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

If you been feeling down for more than two weeks it's a sign. Everything feels dark, and nothing is funny.

If the feelings of sadness last longer than two weeks and are accompanied by: appetite changes, loss of/too much sleep, loss of interest in commonly pleasurable activities, change in sex drive, and withdrawal from friends and family. If these symptoms persist longer than two weeks, please reach out to a professional psychologist or psychiatrist for treatment.

When you're depressed, the feeling doesn't go away. If you feel like you don't want to live anymore, or feel like you have nothing to live for, you're probably depressed. If you've felt sad for a long period of time without anything drastic happening to you, you could very well possibly be depressed. While it might be easy for some to self diagnoise the best solution is to go to a doctor.

Sadness is a normal emotion felt by most people at a certain point in their lives. It typically doesn't last for more than an average of a few days, up to a week at most. Depression is a type of extreme sadness that follows you 24/7, for weeks, months, and even years at a time. It usually leaves you feeling more helpless and lonely than sadness does. Depression also has more effects on your daily life and overall attitude. It can lead to serious things like suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

Depression has been something I've dealt with for the majority of my life. I realized that my sadness had become something more when I was constantly feeling down for no particular reason, and that those feelings were preventing me from being myself or from performing my normal day-to-day activities.

Depression usually lasts while sadness changes. If your feelings of being blue last more than 2 weeks and there seems to be little hope of things changing it could time to reach out for more help.

If you are constantly sad and unhappy in life, it can the first sign of depression. Being just sad doesn't last a couple weeks, it's depression.

i try to tell myself positive things like i am brave and can bear it also write down my feelings somtimes

If you have half or more of the following symptoms for more than two weeks, or if any symptoms are impairing your ability to function, then you may have a clinical depression: 1. Persistently sad, anxious or empty mood. 2. Sleeping too little (awakening in the early morning and unable to go back to sleep) or sleeping too much. 3. Lost appetite or increased appetite. 4. Not able to enjoy any activities, lack of interest in doing anything. 5. Feeling restless or irritable. 6. Difficulty concentrating or being decisive. 7. Feeling exhausted 8. Feeling hopeless, helpless and worthless. 9. Physical problems that have no medical cause like headaches or stomach aches. 10. Thoughts of death or suicide. Depression may look different in different people. One may be slow, exhausted, feel numb and utterly hopeless while another may appear anxious and irritable. These are both signs of depression but different kinds and a professional will need to determine which it is in order to recommend the proper treatment.

If you're sad very frequently and often times for no reason whatsoever, to me that sounds like a clear symptom of something more than just sadness. Also, you might find your eating & habits changing, along with your opinion on socializing with others.