Is there a difference between depression and just being really sad

[Fireplace123]

My life is a bit shit and I can't remember the last time I actually felt happy or anything but really sad.

But I'm not sure if that means I'm depressed of just sad if you see what I mean.

Is there a difference? I feel because there are reasons why my life is so bad, feeling like this is an appropriate response.

Genuine question (and not intending to dilute how awful depression must be).

I understand what you are saying and sorry to hear things are shit for you. You’re right that sad is often a normal response.
How are your energy levels, self care etc? If you had, say a holiday booked, or a party to look forward to, would you want to go?
If you’ve been feeling that way for a while and can’t see an end to it, it might be worth a chat with your GP.

I'm looking after myself because I need to for work so get out of bed every morning.

Financially, holidays not an option but I'd look forward to one certainly but am sad that's not going to happen!

Depression tends to be characterised by the absence of any emotion; it's just numbness.

Coming out of depression isn’t about solving life’s problems or finding new purpose, it’s realising there is a purpose for you out there somewhere and that there is a value in looking for it.

Maybe sadness is when you have something to be sad about, but depression can either be that or can strike for no reason at all in someone with an otherwise happy life.

What changes can you make? What makes you sad, you say there are reasons, are they temporary? Is it disappointment that you feel about events in your life.

Life circumstances can cause depression but depression is usually more a sense of hopelessness or despair, not just sadness.

I have severe depression and sometimes feel sad. I can tell the difference between the two quite easily. Sadness generally tends to be the result of something external although not always. It tends to be a bit more transitory.

Like a PP said, depression feels very numbing. I quite like feeling sad, because I don't experience much emotion on the whole.

May be ask yourself why are you sad and is there something you can do , to change this? Some friend was sad due to strange very illogical reasons and one day she just came down to earth and became very happy

You’re talking about situational depression, where depression and numbness is caused by your circumstances. It’s more than just sadness, but it has a basis in the situation you find yourself in.

Depression is a numbness. While I was depressed I still worked full time, went out, socialised etc but looking back at photos I was a zombie, I wasn’t truly smiling etc.

For me, depression is not caring about anything or doing anything and once, not getting out of bed for six weeks.

Being sad is feeling fed up and miserable, but carrying on doing the day to day stuff.

I have depression and it's more like numbness than sadness when it's bad (normally I'm reasonably ok thanks to my medication). Also crying for no reason. I remember the health visitor saying that sadness with a reason is normal, it's when you are sad for no reason or you feel numb/not interested in life then there is a problem.

For me, depression takes over other emotions. As well as sadness there is irritability, despair, anger. Joy becomes harder to experience, so fun, enjoyable things aren't. They are either hard work or nothing. I didn't feel I deserved good, nice things. Feelings become low and flat then things seemed pointless. Why eat? Why wash my face at night? Brush my teeth before bed? Why bother to moisturise? I also worked so always showered, deodorant, clean clothes but these things were an exhausting chore.

I feel sad sometimes now, I have had challenging times but very different to actual depression.

Depression can be diagnosed if you generally experience a total lack of joy in the ordinary/mundane pleasures of life, or if you have lost interest in people/places/activities that used to bring you joy, or if your mind wanders into negative thoughts about yourself and the world too often, and in more extreme cases actively set out to harm yourself.

Depression can occur after a major life event (divorce/bereavement) when you simply can't pull yourself up again. It can also occur over a long period of time when nothing specific has happened.

It could be you're "just" sensitive and feel sad a lot, but generally have an optimistic outlook and are hopeful about your life, so not clinically depressed- or it could be you have actually lost your sense of self entirely.

It's worth thinking about, and talking about to someone you trust.

I had this conversation with my GP last week. Circumstances are making me very sad/depressed but we decided I haven't got depression, basically because I have a solid reason to feel like this. She did say anti-depressants may make me feel better but until the underlying cause is changed my sadness will probably continue. I may try counselling to change the way I react.

If you're sad about a certain situation, a change in that situation would make you happy so I'd say that's not really depression.

Having said that, I'm not completely convinced that depression is a chemical imbalance and I think it often is a reaction to things being wrong with your life.

Sadness is a normal response to things not being good. Depression is when your sadness is not appropriate for your actual situation. I for example get sad sometimes, but I have everything, my life is good. I'm on medication which helps a lot.

I would suggest you talk to your GP. PPs are saying things like depression is numbness or depression is when there is no good reason. That might be the case for them, but it is not a reliable indicator for everyone. Please go and talk to someone who can ask the right questions and give you personalised care.

Sometimes, feeling sad is depression. Sometimes even if there is a good reason for the sadness, it is all the same a mental health condition that can be effectively helped with medication and /or talking therapy, maybe even social prescribing. Don't let other people's views and experiences of what depression is, for them, put you off asking the opinion of an medical professional. You don't need to be sure to ask a GP - it's ok (and actually a great decision) to go just to ask the question.

I had post natal depression and it was an overwhelming, non stop sadness and bleakness and a total lack of care or interest in normal things. When I look back at that period I can only see it in shades of grey, if that makes sense, it’s like I cant see my memories in colour.

Last year I had a miscarriage and felt terrible sadness and grief. It was awful but it wasn’t the same as the depression, it’s hard to explain but I could still function and I still cared about things and still felt like me, just a sad me.

There is a difference for me.
When depressed, its like there is a dark cloud hanging over me. I can't feel happy even when I should feel happy.

It is. It’s situational depression. You’re trapped in a bad place so you start to feel helpless and hopeless, and you sink into actual depression. I think the vast majority of cases of depression are actually just misery because of a situation.

I have been both sad and depressed in the past.

Being depressed is different for everyone but I agree common symptoms are numbness and a sense of not caring. Everything takes 10/100/1000x more effort. Even going to the loo is a trial.

My additional symptoms were pain all over the body and not eating/tasting my food. As I say different things for different people

I had a sad spell over New Year when I found it difficult to stop crying but I still had the motivation and concern to carry on with my BB daily activities. I made sure I ate better and did my exercise which helps me.

I hope you feel better soon OP.

Do you know what you are sad about?

This is a very interesting book. It covers depression.

The Science of Stuck: Breaking... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472293908?ref=ppxpoppmobappshare

Depression for me was totally separate from circumstance. Like this heaviness that just weighs on you constantly. If someone said you won the lotto you wouldn’t care. It’s this horrific darkness that just shrouds you and doesn’t go away. Kinda like drowning but every day all day. Nothing external, no matter how wonderful can make a difference. You could have the most amazing life on paper but cannot rise to the surface to take a breath. I think sadness due to things going wrong or something lacking in your life can cause acute feelings of feeling down but with depression if you got all these things it would make no difference. There is just this constant cesspit that you cannot escape from. The fact you know nothing will help only makes it worse and more hopeless. I am better now but there was a time when I never thought I could be.