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?

This would most likely be a better question for a clinician who can properly evaluate you. It's important to note though, that experiences with depression (and all other disorders) don't exist in a vaccuum. Sure, there are behavioral patterns and similiarities in symptoms that make up the diagnosis of a disorder, but you don't have to perfectly fit every requirement in order for you to have a disorder. If this sadness/darkness is interfering with your life and ability to function, it's more than just sadness. Evaluating where this feeling may have come from/started is also important to understanding it.

I understand that depression is a bit complicated to pin down and figure out at first. For starters, lack of motivation and extended moments of sadness are some potential indicators of depression. But everyone is different! People that are depressed don’t always have issues with sleep schedules or eating, and many of them laugh and smile on a regular basis! If this feeling has persisted frequently over a few weeks, that is another indicator of depression. If you’re concerned about a potential mental illness, a professional is the best person to consult with. I hope you find the answer to your concerns and that you feel better soon.

You're depressed. Try to find a hobby you're interested in, or spend some time with a loved one. Focus on why you're depressed. I'm available if you wanna talk. A lot of times, things feel out of our hands or cloud our thoughts. We're just so confused when we can't even figure out what's wrong. It makes us feel like we're needy or just plain drama queens. But we're not. You're not alone, buddy, and it's a big problem because it's yours. Only you can judge if it is a problem or not. I can't promise it's gonna get better, but you don't know if it can if you don't try. Best of luck.

Being depressed doesn't mean you have to be crying 24/7. Even when you are struggling with depression, you can still have some good moments and days. Sadness is an emotion that everyone in the world feels at times, but depression is a persistent problem that feels almost like a sort of underlying sadness that remains throughout most moments of everyday life, minus those rare moments of fleeting happiness, like laughing with a friend or having fun with a pet. Talking to a psychiatrist, therapist, or counselor can be really helpful in distinguishing whether you are feeling sad or have depression.

Well, I am not a psychologist or therapist so I cannot diagnose you. I think that you need to look a bit deeper and reach out to a therapist. Your emotions are your own and depression can look different to everyone. Keep a log and write down some of the times you feel unmotivated and see if you can change some of those and if you feel sad, maybe check and see if you have isolated or dedicated too much of your time to something that you do not enjoy. These types of things can be affecting your mood. If nothing works, please seek help!

If there is no hopeless, helplessness or loss of concentration in the presence of crying spills and sadness, than its not a depression. Its sadness which might be exceeding its limit so you have to go to therapist or for some help for betterment in the daily functioning. To cope with sadness accept your emotions, give name to your feelings communicate it with yourself or someone closer , it can be your therapist as well. Unmotivation cause due to sadness in the daily functioning, explore what is making you sad , what are the behaviors, emotions, or things which trigger your sadness . So it can be avoided

The difference between sadness and depression is sadness is temporary, whereas depression can last for a very long time, especially if not treated. For example, if you are grieving a lost one, you would experience great sadness, but it would eventually go away. If you are upset for seemingly no reason, very often, that could be depression. Think about why you are feeling this sadness, this might help determine whether you are depressed or sad. Also, even if you have depression, there can still be moments in between the sadness where you feel a little happier. Just because you don’t have all of the symptoms of depression doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have it.