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

You know you are depressed when you have a long periods of sadness, and or irritability. Depression can be diagnosed if it is lasting longer than 2 weeks, although it is frequently associated with lack of interest in other activities.

You feel down, You dont want to /cant smile at the best of events or things. You feel unmotivated to carry out simple tasks.

Well, looking at the different studies on this matter there's no definite line to draw or point at to determine that you're sad or depressed. Depression is normally defined by the time you've felt sad. Depression needs to be treated by a professional. Just to give some kind of timeline, if you feel sad over one particular thing for more then two weeks you should visit the doctor for further guidance. Talk to your friends and family, normally they spot the signs first.

That's a good question. I would encourage you to take a free online depression test that would be a good guide to answer that. Although these tests cannot diagnose anything, it may provide insight into what you're feeling. Ask yourself this: how long have you felt sad? Does this interfere with your daily life? Have you lost your motivation and pleasure in things once enjoyed? Finding out for sure may warrant a visit to a professional.

best thing you can do is go see a doctor about it if you are concerned about it you may just be sad for a little bit then go back to normal but best thing is to go see a doctor

RESEARCH !!!!(: that's the best resource we have and normally if you feel like its not getting better and it seems to be getting worse it may be depression especially if its every day and if not it may be sadness.

Being sad and/or depressed feels like you're drowning in your feelings. Being sad for a day doesn't really count as depression, but if you have a bunch of sad days in a row, you might have depression. Even through these sad or depressing days, the people on 7cups are more than welcome to help you out

Depression is ongoing, you lose motivation and you feel empty. In my experience when you have depression you lose yourself and you lose hope.

You don't like to do the things anymore you'd loved to do at first. You're not able to get out of bed and if you do, you feel tired all of the time. You'll notice that you're not smiling as much as you did and that you might be loosing contact with the people who were at first so important in your life. You're living more inside of your head and don't want to go outside and do things anymore.

Everyone experiences sadness at points in their lives. Depression is far different. Depression tends to be prolonged in nature and can be accompanied by mood swings, weight changes, decreased interest in normal activities, insomnia, and other non desirable personality changes. If you think you are suffering from depression please consult your doctor.