Differentiating depression versus sadness is essential: One is a damaging mental health condition and the other is a natural part of life. Harm arises when someone cannot identify whether they’re experiencing sadness or depression. However, symptoms can be limited by taking preventative action in the form of psychotherapy.
Mental health professions can assist in helping you understand whether you’re experiencing sadness or depression—this is one reason why it’s important to seek help early, rather than waiting until symptoms get worse.
What’s the Difference Between Sadness and Depression?
There are major differences between feeling sad and being depressed. Perhaps the largest difference is the effect of depression compared to the effect of sadness:
Depression is always a problem. It is a mental health condition that frequently requires professional attention to diagnose and treat.
Sadness is uncomfortable, but it is not necessarily a problem. People can use their sadness as a way to notice a problem or as motivation to make changes. Sadness is a natural state that everyone experiences during their life.
Symptoms of Depression vs. Sadness
It’s important to know the difference between sadness, an emotion, and depression, a serious mental health condition. Here are some key differences in symptoms and feelings:
Sadness
Sadness is a frequently used term to describe a specific emotional state, but it is not too different from other emotions or feelings. Sadness is typically undesirable, but it is not a sign that a person is doing something wrong or somehow failing at life. Sadness can act like a warning system to alert the individual that an issue needs addressed like a “check engine” light in a car.
When a person feels sad, it can serve as a sign to notice the emotional change and target sadness. Sadness could be a result of some other intense and unwanted feelings like anger, anxiety, or hopelessness, so a person may have to address those to reduce the sadness.3
When people are sad, they might:
- Feel like nothing is fun
- Feel numb
- Cry often
- Look for ways to cover up sadness
- Fight with their loved ones
- Not follow through with plans
- Feel more pessimistic
- See the worst in situations
Even though sadness is problematic, the emotional state does not last forever. People experience sadness as part of the natural “ups and downs” of life. Sadness is a universal emotion, and though it is uncomfortable at times, it is a typical part of life.
Depression
Depression is a serious and common group of mental health conditions. Major depressive disorder (MDD) represents the typical expectation of depression with its power to make people feel sad, apathetic, and amotivated. Someone with depression will note several symptoms of depression that last for at least two weeks significantly interfere with their ability to function well at home, work, and school.
Common characteristics of depression include:1
- Low mood, which can present as sadness or increased irritability
- Low motivation to engage in pleasurable activities
- Low energy
- Noteworthy changes to sleeping routine
- Unintentional weight or diet changes
- Feeling like thoughts or actions are very slowed down or sped up
- Difficulty thinking clearly, focusing, and making healthy choices
- Increased feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Thoughts of death and dying
A person’s symptoms of depression will shift and change over time, meaning that their symptoms during one depressive episode may not match those of the next. Severity of symptoms will change, as well, with some episodes being quite severe, while others could be mild.1
Sadness Is Just One Symptom of Depression
You can be sad without being depressed. Many people who are depressed are sad, but not all sad people are depressed. Depression is a complex and multifaceted condition that involves a long list of physical and psychological effects.
Though MDD is common and widely recognized, it is not the only type of depression. Other forms of depression can result in various outcomes that intensive MDD symptoms or create wholly new symptoms. It’s also possible to have multiple types of depression at once.
Other symptoms related to other types of depression include:1
- Anxiety and intense worry
- Anger, defiance, and aggression
- Drastic mood shifts that come with hormonal or seasonal changes
- Long-term depressive symptoms that occur for two years or more
- Psychotic symptoms in the form of delusional thinking and hallucinations
In some cases, a person could have depression without feeling sad at all. With MDD, a person could note only irritability, marked by having a “short fuse” or bad temper, rather than feeling down or “blue.” This reaction is especially true for men, who are more likely to experience anger and aggression connected to depression than feelings of sadness.2 They are still enduring the effects of depression. They are only showing a different range of symptoms.
Depression is always a problem that people must work to prevent and treat. Even with the best treatments, depression can persist, so people should work to remain invested and patient with services.
Can You Be Depressed Without Being Sad?
You can be depressed without being sad. Some people feel angry or irritable during their depressive episode and never experience a low mood. This does not mean that their depression is odd or strange. It is just the way their symptoms present, and everyone’s experience with depression is slightly different.
When Should You Seek Help?
If you’re not sure if you’re just sad or actually dealing with depression, you’ll need to do some self-assessment. If you’re unsure of how you’re feeling, it can be helpful to ask a close friend or family member if your behaviors have changed recently and if they think you’d benefit from professional help.
To determine if you are sad or depressed, ask yourself questions like:
- How am I feeling and how often am I feeling it?
- How long have I been feeling this way and how intense has it been?
- Is this feeling significantly affecting other parts of my physical, social, mental, and spiritual health?
- Do other people notice my symptoms?
- Did something happen to trigger my condition?
- Have I been thinking about death, dying, and suicide?
- Can I find happiness or pleasure in any situation?
Without diminishing the impact of sadness, depression is a much more serious and concerning condition. People may react in problematic ways when they are feeling sad, but issues like self-injury, aggression, and suicide are more strongly assoicated with depression than sadness.
Treatment for Depression vs. Sadness
Since depression is a recognized mental health condition, no one would argue against a person with depression seeking formal psychological services to address their diagnosis. Sadness, on the other hand, is not a disorder. It is a normal human feeling, so the notion of treatment is more ambiguous.
As long as the mental health professional is experienced and knowledgeable, they will quickly differentiate between sadness and depression to appropriately guide the discussion.
The treatment for sadness vs depression will differ in a variety of ways. Treatment for sadness will include meeting with a professional to evaluate if the person’s experience falls within an expected range. As long as the professional is comfortable with the client’s report, very few interventions are needed. Instead, sessions will focus on continued assessment and encouragement of the person’s individual process.
Treatment for depression is a more involved process that commonly includes:5
Psychotherapy
Types of therapy for depression include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). No matter the type of therapy, the person with depression will learn new ways to identify and address their symptoms of depression. Often, this involves changing thinking and behavior patterns to accomplish the desired goals.
Medication
A psychiatrist, primary care physician, or nurse practitioner can prescribe antidepressant medications to adjust the flow of chemical messengers in the brain to counteract the influence of depression. Medications are generally safe and effective ways to treat depression alone or in conjunction with therapy.
Many antidepressant medications require four to six weeks to become effective, so change will not occur immediately. Be sure to communicate any side effects or changes with the prescriber.6 It’s important to talk with your prescriber about the risks of serious side effects before starting any medication.
Outlook
No matter the form of treatment utilized for depression, the person should remain patient and persistent as it can take some time for the effects to be noted. Using evidence-based therapies, a skilled therapist can produce wanted change in several months.
Final Thoughts on Depression vs Sadness
Each person will experience some level of sadness in their life, but true depression is something most people won’t have to face. No matter the person’s state, they should work to pay attention to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors while keeping the lines of communication open to trusted supports and avoiding negative coping skills. When symptoms grow too strong to manage, people should consult with mental health professionals to inform diagnosis and guide the recovery process.
