Does Depression Equal Sadness? — Part II

Photo by Diogo Nunes

The answer is — No, clinical depression does not equal sadness. It encompasses a wide range of impairments in addition to sadness. It can affect one’s memory, concentration, focus, and cognitive agility. It can interfere with one’s interest, motivation, and drive. Many people with clinical depression struggle with insomnia or hypersomnia; significant weight loss or weight gain; a variety of psychosomatic symptoms such as fatigue, GI problems, or chronic aches and pains; even passive or active suicidal ideation. In a nutshell, clinical depression is more than one emotion; it is a complex medical condition.

The tendency to view clinical depression as feelings of sadness is not only found in people who have not experienced it firsthand, but also prominent in those whose lives are severely affected by it. Because of the misconception, some people may delay treatment, set unrealistic goals for treatment, or withdraw from treatment prematurely. Any one of these decisions can result in poor symptom remission and undermine the process of recovery.

Some people might feel ambivalent about learning all of this; it is a lot to take in. But, not knowing does not drive those symptoms away. More importantly, once we learn that clinical depression affects more than just mood, it becomes possible to monitor our progress on all fronts. Knowing how to monitor is a crucial skill. Why? Because often in the process of recovery, the feeling that one is less depressed or no longer depressed comes dead last. It is the progress we make in other areas that will allow us to gauge whether or not we are on the right track.