Have you been feeling unlike yourself lately? Perhaps blue, sad, or joyless? Depression could be the cause.
Let’s talk about depression versus being sad. The word depression is often used interchangeably with sad. Being sad about something is limited to that one thing and is often short lived. For example, are you sad about One Direction breaking up? Are you sad about your favorite food item being discontinued? You may feel blue about these things for a few days and then it passes. This is sadness, not depression.
Depression is a clinical term and requires meeting multiple criteria, including, but not limited, to extreme sadness or despair that lasts two weeks or longer. A person undergoing depression may have a loss of interest in things that used to bring them joy; they may have trouble sleeping or sleeping too much; they may have changes in their weight.
A person undergoing depression may have a loss of interest in things that used to bring them joy.
Causes of Depression
The causes of depression may be many things. Depression can be caused by life challenges, including death of a loved one or a job loss. Individuals who have low self-esteem or negative thinking may develop depression as an outcome of these things. Most importantly, like any mental health challenge, depression and its causes can look very different person to person.
Depression can be overwhelming. Often the underlying issue may not be obvious and people may blame themselves or others may not take them seriously. The good news is that depression is highly treatable. If you feel like you may be depressed or have been sad or joyless for a while, please give me a call and we will work through it together.
*Please note that this article does not constitute professional help or diagnosis. This should be used for informational purposes only. Please seek professional help if you are feeling overwhelmed.