People from all walks of life have asked me about the difference between normal sadness and clinical depression. “Are they the same or just slightly different?” “Do I need to take nerve pill if I’m only sad?”
Sadness is a normal feeling. It can simply be a reaction to ordinary events that happen in our daily lives. For instance, when our big brother moves out to get married or when our parents take a two-week vacation in the Caribbean, we feel sad for a few hours or so.
But clinical depression or “bad nerves” or “chemical imbalance” is more than a reaction to daily events. As a medical illness that affects the brain, it displays a combination of mood, physical, psychological, and functional impairments.
Mood Disturbances
Depressed individuals feel down, irritable, or weepy. One can become hypersensitive to any stimuli including innocent comments or naïve gestures. Even the “littlest thing,” they get upset or become tearful quickly.
Moreover, most feel that they have lost interest to do their usual activities. They don’t have desire or motivation to start the day. As well, they don’t feel excited to do what they usually love to do. Such mood problem happens daily almost the whole day for several days.
Physical Impairment
Depressed individuals can hardly sleep or has interrupted sleep pattern as they toss and turn the whole night. At times, they wake up early and can hardly go back to sleep even if they badly want to.
Also, they either lose or gain more appetite when depressed. Those who lose appetite, they eventually experience weight loss. While those who have good appetite, they eat more and often gain unnecessary weight.
Moreover, they have poor energy that they have to push themselves to do anything. As well, they feel tired almost the whole day.
At work or in school, they can’t focus or concentrate. They’re easily distracted even by minor stimuli. It’s common for them not to pay attention to the task. Because of impaired concentration, they become forgetful.
Some depressed individuals — young and old — also lose their sexual desire. As a result, some couples develop animosity especially if their spouses don’t understand what’s going on. In fact, frustrated husbands have complained on how difficult it can be. While some wives feel guilty for not being available.
In addition, depressed individuals have more physical complaints — from indigestion and constipation to long-term head aches or back and joint pains.
Psychological Problems
Depressed individuals develop feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Despite their potential and previous achievements, they feel hopeless and can’t see themselves in the future. As well, they have poor self-esteem as they feel that they’re nothing or just a piece of garbage.
Some have thoughts of death, that they are better off dead than alive. If not treated, they eventually develop paranoia, false fixed beliefs or delusions, hallucinations, or suicidal and even homicidal tendencies
Dysfunction
As part of worsening depression, many individuals develop functional impairment. They can hardly do anything to help themselves; most just stay in bed or in a couch the whole day. Some are seen as “lazy” for not trying enough.
Significantly depressed individuals cannot anymore do their usual activities despite encouragement or pressure from spouses or relatives. As well, they don’t care about household cleanliness or personal hygiene. It’s common to see previously clean and organized individuals become disorganized and untidy when they have depression.
In summary, clinical depression has common clinical presentation but with serious ramifications if left untreated. It’s necessary to recognize this illness early and to provide the necessary preventive measure or treatment intervention before it gets worse.
About the Author:
Dr. Michael G. Rayel — author, game inventor, and psychiatrist — has created the Oikos Game Series to promote emotional health. Since 2005, he has published Positive News Media as an online source of inspiring news. Suggest a topic at www.oikosglobal.com or mrayel@soardime.com.