’re currently facing that you think could be causing you to feel so sad? What is something you could do to be nice to yourself today?

As I'm not a professional I can't say for sure, but based on my experiences of having depression it does sound similar to my feelings. I would almost always feel incredibly sad and tired, and I would cry multiple times a day. I found it hard to find energy or interest in doing anything, including things I enjoy. I certainly did smile and laugh sometimes, and I did have the odd day where I felt happy and did something fun. Some things I found really helpful to get through depression was seeing a counsellor, making myself spend time with friends, making myself do hobbies, and keeping a journal of little achievements like when I managed to socialise or do something fun. It was super hard to keep going at times, but the important thing is to keep trying. It's great that you're managing to eat and sleep well, keep up the good work! I hope things look up for you soon

Depression is different for every person. People with depression can still sleep, eat, smile, and laugh. Often sometimes you might not even be able to tell apart a depressed person from a non-depressed person. If you're experiencing these symptoms severely and often, then it is worth it to consider seeing a professional about the problem and discuss these things with them. A professional can also give you a diagnosis and determine for sure whether or not you have clinical depression, or if you're 'just sad'. Either way, keep your head up and focus on taking care of yourself, because depression and sadness will both pass. You got this, good luck!

Being depressed doesn't mean you are never happy. It means you have noticeable trouble getting or staying motivated to do things that people usually feel naturally motivated to do, such as eat, take care of hygiene, so simple tasks, clean, etc. The distinguishing factor between depression and just being sad sometimes is that depression is consistent and impedes your ability to live life to the fullest.

Sounds like depression. Symptoms are different for different people. Some people can be very angry all the time and it is because of depression. Being able to sleep, eat, or smile and laugh at times doesn’t mean you aren’t depressed. Also take into consideration how long this has been going on.

Depression rears its head differently for everyone. You may experience some of the symptoms, but perhaps not all of them. I recommend you speak with a doctor about this; whether it be a regular one who can refer you elsewhere or a psychiatrist. There are also hotlines you can call for help, if need be.

You could have what is called Bipolar depression. Which means you have these highs of being happy. Then these lows of depression

It is possible that you are suffering from depression, as those are common symptoms and depression is an illness that can vary in severity. The best option is to speak to your healthcare professional and explain how you feel

That sounds rough, don’t worry. think positive! you got this, stay strong. i’m here for you! focus on the good things, things that make you happy!

People who have depression do not always show all of the symptoms. Check in with a doctor or nurse and they can help you with this. A lack of motivation is a big sign of depression. I would recommend talking to a professional soon.

No sometimes these feelings come you dont have to dwell and feed on them always try to chose a better of two goods