Depression Test
Am I Depressed Or Just Sad?
There is an important distinction to be made between depression as a diagnosable condition ('clinical' depression) and low mood that's a 'normal' element of our life experiences. At times, there is a grey area between these two states.
When someone says they are feeling depressed, it is useful to understand what factors help us distinguish low mood from clinical depression.
We discuss the following topics in this article
Crippling depression
Clinical depression is a state that persists for several weeks or more, in which a person consistently experiences significantly depressed mood and/or loss of interest/pleasure in daily life.
This state is accompanied by several additional problems/symptoms, all of which result in obvious distress or impairment in functioning.
These other signs may include:
Appetite changes
Fluctuations in body weight
Slowing down of thinking and movement (e.g., moving or speaking slowly)
Fatigue and/or loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Concentration problems
Suicidal thoughts
Some of these indicators are things people could have noticed. Therefore, it can be helpful to gain a friend or family member’s perspective when assessing mood.
Am I depressed? This is not always a simple question to answer, but the key points to remember here is that clinical depression is:
Persistently present for long periods
Seriously disturbs your day-to-day life
Comes with several other serious difficulties or symptoms
You should always see a mental health professional if you think you are affected by clinical depression. Don’t try to self-diagnose via the internet! Articles like this can only give you a feel for how clinical depression looks and feels.
Depression is not a choice. The reasons for becoming clinically depressed are easy to see in some circumstances.
For other people, ‘Why do I feel so sad?’ is a difficult and confusing question to answer.
Depression ICD 10
The above signs of depression are taken from a classification system for mental health conditions called the DSM. The other main system is the ICD-10, published by the World Health Organisation. Diagnostic criteria are similar across both systems.
Why am I depressed?
Why do I feel sad for no reason?
I hear this question occasionally. This question concerns me because it often signals a degree of self-blame for depression. If you have asked yourself this question, remember that this condition is often the result of a complex mix of factors.
A huge amount of research conducted in this area tells us that depression is caused by many things ranging from genetics and brain chemistry, to early family experiences, personality and stressful life events.
Sadness
By contrast, non-clinical 'low mood' is less severe, less persistent, and less likely to cause distress or impairment in your ability to live day-to-day. There should be few or no accompanying symptoms as described above. This is not a mental illness.
In other words, non-clinical dips in mood do not last for long periods and do not stop you from carrying through on your work commitments, social/family life, or interests/hobbies. However, persistent sadness may need some investigation, even if it doesn’t reach clinical severity.
Your attitude towards persistent sadness may also be an important factor to consider. For instance, people who say they feel sad for no reason may become highly self-critical. Talking to yourself in this way is only going to cause additional problems.
High functioning depression
Functional abilities are the extent to which you can get on with day-to-day life in the face of challenges, such as psychological difficulties. This ability varies amongst people with clinical depression.
You sometimes hear the term ‘high functioning depression’. This usually refers to people who are able to continue with most of their activities and responsibilities despite being depressed. When assessing depression (and most other mental health conditions), we consider levels of distress and impairment (in activities). This is because we want to catch people with depression who seem to be getting on with life as normal, but are actually very distressed about their mood.
How common is depression?
Clinical depression is one of the most common mental health conditions. Around 20% of adults experience this condition at least once in their lifetime (1). This is a huge number when you think of it.
By contrast, the prevalence rate for schizophrenia and related conditions is about 1.5% (2).
Depression quiz
Many questionnaires are available to screen for depression. These measures are not designed to diagnose, but to identify people who require full assessment.
Depression questionnaires are also used for research purposes, and to track symptoms over time for those receiving treatment. For these (and other) reasons, questionnaire results or ‘scores’ should never be interpreted in isolation.
Hopelessness
Hopelessness is a state commonly associated with depression. This concept is both a risk factor for, and a consequence of low mood (3).
Self doubt
One core component of depression is a tendency to have negative thoughts/beliefs about yourself. Worthlessness, guilt and self-doubt appear or become exacerbated when depressed.
Jobs for people with depression
Some life adjustments are required when managing and recovering from depression. Work can be overwhelming. Ideally, your workplace will provide support. This help may come in the form of increased support and flexible working conditions/hours to name a couple of adjustments.
Be wary of two issues:
Wanting time off and/or reduction of workload. Depression causes some people to do fewer activities. This can actually increase mood problems. Doing less results in a reduced sense of achievement. You might also have fewer positive experiences (e.g., social contact). Focus on workplace adjustments rather than decreasing activity levels.
An urge to leave work or change jobs. These reactions may lower mood via a reduction in positive experiences. Another potential outcome is an increasing urge to avoid challenges in life. You might also experience reduced confidence in dealing with these challenges.
I recommend that you focus on support and adjustments to cope with depression, rather than doing less. This advice applies to people at university too. Keep studying and seek help from health and student support services.
Attention seeker
Some people believe depressed mood represents attention-seeking behaviour. This attitude is inaccurate and toxic. Individuals suffering from clinical depression are battling a real condition. No one wants to face this challenge. It brings misery and suffering. The attention-seeking viewpoint might come from the inaccurate interpretation of symptoms described above.
Overcoming depression
For non-clinical low mood, self-help resources can be of benefit. There are some good resources available online; here is an example.
Clinical depression requires more intensive intervention and treatment plan. Talking to your doctor is usually the best way to start this process.
Medication and psychological therapies are both available. For the latter, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy are amongst the most effective and well-validated talking therapies.
CBT for depression can involve any combination of the following:
Education about depression
Getting people more active in their day-to-day activities
Identifying and challenging unhelpful/depressive thoughts. Learn about these strategies on the skills videos page
Problem-solving
Stress management
Treating co-occurring problems such as insomnia
There are effective treatments out there. But the longer you wait, the harder it is to recover (4).
Depressed aesthetic
Artistic mediums are used to express human experiences. Depression is no exception.
Describing difficult psychological experiences is not always easy. It can be a relief to see or hear depression explained in a way consistent with your experiences. Artistic representations can be used in a positive or therapeutic way. For instance, a therapist might use an image to help a client improve their ability to describe mood problems.
Here are some examples of depression represented through artistic mediums:
Depression art: The artist Jacob Lawrence produced a piece called ‘Depression’. You can view this artwork here.
Depression poems: In his work ‘Dealing with depression’, Ricky Baker focuses on the effects of depression.
Depression drawings: simple lines in black and white are a common visual presentation for drawings on the theme of depression. An example is shown here.
Depressed wojak
The internet is full of content about depression. This material ranges from blogs to poems and video diaries.
There are lots of memes on depression. Depressed Wojak is a well-known drawing conveying sadness and depression. Perhaps surprisingly, some depression memes might help people cope with their depression. Who knew. Here are a couple of example memes. Hope they put a smile on your face:
Movies about depression
Many movies attempt to capture the experience of depression. Several facets of this condition are represented. This is not surprising given the wide-ranging effects of low mood. Here are some examples:
Garden State: Portrays the role of a major (negative) life event on the development of depression
Little Miss Sunshine: Considers the prevalence of depression amongst several family members
Prozac Nation: Tells the story of a woman who uses drugs to cope with depression.
Depression wallpaper
Depression wallpaper is a term given to depression-themed images. Often they are in electronic form for placing on computer desktops, etc. Some people find these images capture the experience of depression in a way that words cannot.
Summary
Life is full of ups and downs, so you shouldn't necessarily worry if your mood dips for short periods. However, you should always seek professional help if you think your mood difficulties fit the description of clinical depression, especially if there is a deteriorating mood pattern over a few weeks or more. Difficult times often require extra help to get life back on track. Seeking such support shows courage.
Depression quotes
It’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there, because it’s not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling — that really hollowed-out feeling. J.K. Rowling
You say you’re ‘depressed’ — all I see is resilience. You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn’t mean you’re defective — it just means you’re human. David Mitchell
We are Coaching & Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. We can also help with low mood and depression. Read more about our work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Get in touch anytime.
References
(1) Hasin DS, Sarvet AL, Meyers JL, et al. Epidemiology of Adult DSM-5 Major Depressive Disorder and Its Specifiers in the United States. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75(4):336–346. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4602
(2) https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg155/resources/psychosis-and-schizophrenia-in-children-and-young-people-final-scope2#:~:text=In%20the%20UK%20the%20lifetime,is%20considerable%20variation%20between%20estimates.
(3) Assari, S., & Lankarani, M. M. (2016). Depressive Symptoms Are Associated with More Hopelessness among White than Black Older Adults. Frontiers in public health, 4, 82. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00082
(4) Bukh JD, Bock C, Vinberg M, Kessing LV. The effect of prolonged duration of untreated depression on antidepressant treatment outcome. J Affect Disord. 2013 Feb 15;145(1):42-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.07.008. Epub 2012 Jul 30. PMID: 22854096.
