Differentiating depression versus sadness is an essential skill: 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.
Traits & Characteristics of 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 MDD 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
People with depression may show characteristics of the condition like:
- Being tearful
- Wanting to isolate and stay away from others
- Spending more time in bed
- Failing to practice self-care by showering and changing clothes less often
- Not tending to physical health issues by eating poorly and exercising little
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.
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.
Is Depression an Emotion?
Often, people make statements like, “I’m depressed” or “I feel depressed.” This language may confuse some into thinking that depression is a feeling. It is not, though.
Feelings are certainly complex and complicated experiences, but feelings are singular. Depression, like many other mental health conditions, is plural. It encompasses much more than a single feeling or a single symptom.
Saying “I feel depressed” has become a shortcut for when a person is really try to say any number of things like:
- I’m tired
- I’m bored
- I’m sad
- I’m feeling guilty
- I’m not liking myself right now
- I’m thinking about death and dying
- I’m angry
Even if the language seems unimportant, it is crucial to assertively communicate one’s experience. Saying “I’m depressed” can lead to many misunderstandings and miscommunications. Erring on the side of caution can help to more accurately state their status.
Depression affects feelings and involves feelings, but depression is not a feeling. Even when feelings are unwanted, they are healthy, but depression is always a negative.
Traits & Characteristics of Sadness
Where depression is a multifaceted mental health disorder, sadness is a feeling. Just like other feelings, including happiness, joy, anger, pride, and confusion, sadness is a genuine experience for each individual. Sadness is a frequently used term to describe a specific emotional state, but it is not too different from other emotions or feelings.
Some terms that are used interchangeably to describe an unwanted feeling like sad are:3
- Agony
- Anguish
- Dejected
- Distress
- Homesick
- Hurt
- Sorrowful
- Unhappy
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
Some common reasons for sadness include:3
- Family problems
- Struggles at home, work, or school
- Separation from a loved one caused by a move, conflict, or death
- Being physical or emotionally unwell
- Chemical or hormonal changes triggered by puberty, menstruation, or substance abuse
- Significant thought changes
People may show or report common characteristics of sadness that include:
- Feeling like nothing is fun
- Feeling numb
- Crying often
- Looking for ways to cover up sadness
- Fighting with their loved ones
- Not following through with plans
- Feeling more pessimistic
- Seeing 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.
Am I Depressed or Sad? What’s the Difference?
In recent years, it may seem that depression and sadness are synonymous, but they are much more different than most people think. Sadness is sometimes part of depression, but depression is a serious psychological condition that can affect all aspects of how a person thinks, feels, and behaves.
To really determine if someone is sad or depressed, they must complete a period of self-assessment to gather more information about their experience. Since this process can be challenging or distressing for people, getting feedback from a trusted friend or family member could prove beneficial.
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?
Finding the difference between depression and sadness is uncertain because they each have the power to influence mood and irritability, trigger behavioral changes, and contribute to an unwanted emotional state.
A person can assume they have depression when:1,4
- Low mood is met with low energy, low motivation, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, and thoughts of death
- Symptoms seem to present, remit, and return without a clear explanations, triggers, or causes
- Life feels unmanageable for long stretches due to symptoms
- Symptoms seem to run in the family
A person can assume they are experiencing sadness when:3,5
- Symptoms are a reaction to a major life change like a breakup, move, or other new stressors
- Low mood is a primary symptom, though issues with appetite, sleep, and energy are common
- Life feels tough but still manageable
- Symptoms seem to gradually improve with time
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.
The benefit of treating sadness depends on a person’s point-of-view. Some may be against the decision to address sadness with professional interventions as it could make the individual feel flawed or abnormal simply for having a typical emotional experience.
Pathologizing expected feelings can send mixed messages to the individual and negatively impact their self-perceptions. It can also make people think that they need professional involvement to help manage regular life stressors. Ideally, people feel resilient and capable when it comes to addressing and modifying their feelings.
Those who support treating sadness would argue that no harm comes from seeking an psychological assessment for their state. 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:5,6
- Psychotherapy: Using theoretical principles from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and others, 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 management: 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.
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.
Many antidepressant medications require four to six weeks to become effective, so change will not occur immediately. Be sure to communicate any side effect or changes with the prescriber.6
Final Thoughts on Depression & Sadness
Each person will experience some level of sadness in their life, but true depression is something most people will never 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.
