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epression-or-grief-995f94bc10dd"> <div> <div> <h2>Mental Health: Depression or Grief?</h2> <div><h3>Identifying The Difference Helped My Recovery</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*FvEpBMyy4gCZdfPU8dCSFw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="5505">Sometimes it’s our inability to deal with sadness, trauma, or stress that leads to depression. So what starts as a perfectly healthy response to whatever life handed you can turn into a spiral of into the depths of despair.</p><h2 id="28ee">Maybe You’re Sad and You Don’t Know Why</h2><p id="001d">Not knowing why you are sad is a pretty good sign that you’re depressed — or pregnant. Most people aren’t sad for no reason.</p><p id="0dce">If you’re experiencing a pervasive sadness — a sadness that just seems to be there for no reason and won’t go away — that’s an indicator that you might be depressed.</p><h1 id="f0c1">Depression as Negativity</h1><p id="a650">This is the type of depression I find myself fighting most often. You lose the ability to see the positive and focus exclusively on the negative.</p><p id="cdd8">When you are experiencing this type of depression, your thoughts are not only negative, but often exaggerated as well. You lie to yourself repeatedly. <i>(I’m a terrible mother. I can’t do anything right. I deserve to die.)</i> And you believe the lies.</p><p id="9e82">The first t

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ime I was depressed, I was working at a factory, doing the same thing over and over again. Every night, I would go to work and stand there thinking about how terrible my life was while riveting clips onto sun visors.</p><p id="06ef">This type of depression feeds on itself, and the negativity grows worse and worse over time.</p><h1 id="e3cd">Depression as Numbness</h1><p id="9a34">When I started this article two days ago, I was experiencing this type of depression. I slept for 10 hours and woke up feeling exhausted. For hours, I couldn’t do anything but lie on the couch watching videos. I didn’t care about anything. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t.</p><p id="dcb9">I realized at some point that I could write about what I was going through, so I made the effort to get a notebook and pen and started writing, but I had so little energy that I had to stop and rest between lines. It was the most unproductive writing session I’ve ever had. Most of what I wrote won’t even make it into this post. Maybe my therapist will find it useful.</p><h1 id="2bc1">If You’re Depressed, You Need to Get Help</h1><p id="f983">All three types of depression have this in common: If you are depressed, you need to get help. A good antidepressant can work wonders. So can a good therapist. It’s practically impossible to pull yourself out of depression. Regardless of which type of depression you’re experiencing, don’t try to go it alone. Get help.</p><p id="c3c7">Like what you just read? <a href="http://eepurl.com/hkTgVj">Sign up</a> to have more articles like this one delivered directly to your inbox.</p></article></body>

Depressed People Aren’t Always Sad: Recognizing the Three Types of Depression

I’m depressed today, but I’m not sad. This is a different kind of depression — the kind where you have no energy, no ambition, no desire to do anything whatsoever.

There are at least two other kinds of depression. I know because I’ve experienced them. I’ve been struggling with depression on and off for about 25 years.

Depression as Sadness

The first is the weepy, crying kind. You feel sad. Maybe you know why; maybe you don’t. How is this different from just being sad? It’s not much different.

Maybe You’re Sad for a Reason

If you know why you’re sad, the dividing line is usually one of degree. Does the amount of sadness you feel match the thing you’re sad about or does it seem excessive?

If someone close to you just died, you’re probably sad. That’s normal. It’s called grief. It’s when that grief goes on longer than it should that you might want to consider whether you have crossed over into depression. (How do you tell? That’s a topic for another article.)

Mental Health: Depression or Grief?

Identifying The Difference Helped My Recovery

medium.com

Sometimes it’s our inability to deal with sadness, trauma, or stress that leads to depression. So what starts as a perfectly healthy response to whatever life handed you can turn into a spiral of into the depths of despair.

Maybe You’re Sad and You Don’t Know Why

Not knowing why you are sad is a pretty good sign that you’re depressed — or pregnant. Most people aren’t sad for no reason.

If you’re experiencing a pervasive sadness — a sadness that just seems to be there for no reason and won’t go away — that’s an indicator that you might be depressed.

Depression as Negativity

This is the type of depression I find myself fighting most often. You lose the ability to see the positive and focus exclusively on the negative.

When you are experiencing this type of depression, your thoughts are not only negative, but often exaggerated as well. You lie to yourself repeatedly. (I’m a terrible mother. I can’t do anything right. I deserve to die.) And you believe the lies.

The first time I was depressed, I was working at a factory, doing the same thing over and over again. Every night, I would go to work and stand there thinking about how terrible my life was while riveting clips onto sun visors.

This type of depression feeds on itself, and the negativity grows worse and worse over time.

Depression as Numbness

When I started this article two days ago, I was experiencing this type of depression. I slept for 10 hours and woke up feeling exhausted. For hours, I couldn’t do anything but lie on the couch watching videos. I didn’t care about anything. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t.

I realized at some point that I could write about what I was going through, so I made the effort to get a notebook and pen and started writing, but I had so little energy that I had to stop and rest between lines. It was the most unproductive writing session I’ve ever had. Most of what I wrote won’t even make it into this post. Maybe my therapist will find it useful.

If You’re Depressed, You Need to Get Help

All three types of depression have this in common: If you are depressed, you need to get help. A good antidepressant can work wonders. So can a good therapist. It’s practically impossible to pull yourself out of depression. Regardless of which type of depression you’re experiencing, don’t try to go it alone. Get help.

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