Here are some symptoms that will help you differentiate between the two conditions.
Almost everyone has felt sad, depressed, or down, and it is a normal reaction to the loss of a loved one, a divorce, or other difficult situation. This negative emotion quickly disappears, the person returns to their normal mood, and no specific treatment is needed.
Depression is a serious mental condition and it is necessary to involve a psychologist in a timely manner, to manage the symptoms with an appropriate course of treatment. Depression lasts for more than 2 weeks and significantly reduces the patient's quality of life. Depression negatively affects work, personal relationships, and daily activities.
When a person is depressed, they experience the following symptoms:
- Expresses their emotions by crying;
- Prefers to be alone;
- Does not break the regular sleep and eating routine;
- Attends classes regularly, does not miss work;
- Feels better within a few days or weeks.
Depression is characterized by:
- Feelings of sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, hopelessness, irritability that last for two weeks or more;
- Walking slowly;
- Having difficulty falling asleep or sleeping for unusually long periods of time;
- Losing interest in activities that once brought joy;
- Having dangerous thoughts of harming oneself.
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