Difference between depression and sadness
Depression vs sadness:
Certain feelings sometimes possess enough intensity that they sometimes tend to get confused with illnesses of the mind, especially if the illness and the emotion both manifest similar signs. Sadness and depression are two such conditions that often get confused with one another. While depression is a disorder, sadness is an ordinary human emotion. However, recurring confusions between the two states have led many a people to confuse depression with sadness and ignore the more serious condition, thereby neglecting to seek help as advised.
What is depression?
Depression can be better defined as a deep sense of sadness or a profound sensation of the futility of life which often leads to suicide. Therefore, major depression can be fatal as well as deeply and emotionally painful. For example, a prominent figure in the society losing his position and therefore, losing all that he held dear and valuable to him shall render him in to a deep state of depression as he experiences a profound sense of bereavement at the loss of all that he cherished in his life. A person suffering from depression will suffer from lethargy, experience a loss of will to live, feelings of worthlessness and a deep, profound sense of sadness which manifest themselves across problems of concentration, feelings of guilt and worthless, fatigue or decreased energy, insomnia, irritability, low sex drive, hypersomnia, trouble making decisions, apathy, food disorders and thoughts of suicide in a depressed individual.
What is sadness?
Sadness is a basic human emotion that is characterized by feelings of isolation, despair, hopelessness, loss and rage. It is a temporary lowering of mood where individuals usually become emotional and less energetic. Crying is a sure sign of sadness and grief. It is a natural feeling that occurs at the face of loss or disappointment which goes away with time. Sadness is a common feeling to all human beings.
What is the difference between sadness and depression?
Sadness and depression are quite similar in terms of the kind of sentiment that an individual feels at the face of such a situation. However, it must be said that clinical depression is indeed a condition that requires immediate medical attention whereas sadness is just one of the six basic human emotions as described by Paul Ekman. Depression is potentially harming whereas sadness does not pose such a threat. A depressed individual may even become suicidal whereas sadness does not usually amount to such drastic action.
Depression is a condition that lasts for a considerably long time whereas sadness is a temporary feeling. Once the cause for sadness goes away, sadness disappears too. Depression on the other hand, does not disappear as easily. Also, sadness is usually evoked by a cause, a reason. But for depression, no such cause or reason is required. A depressed individual will feel depressed with no apparent reasons present. Also, a depressed individual will manifest a lack of interest in life and day to day activities, estrangement from friends and family, hypersomnia and other such symptoms which will hinder the individual’s everyday life and activities to a great extent. Sadness does not display such symptoms as once the cause of sadness goes away, the individual will be right back to normal. However, sadness has the potential of developing in to depression if the situation is not handled well.
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