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What is the difference between sadness and depression?

191 Answers
Last Updated: 05/03/2022 at 12:32pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Jessica McDaniel, LPC, LCPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

I have been practicing cognitive behavioral psychotherapy since 2007 with a diverse group of adult clients with various diagnoses, all races, and socioeconomic classes.

Top Rated Answers
BadgerTheHelpful
January 8th, 2016 7:08am
Sadness, in my mind, is a state of being upset but being able to be helped by others. Where as depression is a state of sadness that makes you want to be alone and unhelped.
Haniel
January 8th, 2016 11:08am
Sadness is when you still have faith on things, it takes a little time, and you are not ''shot down'' by your sadness. Depression is when you lose faith in yourself and in your life, it takes more time and you gets motionless by it. If you have depression, dont worry so munch, 7cups is here to help. You just need a candle to light your darkness, and that candle is also called ''Friend.'' =)
Anonymous
January 8th, 2016 10:24pm
Sadness keeps your feeling and makes you feel your mistakes while depression teach us to not give shit about this life
Anonymous
January 9th, 2016 6:42am
Answer: There's a difference between depression and sadness. Depression causes problems with regard to a person's functioning. And the symptoms of depression typically last at least two weeks or longer. Sadness is one the of the symptoms of depression, but with depression you have more than just sadness.
incrediblePurple91
January 9th, 2016 4:24pm
Sadness is only a part of depression, which is a disease or disorder of the mind. Depression includes sadness, of course, but it also includes difficulty becoming excited about things, anxiety, over-feeling (extreme sadness/anxiousness in normal social situations), and just feeling nothing sometimes. It is normal for humans to experience spells of sadness and depression in their lifetimes. It becomes a problem when it does not pass or get better on it's own, and that is when psychological help is recommended. If a saddening event has happened recently, give yourself a bit more time to overcome it before you chalk it up to depression!
Anonymous
January 9th, 2016 10:27pm
Depression is an abnormal emotional feeling,but sadness is a normal emotion sadness can be caused by hurtful time you could be experiencing but depression is a mental illness and were sad about everything
Kellie
January 10th, 2016 12:02am
The difference between sadness and depression is that depression is a reoccurring feeling of sadness.
onthatgoodvibe
January 10th, 2016 6:01am
sadness is an emotion you feel when something doesn't go your way like getting fired your dog dies all common things to be sad about. However depression is like a sadness that doesn't go away it is a dark cloud that never goes away things that should make you happy don't sometimes people suffering from depression find themselves crying on a daily basis for no reason.
RaneemTH
January 10th, 2016 9:26pm
Depression and sadness are two different things. Many people struggle with depression think they are merely sad. and many people who are extremely sad are worried they might be depressed. Because depression is associated with its symptom of extreme sadness. Depression is a mental illness, depression is a serious condition that requires treatment. Sadness, on the other hand, is overreacting to a normative emotional state. Sadness is a normal human emotion that we've all experienced it and we all will do so, again. It is triggered by a hurtful or disappointing event, or situation. Depression is an abnormal emotional state, it is a mental illness. It affects our thinking, our emotions and our behaviors. giving myself as an instance, when I'm depressed, everything to me becomes sad. Everything is sad to me, I feel sad about everything. Depression is losing interest in the things you once found very enjoyable and lovable. Depression is the lack of motivation and energy. It is the lack of tasting joy, pleasure, happiness, and anticipation. You get angry very quickly, frustrated very quickly, lack of concentration. Quicker to break down, easily. That's what depression is, and that's what sadness is.
SiegfriedX
January 13th, 2016 3:45am
Sadness, much of the time, is a healthy reaction to certain events. It can be mild or overwhelming, but it is short lived. Sadness can grow into depression though - when that burning, sick feeling of sadness persists for so long, it's hard to imagine anything being good again. Your thought patterns change as well as your behavior, both of which further affect your mood. It is no longer a healthy response - it's developed into a medical illness: depression.
Happyness7
January 13th, 2016 4:15am
Sadness is when something bad happens and you get down and depression is more deep and contains more symptoms. Depressions usually lasts more than sadness and it's very noticeable.
Crest
January 14th, 2016 3:29am
Imagine happiness like a blown tire. This blown tire is sadness. Now imagine a rim without a tire. That's depression.
SoulListens
January 14th, 2016 1:09pm
Sadness is temporary. Depression is prolonged. While sadness deals more with feelings of the heart; depression has a lot to do with a wandering unstable mind. One can overcome sadness by listening to a good peace of music or watching a baby laugh. Whereas, depression needs time to settle. Time heals sadness; Depression can cause serious consequences if not encountered soon.
HelpfulNick95
January 14th, 2016 2:22pm
Sadness is more of a temporary emotion, while depression is definitely a longer process and usually linked to a tragedy or shocking event, such as a loss. Sadness you can still carry throughout your day without too much compromise to your daily routine. Depression however comes with the feeling of fatigue, loneliness, and sometimes even suicidal thoughts. This is more of an extreme sadness, and usually comes as a symptom of an anxiety disorder such as SAD, GAD, and general phobias.
YouDeserveToBeOkay189
January 16th, 2016 3:50am
Simple: Sadness is more temporary and is a feeling, while depression is a diagnosable mental illness that needs to be taken seriously and is more long-term
iAqcuainted
January 16th, 2016 8:18am
Sadness is an explainable feeling. Depression is all lengths of irrational. There's hollow and numb.
Anonymous
April 18th, 2017 8:40am
Sadness often is for a shorter time. It's a part of depression. But depression is more than sadness. Depression can be feeling numb, emotionless or loneliness. Depression can often take a longer amount of time.
sweetserendipity20
February 10th, 2016 2:17pm
sadness is a lower level of depression. you can get sad on simplest things. and if you didn't know how to handle it, you may get depressed over it which is a higher level of sadness. over here, you can overthink which is not so good for you
SmallCupOfYogurt
February 11th, 2016 2:33am
Sadness is usually a feeling that is able to clear up within a regular amount of time. Depression is something that tends to stick longer with you and is recommended to get help for. Having depression tends to impacts people's lives in a more consistent long lasting way unlike brief feelings of sadness. Though depression can bring on sadness into someone's life.
handsomeapricot
February 11th, 2016 9:09am
Sadness is a temporary emotion, usually after a bad turn of events and is often over a short period of time. Depression, on the other hand, is not an emotion, but rather a lack of feeling emotions over a longer period of time. While a person who is depressed can be sad and another who is sad can be depressed, one does not necessarily mean the other. Sadness does not a direct consequence of depression, nor is depression a direct consequence of sadness.
seventyninedays
March 29th, 2016 11:54am
Personally I experience sadness as a wet feeling; the urge to cry, sudden drowning emotions overcoming you, passing quickly. But depression to me was a numb, empty dry feeling, I didn't care enough to cry but I couldn't find the effort to be happy.
Stheunixrn1
May 20th, 2016 8:51pm
SADNESS & DEPRESSION , a lot of difference because being sad is something that pass for a hour, day or a week even though sadness can stay always in your heart, brain and body but being depressed is something else that a lot of people misunderstand the difference between sadness and depression. Nowadays almost all the teens are in depression and can't find a solution... It's hard to understand because you can't even fall asleep crying too hard ( if you're depressed ) and if we want to save our life from it we must read more books, watch movies, play sports. and care less.
Ryannn03
May 30th, 2016 11:41pm
Sadness is a feeling and is usually more short term and happens because of a situation that made you sad. Depression is a mental condition that usually lasts a lot longer and is usually hard to 'cure'.
Anonymous
June 6th, 2016 8:45pm
Accowto me, sadness is a fleeting feeling that generally stems from temporary issues that may seem important in that given point in time. However, depression is a more serious issue that needs to dealt with professionally.
Anonymous
September 20th, 2016 9:46pm
Sadness is a emotion. We can be sad for days or months but its something that can end just by being replaced with another emotion. Its different with depression. Depression is actually considered a mental desease. If you believe that youre depressed, please dont be afraid or ashamed of talking with your friends and family about it, or with one of our members. We are here to support.
Smurfstomper
October 4th, 2016 5:59pm
Sadness is a pain related to being sorrow, feeling alone and helpless, which results from negative outcomes. . .Sadness can be viewed as a temporary lowering of mood. Depression is a state of low mood. . .Depressed people may feel, anxious, empty, hopeless, worried, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, hurt, or restless for long periods. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions, and may contemplate or attempt suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains, or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may also be present. What they don’t have in common is what defines sadness and depression, just as what you add to milk, eggs and butter in the mixing bowl will turn out to be cookies or an omelette.
Anonymous
January 24th, 2022 5:40pm
Sadness is about having negative emotions that come from the dissonance of our expectations and our perception of what we have around. Depending on one's awareness degree and needs, we can be sad for not achieving a pretty material goal or feel a more profound sadness, coming from the awareness of the worst part of the life we experience. In any case, sadness is always about living a negative emotion or set of emotions: but you still recognise what you stand for and you own your life choices at an acceptable degree. Depression comes in when sadness overtake and overwhelm you, you don't see any reason for pursuing any form of happiness and you stop acting and owning your life
peacefullistener22
May 20th, 2019 9:07pm
The difference between sadness and depression is the severity of the symptoms and the length of this emotion. Depression is a continuous low mood for 2 weeks whereas sadness comes when something has happened in most cases and often doesn't last for this long. Depression is often accompanied with no interest in other activities and feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness and in some cases suicidal thoughts. If you feel you may have depression instead of Sadness then reaching out to someone who can help you can be so beneficial. I wish you the best of luck in life and whatever you may be going through.
FriendlyNeighbourhoodlistener
May 11th, 2020 6:00pm
Sadness is a temporary emotion, while depression is a feeling that persists for a longer period of time and gets in the way of living your life. Sadness is an emotion and depression is more complicated than that, because it is a deeper sense of hopelessness, but learning to cope with depression isn’t impossible. Everyone experiences both throughout their lives and it is important to distinguish between the two. If you are feeling sad or depressed talk to someone. Talking to someone can help and both feelings are valid. Overall, sadness is less complex, yet should still be acknowledged and coping mechanisms for both are available.
SupportSnake0711
October 9th, 2018 1:03pm
Sadness is a normal human emotion. We’ve all experienced it and we all will again. Sadness is usually triggered by a difficult, hurtful, challenging, or disappointing event, experience, or situation. In other words, we tend to feel sad about something. This also means that when that something changes, when our emotional hurt fades, when we’ve adjusted or gotten over the loss or disappointment, our sadness remits. Depression is an abnormal emotional state, a mental illness that affects our thinking, emotions, perceptions, and behaviors in pervasive and chronic ways. When we’re depressed we feel sad about everything. Depression does not necessarily require a difficult event or situation, a loss, or a change of circumstance as a trigger. In fact, it often occurs in the absence of any such triggers. People’s lives on paper might be totally fine—they would even admit this is true—and yet they still feel horrible. Depression colors all aspects of our lives, making everything less enjoyable, less interesting, less important, less lovable, and less worthwhile. Depression saps our energy, motivation, and ability to experience joy, pleasure, excitement, anticipation, satisfaction, connection, and meaning. All your thresholds tend to be lower. You’re more impatient, quicker to anger and get frustrated, quicker to break down, and it takes you longer to bounce back from everything.