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Default May 23, 2022 at 08:04 AM
  #1
Does anyone experience being sad a lot without having depression? I tend to fall in this category since I always feel sad and lonely but it never lasts for two weeks straight with no let up. I may feel sad more than usual and longer than usual but it’s never full blown and doesn’t meet the requirements for depression. I’ve wondered if there’s a name for those who fall onto that category or if that’s just simply moodiness or insecurity.

I usually feel this way after something bad or stressful happens or even if I am shunned by someone or a group of people which everyone has experienced. I also feel this way when I’m just simply by myself even though I like my solitude. I can even feel extremely low when I’m around others and at times really big changes can have me feeling so low that I just feel completely drained and worthless. There has been a few instances sporadically where these feelings lasted more than two weeks but usually there are short periods where I feel happy in between.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 11:45 AM
  #2
I guess I'm wondering why you think it's not depression.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 03:39 PM
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I guess I'm wondering why you think it's not depression.
Only reason is because really never lasts the entire 2 weeks without let up. I could feel very sad and drained for several days but then there will be a day or two thrown in there where I feel perfectly normal. One of the big factors determining if someone actually has depression is if their symptoms last for two weeks or longer without any let up according to the DSM-5. There's probably more factors that play into that but that's just what I've learned over the years and I don't want to just assume that's what I have since self diagnosing doesn't do you any good.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 04:23 PM
  #4
Allergies maybe or some other thing in the enviroment possibly? I can get really depressd when my allergies act up but its actually just allergies and not depression. Maybe it could also be the change in weather. Not everything is depression I agree with that. I had issues with my cats new litter deodarent. Once I switched brands those particular issues went away.

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Default May 23, 2022 at 06:03 PM
  #5
Rdgrad, not sure I can explain this very well.. I've been sad for months now. There have been events going on in my life that would make anyone sad. Been sad longer than two weeks, but there are reasons for it. Plus it doesn't feel the same as when I'm depressed. Does that make any sense? The general population use sad and depressed like they are interchangeable, but they aren't. Sad usually gas an identifiable cause. Depression feels like I am buried under a huge weight that never goes away. I isolate myself from the world. I start having thoughts about "S". Mainly it's the way it feels though.

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Default May 23, 2022 at 06:54 PM
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Yeah, I agree with @lizardlady. For sadness (or situational depression), there is a reason behind it. Do you think that's what you're feeling? Might help to talk to someone about it.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 07:11 PM
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Allergies maybe or some other thing in the enviroment possibly? I can get really depressd when my allergies act up but its actually just allergies and not depression. Maybe it could also be the change in weather. Not everything is depression I agree with that. I had issues with my cats new litter deodarent. Once I switched brands those particular issues went away.
Yeah possible, I know it's common for other causes to mimic depressive symptoms.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 07:14 PM
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Rdgrad, not sure I can explain this very well.. I've been sad for months now. There have been events going on in my life that would make anyone sad. Been sad longer than two weeks, but there are reasons for it. Plus it doesn't feel the same as when I'm depressed. Does that make any sense? The general population use sad and depressed like they are interchangeable, but they aren't. Sad usually gas an identifiable cause. Depression feels like I am buried under a huge weight that never goes away. I isolate myself from the world. I start having thoughts about "S". Mainly it's the way it feels though.

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Oh I think I know what you mean, basically you get sad from things that would make anyone sad but it's a lot worse for you? In that case, I totally get what you mean. Yeah society uses the words sad and depression interchangeably all the time, like one day someone will feel a bit bummed out for a short period and claim they are feeling a bit depressed even though they technically aren't depressed. I'll be honest I used to do that since years ago when I thought they were pretty much the same thing, depression is way more than just sadness and lasts a long time with little to no relief.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 07:22 PM
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Yeah, I agree with @lizardlady. For sadness (or situational depression), there is a reason behind it. Do you think that's what you're feeling? Might help to talk to someone about it.
If I do have depression then I think it would be situational depression, I get sad over stuff that would make anyone sad whether they want to admit it or not but I experience it at a level that isn't quite normal. I remember feeling extremely sad when I graduated college because I didn't want to lose my independence and lose friends, I was sad to the point where I pretty much didn't want to do anything and overall just felt sick and anxious too. Not normal for someone who is just simply graduating and moving on and even back then I knew that it wasn't normal to be that sad but I literally couldn't snap out of it, most people are excited to graduate and any sadness they experience is usually very minor and short lived and there has been other cases where changes in life events have brought me down very low. I feel the same way when I'm shunned by someone out of the blue for no reason or at least an unknown reason, other times I'll just randomly get extremely sad for a few days so I think it could be situational depression.
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Default May 23, 2022 at 08:33 PM
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I had a hard time after I graduated as well. And it still hurts when people exclude me, although I try not to care.
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Default May 24, 2022 at 02:28 AM
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I had a hard time after I graduated as well. And it still hurts when people exclude me, although I try not to care.
Glad to know that I’m not the only one who struggled with that. It’s hard not to care and I understand how it feels.
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Default May 26, 2022 at 04:00 PM
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I am sad everyday.It is like a default setting for me. I know I am not depressed as my sadness does not interfere with my functioning in my day to day life.But I need to constantly look for something to do in order to distract myself from my ruminations. Ruminations and flashbacks intensify my mild sadness.That is what I tried to avoid.There is deep grief too.I am trying to process my grief as much as I can.Long way to go.I accept and understand my sadness and the reason behind it and made it ( sadness )my friend.I think this feeling will stay with me for ever(because I won't be getting any closure from the reasons ).I need to cope and be productive.
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Default May 27, 2022 at 05:33 AM
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I am sad everyday.It is like a default setting for me. I know I am not depressed as my sadness does not interfere with my functioning in my day to day life.But I need to constantly look for something to do in order to distract myself from my ruminations. Ruminations and flashbacks intensify my mild sadness.That is what I tried to avoid.There is deep grief too.I am trying to process my grief as much as I can.Long way to go.I accept and understand my sadness and the reason behind it and made it ( sadness )my friend.I think this feeling will stay with me for ever(because I won't be getting any closure from the reasons ).I need to cope and be productive.
Same here, I feel sad pretty much everyday but it doesn't affect my life at all. It's a mild sadness that can go away for a day or two at times but then returns no matter what happens, there's always an underlying sense of loneliness and feeling down. It never lasts two weeks without letting up but the feeling of loneliness is always there and being alone actually makes it worse despite me enjoying my solitude, I always feel a sense of nostalgia as well and longing for the old times and to see people who are no longer around again. Even back then I felt sad constantly but I still long for those days where some were still around, I agree with you that there can be grief involved that never gets resolved and I think I'll always be this way too and have accepted it as a way of life.
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Default May 29, 2022 at 08:20 PM
  #14
I usually have a really horrible mood like depression but not feel sad. Like I don't feel like crying but I feel horrible with horrible self-esteem and negative thoughts, etc.

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Default May 30, 2022 at 06:23 AM
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I usually have a really horrible mood like depression but not feel sad. Like I don't feel like crying but I feel horrible with horrible self-esteem and negative thoughts, etc.
Yes same here, sort of a constant down feeling.
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Default May 30, 2022 at 03:34 PM
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I sometimes experience sadness. I haven't been, in actuality, depressed in a long time. The results are very beneficial. Sometimes when I talk to my docs, I speak like I have depression symptoms still but what I experience is a sadness. I think of it in fleeting seconds now as if it's only social isolation and that's a symptom of Schizophrenia. I realized this because I have this period tracker app called Flo. There are several 'symptoms' including being self-critical, calm, energetic, as well as depressed and sad, so I'm just a tall strange woman who obsesses over: God, St. Michael the Archangel, her own guardian angel, the askance of who I am, special-ness and uniqueness, shopping, getting better every day, using her voice, and especially trying to achieve greatest hits and even on the internet.

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Default May 31, 2022 at 03:50 PM
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I sometimes experience sadness. I haven't been, in actuality, depressed in a long time. The results are very beneficial. Sometimes when I talk to my docs, I speak like I have depression symptoms still but what I experience is a sadness. I think of it in fleeting seconds now as if it's only social isolation and that's a symptom of Schizophrenia. I realized this because I have this period tracker app called Flo. There are several 'symptoms' including being self-critical, calm, energetic, as well as depressed and sad, so I'm just a tall strange woman who obsesses over: God, St. Michael the Archangel, her own guardian angel, the askance of who I am, special-ness and uniqueness, shopping, getting better every day, using her voice, and especially trying to achieve greatest hits and even on the internet.
Yeah we all experience sadness, it becomes a problem when it affects your life. I think social isolation can be one of the causes of prolonged sadness, I'm in the same boat as you since I feel sad a lot but it's really not enough to be classified as depression to be perfectly honest.
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Default Jun 02, 2022 at 04:32 PM
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My first thought is that you could be a highly sensitive individual. The world, especially right now, is a pretty tough place to be.

We've all been through so much in the last 6 years; it's been kind of mind-blowing for me, at times. If one is intelligent and paying attention to all the madness going on, it's no wonder that garden variety sadness can linger like it does.

I find myself feeling this way now, too---although my Major Depression symptoms have lifted a great deal, and I only struggle, on average, through 3-4 tough days, about once a month.
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Default Jun 02, 2022 at 08:29 PM
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My first thought is that you could be a highly sensitive individual. The world, especially right now, is a pretty tough place to be.

We've all been through so much in the last 6 years; it's been kind of mind-blowing for me, at times. If one is intelligent and paying attention to all the madness going on, it's no wonder that garden variety sadness can linger like it does.

I find myself feeling this way now, too---although my Major Depression symptoms have lifted a great deal, and I only struggle, on average, through 3-4 tough days, about once a month.
Yeah that makes sense, I probably am very sensitive and all the negativity in the world can bring anyone down whether they want to admit it or not. Glad things have improved for you and seems like you've been able to regulate your emotions. I actually do wonder if everything that has been going on has everyone in a semi depressive state without being truly depressed if that makes any sense. Like no one is sad for two weeks straight but most people may feel a sense of dread or sadness as if something is just not right and Covid has proven to have a major negative impact on people's mental health.
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Default Jun 06, 2022 at 04:38 PM
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rdgrad15, I agree. I suspect there are degrees of depression, as I do know mine crept up on me over a course of years. I went through stages of it, and some of them lasted a strangely long time without me being able to sense much change. But I did not feel bad enough to seek medical assistance, for an amazingly long period of time (although, in hindsight, I wish I had.). Throughout that time, my life was marked by an unnamable sadness, and also the onset of a moments of dread. I finally sought medical assistance when things did get really bad for me, in 2007.

I am enormously grateful my worst symptoms have significantly lightened. I cannot take all the credit for achieving this, by any means. I believe the courses of medication I had taken contributed the most to my healing. Also, I am completely aware that I am vulnerable to a relapse.

Yes, I can usually monitor and manage my emotions much better these days than in the recent past.

There are still several areas however where things still feel a bit triggering and troublesome, I won't lie. Working around generalized anxiety has been the biggest obstacle. I've still got a ways to go.

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