How do I know if I'm sad or depressed?

It can be hard to know the difference for sure! The main differences between the two, for me, is 1) how severe the sadness is and 2) how constant it is. If you feel sad after you get a bad grade, or have an argument and emotion hangs round, that ok, we can talk to you about that. However, if you wake up feeling anxious or really down for no apparent reason, if its very hard to lift your mood or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, this is a clear indication of depression. We here at 7 cups are still here to help and support you always, we will talk to you about possible steps to get you feeling the way you deserve! Either way, feeling said isn't fun, so take a look at the listeners and give one a message, we are here to help!

I need help.

Sadness is a temporary emotion and is experienced by practically everyone at at least one time in their life. Depression is sadness that is constant (typically 6 months or more), severe and unrelenting and can sometimes have no noticeable cause. There may also be weight/appetite changes, over/under sleeping, thoughts of hurting oneself, lack of interest in hobbies and inability to concentrate. If your feelings match the second definition, consider asking for support and/or professional help.

Being sad is a feeling, which is "fleeting", can be remedied easier, and it's usually easy to see the reason why you are sad. For example, you can be sad because you have been planning to go to the beach with friends, but on the day itself, it rained so hard that you had to cancel it. Being depressed has to do with your mood, which is long-lasting and more general. You can say that feelings are like the weather while your mood is more like the season. If it's summer, it is generally hot. However, there is still the possibility of rain. Going back to the example about going to the beach: it would take so much effort to even start planning. You feel like you don't have the energy to think about where to go. You feel like you are being a burden just by asking friends to go out with you. And when it rains on the day itself after months of struggling to make the plan, it just rains and everything is ruined. You feel like you the world is telling you that you don't deserve to be happy, and so it decided to cast rain right on the day you were finally able to plan to go out of your room.

It is something that I can't answer for sure, but depression is generally more constant and debilitating than being sad. If you think you might be depressed it may be a good idea for you to talk to a therapist.

Sadness usually has a reason behind it, depression can come and go but doesn't need an actual reason to get you down, but it will make you feel like things are going badly so it can be hard for the sufferer to tell. The best way to tell would be to talk to someone who knows, either on this site or a doctor or someone you know who's had depression.

If you're sad or depressed, you will find the signs in your routine behavior itself, e.g., having a low self-esteem, worrying a lot, analyzing situations on an 'either or nothing' basis, withdrawal from activities which once looked enjoyable, getting irritated on the slightest pretexts accompanied by, in some cases, appetite loss or binge eating.

Depression is a medical condition that makes you feel bad for no reason ... Sadness has a clear reason ... If you ever want to talk, this is the best place to do it .

I too have had the same problem. I would suggest going to therapy to talk about your feelings and they can also help distinguish if you have depression or not :)

If you feel sad that will dissipate in time and you will probably be aware that you are just going through a difficult time, whereas depression can make you feel as though things are hopeless and can drag on for extended periods.

You will know it because you will stay sad for a long period of time or longer and nothing would cheer you up and nothing interests you.

i usually hold my emotions in and i tend to want to avoid talkign with others and just not want to take my medicatons and i know that its hard and i just try to realx and have faith

When you're sad, it's usually because of something, like a breakup or a bad test grade, but depression is a mental disorder where you're sad with no real reason. Sadness goes away, but depression doesn't if it's untreated.

when you're depressed, you had no interest in life or doing anything you actually love to do. but when you're sad, you'll still have interest doing your hobby and actually feel better after that.

Time and intensity. Depression is an intense sadness, typically lasting for months to years and often reoccurring without apparent cause.

Sadness eventually fades, just like any other feeling. When you are depressed, feelings like sadness stick around way longer then they should. You may have lost interest in things you previously loved when depressed, or don't feel the need to do much of anything. It's important to let someone know how you are feeling, in whatever way is best for you!

Sadness is a normal human reaction however depression is an illness which affects your thinking, learning and other types of things. You will know by going to your GP and telling them about your symptoms, for example crying all night every night. Your doctor will tell you if you're depressed, otherwise you might just be sad. There is no real way of telling if you're sad or not yourself. That is in my opinion anyway.

If your sad, it goes away faster and is not as temporary. Depressed makes you feel like you cant do anything.

There are differences between being depressed and being sad. Being sad is usually a feeling that is a result of a situation or cause. Being depressed is a constant feeling that occurs without reason. Being depressed takes over your life even when you feel like you should be happy. Sadness is temporary, depression is not.

Being depressed is when you withdraw from the things you enjoyed doing and withdraw from spending time with family and friends and having no desire to do anything for an extended period of time. Being sad is usually temporary and doesn't affect our daily routine.

I won't eat or do anything. I'll just sit in my room lost in my thoughts crying my eyes out. It's and empty feeling I can't get rid of

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

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

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....

Sadness is a temporary emotion and passes quickly, however it can be caused by any other emotion. We can feel sad due to loneliness, loss or grief. However depression is a long lasting on/off emotion, that consumes ones life. There are many different forms of depression and the main symptom is Withdrawal. However the best advice possible is to seek professional advice. Doctors surgeries are anonymous and always a great source of knowledge. Whether it turns out your depressed or not, the doctor will always be able to help.

It would depend on how long it lasts. If the sadness lasts a couple of weeks, it may be more than sadness.

There is a big difference between sad and depressed, but the main one is that when you're sad, you actually feel like crying, or giving up, but with depression, you actually don't feel anything, you feel like you have a hole in your heart, and you just don't like doing anything, and there isn't a single thing that gives you any satisfaction.