At What Point Does Sadness Turn into Depression?
Jun 18, 2020
At what point does feeling sad or feeling upset turn into depression? This is a difficult question to answer for most people. There are a number of people out there who are, in fact, suffering from depression, but they don't know it. They just think that they are feeling temporary sadness or grief brought on by a precipitating event such as a breakup or the death of a loved one.
Figuring Out if You Are Depressed
It is important to examine your feelings to figure out if what you're feeling has gone beyond normal sadness or grief and become depression. Here are some of the questions you might want to ask yourself:
- How often do you feel sad? Is it everyday or maybe one or two days in a week?
- How do you express this sadness? Is it just a feeling that comes over you or do you actually cry or get angry at people? (There are times when sorrow is expressed via anger as well).
- Then, you might also want to ask yourself whether you've always felt this way. Do you remember any period in your life when you were happier?
- You might also want to figure out if there's something in particular that's bothering you. Are certain thoughts going around in your mind? Do they involve someone who was abusive towards you, verbally or physically? Or do they involve someone you have broken up with? Or do they have to do with familial or spousal expectations which you find yourself unable to fulfill?
What Are the Causes of Depression?
There are many reasons why people might get depressed. There are certain cases in which the depression is clinical i.e., it is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. But there are times when it is brought on by life events which are beyond your control.
Should You Get Medication and/or Therapy?
The fact is that if you suspect that you're depressed, then you probably are. And it can't hurt you to get professional advice regarding this. A psychologist/therapist will be able to tell you whether you are, in their professional opinion, depressed and what course of action you can take about it. If you're not comfortable with medication, you don't have to get it; you can just go with therapy (unless the depression is very severe).
Contact us to learn more about the symptoms of and treatments for depression.