Is Sadness means Depression?

Feeling down at times is normal part of life. Sad and upsetting events happen to everyone. The death of a loved one, loss of a job, or the ending of a relationship are difficult experiences for a person and it is normal to feel sad in response to such situations.

Then when am I Depressed?

If one’s feels down or hopeless on a regular basis for at least 2 or more than 2 weeks, he/she could be dealing with depression. Depression is different from sadness or grief or bereavement. Depression is a mental health disorder characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life functioning.

Symptoms
The symptoms of depression can be experienced differently among adults and children.

In adults:
● Mood such as anger, aggressiveness, irritability, restlessness
● Feeling helpless, hopeless, worthless
● Loss of interest in activities
● No longer feeling pleasure in favourite activities
● Feeling tired easily
● Thoughts of suicide
● Abusing alcohol or drugs on a regular basis
● Reduced sexual interest
● Difficulty in concentrating
● Disturbed sleeping patterns

In children:
● Mood such as irritability, anger, mood swings, crying
● Feelings of incompetence or despair
● Refusing to go to school
● Avoiding friends or siblings
● Thoughts of death or suicide
● Deterioration in school performance
● Disturbed sleep
● Loss of energy, digestive problems, changes in appetite, weight loss or gain

Treatment
The treatment for depression falls into two categories:
i) Psychotherapy: A psychotherapist helps you to learn tools and strategies to cope with depression when it occurs. Psychotherapy works on cognition and behaviour to which helps the clients to understand his or her belief system and behaviour to overcome from the disorder.
ii) Pharmacotherapy: It works to balance brain chemistry, prevent episodes of depression and ward off the most severe symptoms of the disorder.