Are you just sad or is it depression?

There is a good chance that you, like all human beings, have experienced sadness. But could your sadness be indicative of something more serious? A lot of people mistake the emotion for depression, which is a mental health condition. Conversely, many people who may be depressed might brush off their condition by chalking it up to sadness. According to the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 criteria), there are ways you can distinguish between the two. Here’s how you can tell the difference.

Sadness is usually triggered by an external event like loss, financial trouble, or personal problems. Usually, these events might cause you to cry or vent but they often diminish to a certain degree with time (experts say two weeks). Moreover, a person usually feels better after talking to someone or crying. More often than not, a sad person can manage the rest of his/her day and take care of tasks and responsibilities.

Depression, on the other hand, lasts a lot longer than two weeks and can be debilitating. It is accompanied by a loss of interest in things the person used to like, a lack of motivation, a feeling of hopelessness, and a feeling of discouragement. Sadness is also folded up into this storm of emotions. A person may also have suicidal thoughts, recurrent thoughts of death, or even self-harm.

A mental health professional may diagnose you with major depressive disorder (MDD) if you feel depression all day, experience unintentional weight loss or gain, insomnia or sleeping through the day, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, and an inability to make decisions.

Remember that a professional reaches a diagnosis based on several physical or mental factors. Don’t diagnose yourself or self-medicate. If you think you might be depressed, take notes on what’s going on with you internally and ask yourself some questions. Are you struggling to get through the day? Are you floundering at work or in your relationships? Don’t be afraid to make an appointment with a mental health professional if you feel like you cannot manage your day. With a definite diagnosis and treatment plan, you can begin your journey on the road to healing and well-being.