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?

You seem to be sad. You are in search of something, want to achieve something but you are not able to. So this thought makes you feel sad. If you are eating and sleeping and can laugh at times means you are just missing on the purpose of your life. You are not depressed. It is just a phase of life and the day you are able to achieve something you will be in an ecstatic mood. It is not permanent just temporary. You can overcome this phase and needs to be little more determined for yourself and happiness.

Depression comes in many different shapes and forms, and can affect people differently. Although some of the symptoms listed are similar in many cases of depression, they may also be caused a temporary period of my low mood. If you need to ask if it's depression, then you should probably speak to a health care or mental health expert. Try speaking to your healthcare provider, rather than self diagnose. But, it is extremely important to remember everything will get better!

It sounds like you are more than sad, unless something really traumatic has happened to you. Has a loved one died? Have you just had a breakup? Has something bad happened at work? What is making you smile or laugh? That seems to me to be a light in your life, move toward it! It's good that your sleep patterns and appetite are still intact, but if you are crying for an hour or more on a daily basis, you need to ask yourself why. This is a good time to get to know yourself. Write some of your feelings down, then get online and discuss them. When you're done write how your conversation made you feel. If you are making positive steps ask yourself if you want help. If you are not making positive steps get help. Ask a listener for ideas.

It sounds like you might be going through a rough time. Being said is okay and remember good times are just around the corner. Everyone goes through rough patches in their life at some point but those times will come and go. Everyday you have to remind yourself of the things that you enjoy about your life. Lean on the people who love and support you such as your family and friends. Maybe even a counselor would be an option. Venting what is going on will allow a weight to be lifted of your shoulders and that might make you feel less stressed out.

As much as I don’t think it would be helpful for me to diagnose you, as I’m not qualified to, and I don’t fully know you or your situation, from what you’re saying, that does sound like more than just being sad in my opinion. Being able to, or genuinely smiling or laughing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not depressed. Sometimes the people who appear the happiest are going through a lot. Depression can show itself in many different ways for different people, and there’s no right or wrong, or absolutes with it. If you feel this way a lot, and have for some time, I would strongly suggest you seek professional assistance with it, talking to someone and trying to better understand and improve your situation is a good start to getting back on track, and making this easier for you to deal with. I wish you the best of luck!

What you are feeling at present is also undoubtedly a form of depression. The persistent feeling of sadness, lack or absence of motivation and crying a lot is also called depression. Not everyone faces depression in the same way. Some people cannot sleep or eat, while some can. Some people cannot work, while some can. Some people cannot get themselves to smile or laugh, but some can. Everyone functions in different ways. A difference in the degree and the type of depression may be observed across a varied population due to the different circumstances that they face throughout their lifetime.

I would not say necessarily say you are either. In fact, I feel like you are going through the same thing as me. We are just having a struggle dealing with the highs and lows in life. If you really wanted to choose, I would say you deal with very minor depression but nothing to be worried about. There is no fix, but there is a patch. Depression can be approached in many ways. I would start by attempting to find the cause of your sadness and turn it into happiness. There is no harm in trying after all, so why not give it a shot?

You may be depressed about a bunch of underlying things that you have not yet addressed. It doe not matter at the end if it is sadness or depression. You need to do some self reflection and see what you tolerate and what kind of people you have surrounded yourself with. Over time a lot of things add up, that you do not realize and you feel the effects in the form of other symptoms. So whether you are sad or depressed, you have to dig deeper and know the origin of such feelings. Some things may be hard to accept but it is a journey worth taking.

That does sound a lot like depression. Depression doesn’t always have to affect the sleep and eating patterns, nor does it take away the ability to smile and laugh. There’s many types of depression that can vary in intensity and duration. The lack of motivation is very important, though, as that can often be the biggest difference between “just sad” and depressed. To be able to really figure out which one of the two it is, you should think about how you experience joy during these times. Do you still enjoy hanging out with your friends or doing activities you used to like? When you’ve had an enjoyable time, does the feeling last or do you feel depressed/sad again the moment it’s over? Remember, whatever it may be, it’ll get better.

Well, those to terms are very different sometimes. Depressed is more of a consistent state (which seems to be what is happening with you) but then again sadness is more of an emotion that can traditionally pass over time. If you are consistently sad then I would say yes you can be depressed and should reach out to a trusted adult etc for help and support. Depression isn't something that can be treated by yourself nor self-diagnosed and you should definitely get support to help you move through this time period because it doesn't need to be permanent. Hope this helps!