About Grief And Depression: Grief And Depression

Read about the difference between grief and depression and how it affects different people. Depression not only affects the person who is going through it, but also everyone around them, including friends, family, loved ones, spouses, and children.

The difference between grief and depression

When a person loses someone or something that he loved' it will bring him lot of pain and unexplainable sorrow. This is equal to all humans and it is a natural process. All people grieve for their losses and the time they take to heal themselves and get back to the normal life depends from person to person. It takes time but will gradually happen' a person will be able to live the happy life that he once used to.

At the time of a loss' all people grieve' it may last for a long period of time' but this is not considered an illness but a natural process in everyone’s life. Grief however does not last for a very long period of time. If the pain and sorrow continues for an excessive amount of time' it could be Depression. The extreme stress associated with grief can trigger depression which is considered an illness which could lead to heart diseases' cancer and mental disorders.

There are ways to distinguish grief from depression. There are some symptoms that are common to both grief and depression such as sadness' insomnia' poor appetite and weight loss but where they differ is that grief is caused by a certain loss that heals with time and also with help and support from others. A person suffering from grief will feel relieved after a period of time and the grief might only be triggered again by special moments such as the birthday of the person who died.

Depression in the other hand is more pervasive. The sufferer rarely gets any relief. Atypical Depression is another stage of depression in which positive events can bring about an improvement in mood. A person with Atypical Depression' however' tends to exhibit symptoms that are the opposite of those commonly experienced with grief' such as sleeping excessively' eating more' and gaining weight.

There are some clues to find out whether a person is suffering from depression such as feelings of guilt not related to the loved one's death' thoughts of death and hallucinations' other than thinking he or she hears the voice of or sees the deceased

When a person is grieving' he may experience a number of depressive symptoms' such as frequent crying' profound sadness' and depressed mood. However' while depression is categorized as a psychological disorder' grief is not. Grief is a normal and healthy response to bereavement' not an illness. Depression should be carefully handled as it could have long term affects on a person. Professional help must be taken by a sufferer of depression as living with depression is both painful and harmful to a person. Both grief and depression can be overcome by the person’s will power and proper help.