Am I depressed or just sensitive?

You should never make excuses for how you are feeling. If you are feeling sad or upset, take the time to think about why. If you are feeling down for an extended period of time, it might be wise to seek the help of a professional to rule depression out

In this sort of situation you have to look at everything and think hard to yourself. "Is there anything going on in my life that can cause me to be depressed? Do I cause anything to cause myself depression without even knowing it? Am I surrounding myself with people who support me?"

This is a tough question to answer, unfortunately, since I do not know your exact circumstances. If you believe you have depression, however (or if you have any other concerns about the state of your mental health), I would advise you to speak to a licensed therapist/psychologist for the proper diagnosis and help. I will say that, from what I know of it, having depression does not mean that you are being too sensitive. While depression sometimes involves an overwhelming sense of sadness, it can also be characterized with a feeling of being "numb" or "empty." You may lose interest in all the activities that you once have enjoyed doing.

I think it all depends on what is going on in your life. Depression and being sensitive are not mutually exclusive. Certain things like health, noise, people not listening can both agitate and depress. But, if you are phrasing sensitivity as being bothered by unimportant things, that's not the case. If something doesn't make you feel right, it is important. Don't ignore depression because you think you are just being sensitive.

"Depressed is a very big word" as my psychologist would say. Being depressed isn't just feeling sad or blue for no reason. It's not feeling motivated to do anything, losing interest in the things that you loved doing, it's being 3" away from an unexplainable breakdown. Now I can see why these two things can be mixed. Being sensitive is self explanatory; having a very thin layer of tolerance and boat loads of emotional instability. Based on what I know, being sensitive won't make you self harm or be distant. You'll just get hurt for a while and then maybe in the next two days be over it. This is my opinion though, it might not be the right one. :)

Depression has a lot of signs, not only being sensitive, for example the inability to motivate yourself or to feel joy in things you liked before. However you can only get a reliable diagnosis by a professional.

Depression is a constant state of sadness where you have little energy, are lethargic, experience feelings such as anxiety, guilt, helplessness and low self esteem. You have no motivation to do things and find little enjoyment in things. You may also experience suicidal tendancies. This is very different from sensitivity - being sensitive means you feel things more deeply than others and so are more affected by these things.

It depends on the person and sometimes both are interconnected. If a sensitive person grew up in a non-supportive environment, they are more likely to be depressed. If an sensitive person grew up in a supportive environment, it’s less likely they will be depressed.

Depression can vary. It can be clinical or it can be just a period of time when you feel exhausted and sad. You can differentiate between these by talking to one of our listeners or using a guide on our website. Generally, if you are experiencing feelings of depression for longer than two weeks you might want to talk to your doctor and get more information.

This is a tough question to answer. I do believe there is a line between the two words but I also believe they have much in common. Personally, I am not a very sensitive person and for a long time I thought you had to be very sensitive to even be depressed. But now I don't believe that is true. I spent a long time telling myself that because I wasn't overly sensitive, because I didn't cry much that I couldn't have been depressed, that didn't add up. But I was depressed and I did need help and because of this stereotyped view of depression it took me a long time to accept it. I think honestly sensitivity has little to do with depression. You shouldn't consider your sensitivity when trying to find out if you depressed. For me I had to look at my behaviors, my feelings, my thoughts and my actions to figure out I was depressed. How I reacted to events wasn't important, where I was sensitive or not. What mattered was how these events and feelings effected me in the long run. That's how I knew.