Depression and Sadness: A Not So Fine Line
TW: Depression, mental health disorders.
The words ‘sadness’ and ‘depression’ might look the same but are poles apart. An issue less discussed is our nonchalant usage of terms that characterize genuine psychological illness, to describe brief sensations of stress or misery. We tend to use them interchangeably instead of understanding the depth of the matter at hand. We most likely believe it’s innocuous, and try to convince ourselves and others, that they’re simply words. However, there is an immense contrast between being forlorn and experiencing psychological maladjustments. Nonetheless, this does not imply that feelings of sadness are any less legitimate.
What we don’t understand is that saying we are depressed because we did not get our favorite flavor of ice cream is not really depression but a mere incidence of dissatisfaction. While these feelings can surely be overwhelming, they are not psychological instabilities. The deep-rooted societal taboo of mental health, can’t be explored or dismantled without analyzing the jargon that has by one way or another seeped into day-to-day vocabulary.
We tend to be blinded to the fact that sadness is a basic and necessary emotion that all human beings must experience; Whereas, depression, is a serious psychological disorder that is marked by symptoms like perpetual feelings of low self-worth, loss of appetite, insomnia, etc.
According to the World Health Organization, depression affects more than 264 million people worldwide. It is characterized by persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities. The definition of depression is poles apart from what we intend to express when we want to convey that we are sad. The vast majority who use these words likely don’t understand the weight that it carries, and herein lies the issue. Obliviousness.
Mental health is seen by numerous individuals as inferior to physiological ailments. Owing to this social conditioning, most people battling mental health tend to fall prey to the very same misconception. Any individual who has encountered or witnessed dysfunctional behavior knows how genuine it is and the horrendous impact it can have on an individual, both physically and mentally. Shockingly, not enough people have a complete understanding of the truth.
Apart from frivolous usage, people tend to use clinical terms to indicate the gravity of their emotions or be taken seriously by others. This could have its roots in the taboo discussed earlier. We as a society simply do not want to acknowledge sadness as a normal and required emotion. Period. We want to malign the idea of normalcy or success to always being happy.
If it’s not too much trouble, we should consider using words we truly mean to accurately describe our emotions. We must encourage people to use language appropriate to the situation they find themselves in rather than using bold words that describe serious mental health issues. We need to quit marking ourselves as ‘depressed’ or ‘being OCD’ when we know we’re most certainly not.
In oblivion or with indifference, when we throw these terms around we erode their gravity. Ever heard the tale of the Boy Who Cried, Wolf?
