Are you really depressed, or just in a state of sadness? What exactly is the difference between being sad and depression? Many people believe that in a period of unhappiness that they are depressed. In reality, it is just a state of sadness.

For one, sadness is an emotion. It is something that I’m sure every human has experienced. Sadness is what a person feels when their pet of ten years dies or they find out that they didn’t get the job they’ve wanted and hoped for. Sadness does not last forever. Someone get bad news, that bad news makes them sad, they doing something that they enjoy, and they are back to being happy. Sadness is only a temporary emotion that can be replaced by other emotions such as happiness and excitement.


On the other hand, depression is far more than sadness. Depression is an illness that a person can be diagnosed with. Unlike sadness, depression is long-lasting and needs treatment. Depression can be caused by life-changing events, genes, a person's look on life, and chemicals in the brain. Emotionally-changing events in a person’s life like the death of a loved one, or a house fire that leads to the loss of all the valuable belongings to a person, can trigger depression. Depression can be passed on by genes from a parent to a child. A persons view on life can lead them into depression. If they are constantly seeing the negative sides of things or they feel worthless, they develop depression. In the brain, there are chemicals that are essential to movement, feelings, etcetera. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that regulates a person's mood, appetite, and sleep. In some cases, the serotonin levels are low or unbalanced which leads to depression. (D'Arcy Lyness) Therefore, unlike sadness, depression cannot be replaced by other emotions due to the unbalanced levels of chemicals in the brain. Depression is caused by genetic, environmental, biological, and physical factors.
1.Signs of Depression
-Feeling hopeless and/or worthless-looking at the glass as half empty
-A change in sleep- sleeping more or loss of sleep
-Weight gain or weight loss
-Finding tasks that were easy before, become hard due to lack of concentration
-Energy loss-no longer have energy or motivation to do things
-Loss of interest-no longer enjoy hobbies or activities
(Joanna Saisan, Jeanne Segal and Melinda Smith)
2.Treatment
-Therapy
-Cognitive behavioral therapy: allows a person to see how their thoughts can cause depression.
-Interpersonal therapy: shows people how different personal relationships affect them.
-Problem Solving therapy: allows a person to focus mainly on specific problems and how they can fix them for the better.
(WebMD)
-Medicine/Antidepressants
-Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These are medicines that affect the neurotransmitters(chemical messengers in brain) which allows for more doses of serotonin. The types of SSRI medicines are Citalopram, Escitalopram, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine and Sertraline.
-Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. These medicines change the levels of chemicals in the brain. They help send and receive messages in the brain. Some types of this medicine are Duloxetine, Venlafaxine and Desvenlafaxine.
Tricyclic antidepressants. These medicines block the neurotransmitters from absorbing serotonin and allow the serotonin to be spread thoroughly. Types of TCA’s are Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Desipramine, Doxepin, Imipramine, Nortriptyline, Protriptyline and Trimipramine.
-Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. MAOI medicines prevent an enzyme called monoamine which removes chemicals in the brain, including serotonin. The prevention of this allows for mood boosts. Some of these medicines are called Isocarboxazid, Phenelzine, Selegiline and Tranylcypromine.
(mayoclinic.org)
3.How to Help
-Always be positive and encourage people to do things they have always enjoyed.
-Invite them to do small enjoyable things.
-Reassure them that you are always there to help them.
-Refer them to a family therapist.
-Give reminders that they with the right help and treatment their depression will cease.
-Always listen and offer emotional support.
Hedonic treadmill is the theory of a set level of happiness. This is a genetic theory that scientist believe that after life-changing events, a person returns to the level of happiness they were born with. People have a constant level of happiness throughout their life, After something great happens, after a while, the feeling of extreme happiness decreases to a person's genetic level. The same goes for a sad event that brings a persons mood down. Eventually, something good will happen that boosts a person's mood back up to its genetic level of happiness. A person that is sad will find their way back to their set level of happiness they were born with. A person that is depressed, will not due to either constant sad events, self-hate, or low levels of serotonin in the brain. All in all, sadness is an emotion, depression is a disease that involves treatment to finally reach a persons happy state again.





Bibliography

Lyness, D'Arcy. "Why Do People Get Depressed?" Teens Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. <http://teenshealth.org/teen/your_mind/feeling_sad/why_depressed.html>.
"Recognizing and Treating Depression." WebMD., 2014. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/depression/symptoms-depressed-anxiety-12/treating-depression>.
"Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors." Mayo Clinic. , 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825>.
"Serotonin and norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors." Mayo Clinic. , 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20044970>.
Smith, Melinda, Joanna Saisan, and Jeanne Segal. "Depression Symptoms & Warning Signs." Help Guide., Feb. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_types_diagnosis_treatment.htm>.
"Tricyclic Antidepressants and Tetracyclic Antidepressants." Mayo Clinic.., 2014. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046983>.