Differentiating depression vs. sadness is essential. Depression is a damaging mental health condition while sadness 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.
What’s the Difference Between Sadness & Depression?
There are major differences between sadness and depression. Perhaps the most significant difference is the effect of depression compared to the effect of sadness.
Here is the difference between depression and sadness:
- Depression: this mental health condition is always a problem. It frequently requires professional attention to diagnose and treat.
- Sadness: while uncomfortable, sadness 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 the symptoms of sadness, an emotion, and depression, a serious mental health condition.
Here are some key differences in symptoms of sadness vs. depression:
What Is Sadness?
Sadness describes a specific emotional state, but it is not too different from other emotions or feelings. Sadness is typically undesirable, but it’s not a sign that a person is doing something wrong or somehow failing. Sadness can act like a warning system to alert the individual that an issue needs to be addressed like a “check engine” light in a car.
Signs of Sadness
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.1
When people are sad, they might exhibit these signs:
- 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
What Is 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 unmotivated.
Symptoms of Depression
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. Sometimes, depression makes you feel like you can’t get out of bed, or even complete routine tasks for yourself or others.
A person’s depression symptoms 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 (i.e., crippling depression), while others could be mild.2
Common symptoms depression include:2
- Low mood, which can present as sadness or increased irritability
- Low motivation to engage in pleasurable activities
- Low energy
- Noteworthy changes to sleeping routine
- Depression & weight gain
- 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
- Suicidal ideation
Can You Be Sad Without Being Depressed?
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 double depression, which is multiple types of depression at once.
Can You Be Depressed Without Being Sad?
In some cases, a person could have depression without feeling sad. Depression and anger are also closely connected. With MDD, a person could note only irritability, marked by having a “short fuse” or bad temper, vs. feeling sad. This is especially true with depression in men. Men are more likely to experience anger and aggression connected to depression.3
When Should You Seek Help?
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 instead of waiting until symptoms get worse. 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.
If you’re not sure if you’re 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 vs. 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 associated with depression than sadness.
Treatment for Depression
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 is not a disorder. It is a normal human feeling, so the notion of treatment is ambiguous. Knowing how to treat depression is more complicated.4
Here are types of treatment for depression:
Psychotherapy for Depression
Types of treatment for depression include depression therapy, such as 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 for Depression
A psychiatrist, primary care physician, or nurse practitioner can prescribe medication for depression 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.5 It’s important to talk with your prescriber about the risks of serious side effects before starting any medication.
How to Find a Therapist
If you’re ready to speak with a therapist about depression, or would like their help to distinguish between sadness and depression, start your search in an online therapist directory. This allows you to narrow down your criteria by details like cost, location, and speciality.
Final Thoughts on Depression Vs. Sadness
Everyone will experience some level of sadness in their life, but true depression is more rare. 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 loved ones. When symptoms grow too strong to manage, people should consult with mental health professionals to inform diagnosis and guide the recovery process.
Depression vs. Sadness Infographics
