Guest Author - Deanna Couras Goodson

• Are you depressed and don’t know it?
• Could you just be having a bad day, week or month?
• Is it sadness or clinical depression?
• How do you know?

It’s not really easy to distinguish between the two. Hopefully, this article will provide a benchmark which may make it easier to do so.

Sadness is a natural emotion. When you’re sad, you can feel grief, unhappiness, and, in some cases, anger. It’s common for people to feel sad. We’ve all felt it at one time or another in our lives.

Here are some situations that can make a person feel sad:

>>Divorce >>Unemployment >>Illness
>>Rejection >>Disappointment >>Finances

Sadness can certainly feel like a depression. It becomes depression when:

*** It lasts for a long time. (Usually for more than two weeks.)
*** It hurts too deeply like you feel you’ll never heal or that life isn’t worth living.
*** You just can’t enjoy the things in life like you used to.

A lot of times, you may not know you’ve slipped from sadness into depression. There is certainly some similarity between triggers of an episode of sadness and the emotional triggers of a depression.

For more information on the triggers, or causes, of depression, please read: Causes of Depression

If you suspect that you are suffering from depression, it is a good idea to talk to someone about it. Friends and family members can be great sounding boards; however, it may be in your best interest to engage a professional for a legitimate diagnosis.

Perhaps you'd like some more information on this topic. Check out the links to the left. The following books provide some more insight as well:

Speaking of Sadness: Depression, Disconnection, and the Meanings of Illness by David Allen Karp

Malignant Sadness by Lewis Wolpert

Defeat Depression: Understand Your Sadness-And Banish It Forever! (Life's Little Keys - Self-Help Strategies for a Healthier, Happier You)
by Frank Joe Bruno

*********The Author of the above piece is NOT a mental health professional. The content of this article is not intended to diagnosis or treat a condition. Please seek the help of a mental health or medical professional if your symptoms last longer than two weeks, don't seem to be subsiding or you have thoughts of harming yourself.