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?
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Last Updated: 05/27/2022 at 2:23am
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I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.
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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,
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.
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.
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.
Anonymous
February 15th, 2019 4:51pm
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Anonymous
June 22nd, 2019 7:06pm
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!
Anonymous
July 5th, 2019 5:34am
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.
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
Anonymous
August 7th, 2019 8:28pm
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.
Anonymous
August 10th, 2019 2:04pm
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!
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.
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!
Anonymous
October 16th, 2019 2:39am
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.
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.
Anonymous
October 26th, 2019 3:13am
I experience the same symptoms you do and I have been diagnosed with depression. I would say what you are going through right now is, in fact, depression. You don't have to look depressed to be struggling so someone with depression can still smile while hiding the pain from everyone. Depression is characterized by a constant, intense sadness and bouts of crying are included along with it. I wondered for a long time if I was just sad or actually depressed. I realized that my sadness was great enough to warrant a visit to my doctor so I made an appointment to get a diagnosis and see what I could do to start feeling happy and alive again. Doctors can help and you can feel better again!
Anonymous
October 27th, 2019 7:30pm
I do not know if this is right but my opinion is that I think you are just sad. That could be because you went through a lot of things in your life. When you go through hard times in your life you feel sad because things make you sad. I could recommend that you should talk to family or friends no matter what age you are. Another thing I recommend is that to improve your motivation is doing the things you love or that you have interest in or you have never tried it before and you have been thinking about it earlier.
Anonymous
November 14th, 2019 7:39am
You seem to be sad. You are in search of something, want to achieve something but you are not able to. So this thought makes you feel sad. If you are eating and sleeping and can laugh at times means you are just missing on the purpose of your life. You are not depressed. It is just a phase of life and the day you are able to achieve something you will be in an ecstatic mood. It is not permanent just temporary. You can overcome this phase and needs to be little more determined for yourself and happiness.
Depression comes in many different shapes and forms, and can affect people differently. Although some of the symptoms listed are similar in many cases of depression, they may also be caused a temporary period of my low mood. If you need to ask if it's depression, then you should probably speak to a health care or mental health expert. Try speaking to your healthcare provider, rather than self diagnose. But, it is extremely important to remember everything will get better!
It is hard to tell, given I am not a psychologist, maybe you could go to one to know! But make sure you know that even if you are or are not, something is not right. You should try and look for ways to improve your situation, maybe such as idenitfying the problem, or by looking online for help! This website is great for speaking to people, and other strategies such as exercising, mediation or binaural beats can help you improve your mood! Make sure you do proper research before implementing any of these stratergies though! Im wishing all the best for you, good luck! :D
A person can suffer from depression and still, eat, sleep and smile. There are many symptoms of depression, some people experience them all, some only a few. Think about how long have you been feeling this way? Is this the first time or has it happened before? If its happened before, how long do these feelings typically last? I think it would be good if you went to a doctor or mental health professional just to be sure; especially if you begin having thoughts of self harm or not wanting to exist in general. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You are not weak, or inferior; you are just dealing with an illness. If it turns out that you are just sad, nothing wrong there either, it happens to us all. Remember to be kind to yourself!
Anonymous
November 29th, 2020 6:33pm
I would point you to our Depression guide on 7Cups to see if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. But even then, I would strongly suggest seeing a trained professional in diagnosing you properly, as untreated depression is not what anyone would ever want. Try your best to take care of your mental space, and make sure to eat all of your meals and stay hydrated and stay passionate in the activities and hobbies that you adore the most. Furthermore, rely on your closest friends! Surround yourself with positive energy and feel safe and comfortable around those who you love the most.
Anonymous
November 29th, 2020 9:17pm
You can't really know the answer to that until you go see an actual therapist or someone professional. Plus, I don't think you want to hear some advice or "suggestions" from an armature. I would assume that it could be depression, but then thing with depression is that you don't necessarily feel sad. You would feel unmotivated to do anything and you just don't feel right. Nor do you necessarily cry when you're depressed. So, I would think that it's just sadness, but my answer doesn't stop you from going to an actual professional to get an actual diagnosis.
you may be depressed. more than 260 million people today are depressed. its very common but you may feel so alone! but you are not. there's many available treatments for depression form antidepressants to therapy. and if your not into those sorts of things there's some thing you can do at home like eat balanced meals, exercise but more importantly surround yourself by people who will support and care for you. these things aren't guaranteed though. and they may not work for you, so its reccomended you get treated by a doctor before it progresses. its also very possible your just sad. maybe somethings happen to you recently that could cause you to be sad. but if you feel this way for more then two weeks, your probably more than just sad.
Depression can look a little different for everybody, and can even vary between episodes for the same person. Sometimes I feel like I have a sneak attack depressive episode because it turns up looking totally different that what I'm used to. But just because your symptoms may not check every box does not mean that it is not depression. Sometimes the suspicion you might be in a depression is the best indicator that you are. I'd recommend speaking to your doctor about the possibility that you have depression and see what they say. I hope you feel better soon.
Depression hits everyone differently, and sometimes it can manifest in completely different ways every time. Sometimes I am bed-bound. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I feel empty. And sometimes, I feel like I can break through and experience happiness and/or feel less empty. This does not mean I am not depressed - it comes in waves sometimes. Knowing that there can be reprives from depression can be very motivating... seeing the silver lining can take work and practice, but it can be ultimately helpful. None of the feelings of depression are anything to be ashamed about - and sometimes feeling "happy" during depression can illicit some sort of "imposter syndrome". I try not to focus on the negative thoughts, and try to focus instead on the little things that make me smile.
Anonymous
November 22nd, 2020 12:56am
I have felt that way many times as well. Being around the right people will help get through everything and put a smile on your face! It may take time but it feels great. My friends have helped me through so many things and when they stick by you, you just know they are ones to keep by your side forever. You could be depressed but you should check with your doctors cause I’m not able to tell you if you are depressed or not. But thank you for sharing that story. Have a Great rest of your day.
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