Your Mental Health "Nugget"
Differences Between Grieving and Depression
Depression is a serious illness with a variety of causes. It is the result of a mixture of chemical, physical and sociological factors. It is also influenced by behavioral patterns learned in the family and by cognitive distortions.
Depression is more than sadness or "the blues." It can have an impact on nearly every aspect of a person's life. When a person suffers from depression, it can affect one's physical body, one's behavior, thought processes, mood, ability to relate to others and general lifestyle. Some common symptoms of depression include:
- feelings of hopelessness or sadness
- fatigue or low energy
- loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities
- tearfulness
- irritability
- difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks
- changes in sleeping patterns
- changes in appetite and/or weight
- low self-esteem, feelings of guilt
- possible thoughts of suicide or even plans to commit suicide
Depression frequently includes feelings of sadness but it is not the same as grieving. A depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure in enjoyable activities are the key symptoms of depression. Anxiety is also a common symptom of depression, affecting up to 90% of depressed individuals.
Grief is the normal reaction to the loss of any kind. The feelings we experience while grieving are normal and natural. Unfortunately, we have been socialized to believe that these feelings are unnatural and abnormal. Most of us have been taught to resolve issues with our intellect. However, grief is an issue of our heart, of our emotions.
Some common responses to grieving include:
- reduced concentration
- sense of numbness
- disrupted sleep pattern
- changed eating habits
- roller coaster of emotional energy
While grieving is a normal and natural response to loss, cumulative unresolved grief experiences combined with other stressful life events can be major causes of clinical depression.
Grief is a normal, intensely painful state that is responsive to support, empathy and the passage of time. Major depression is a serious medical condition that does not respond well to the well-meaning support of family and friends.
In grieving, as the loss becomes more distant, the grief-stricken person shows shifts of mood from sadness to a more normal state and slowly begins to find enjoyment in life again. The individual in the midst of a major depressive episode will continue to experience these painful symptoms for an extended period of time without some form of intervention. Typically, intervention for depression is in the form of anti-depression medication prescribed by the individual's physician or psychiatrist. Frequently, psychotherapy is recommended as an additional form of treatment.
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