Am I Depressed or Just Sad? 5 Ways to Know

Many of us, when we are feeling down about our lives or ourselves, wonder if we are depressed or just sad? Should we be worried about our mood or should we just ride it out?’

There is fine line between being sad and being depressed. Knowing the differences is key to knowing how to manage and treat how you are feeling.

While there are many different variations of depression, there are two fundamental forms. Chemical depression, depression caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain, one that is often genetic or the result of trauma. Situational depression is usually a short-term sadness, often brought on by a life event.

Which one are you struggling with? There are some way to tell. Here are 5 of them.

#1 — Has something happened?

One way to tell if you are depressed or just sad is to consider what is happening in your life right now.

Has your dog died? Is a parent sick? Have you lost your job? Did you have a car accident?

Sometimes, life events happen that make us feel overwhelmed and sad. It happens. And the result of those life events can cause situational depression, a short term feeling of depression, one that feels bad but will most likely pass.