Recognizing Depression Without Sadness

Thousands of people are diagnosed with depression every year. But not all forms of depression are the same. When depression doesn’t make you sad, the other symptoms of this mood disorder can make it harder to identify, communicate, and treat. Here’s how to recognize depression without sadness, and what to do if you think you are experiencing a different type of depression.

Depression is a Mood Disorder, Not an Emotion

It is common for people in the media or online to talk about “feeling depressed” almost as a synonym for sadness. Anyone can feel depressed from time to time, especially in the face of life challenges. However, clinical depression, sometimes called Major Depressive Disorder or MDD, is different. In a psychological setting, depression is a common and sometimes serious mood disorder that can affect the way you think, feel, and act, interfering with your life, your work, and your relationships. Depression can present serious mental health challenges and even affect your physical health if left untreated.

Research into depression suggests that it is caused by a combination of your:

• Genetics and family history
• Biological factors
• Psychological circumstances

Women, in particular, can experience forms of depression related to their hormones. PMS-related depression, postpartum or perinatal depression, and perimenopausal depression are all mental health disorders that are related to changes in a woman’s hormones that result in significant mental health symptoms.

It is important to remember that depression is not your fault. You didn’t do anything to cause it, and you are not to blame if you struggle to start or maintain mental health treatment.

The mood disorder of depression can happen without any triggering event. However, if you do struggle with depression, difficult circumstances can increase your symptoms. If you are a trauma survivor, you may even experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder at the same time. This can make it harder to tell whether you are truly depressed, or just feeling sad.

Symptoms When Depression Doesn’t Make You Sad

While sadness is a common symptom of depression, sometimes depression doesn’t make you sad. To be diagnosed with depression your psychotherapist need only identify either depressed or low mood or a loss of enjoyment in pleasurable experiences, along with four or more other symptoms. So you can be diagnosed with depression without sadness. People experience MDD many different ways. There are many mental, emotional, and physical symptoms that have nothing to do with sadness or “feeling blue.”

Numbness or Apathy

One common experience is feeling empty or numb. When depression doesn’t make you feel sad, you instead not feeling anything at all. This hollowness can be profound. Many people who experience depression without sadness express significant feelings of apathy – as if nothing they do matters, so they have no reason to take action, even on things that would normally be enjoyable or important. In fact, the loss of enjoyment in things that would normally make you happy is one of the key symptoms that indicates clinical depression. Paired with fatigue or a lack of motivation, this type of apathetic depression can make it especially difficult to seek out treatment or interrupt a depressive spiral.

Irritability, Frustration, and Overwhelm

When you experience depression, it can make small issues feel big and difficult to manage. This can translate into feelings of:

• Irritability or anger
• Frustration
• Overwhelm or indecision
• Disappointment or misery

You may feel as though the world is out to get you, that you are “unlucky” or that you can’t handle everyday issues. However, those feelings may not translate to depression in your head. You may not realize that your emotions and difficulty coping are signs of depression rather than stress or burnout.

Depression can interfere with your ability to concentrate, remember, or engage in critical thinking. That can create a difficult situation where you may already be struggling to deal with life issues and then also experience frustration about your bad thinking or trouble concentrating. If you don’t recognize those  feelings as symptoms of depression, you may instead begin to feel guilty or hopeless about your circumstances, and in severe cases, even have thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

Eating or Sleeping Disruptions

Another set of common symptoms of depression without sadness have to do with your eating and sleeping patterns. Depression can cause:

• Fatigue
• Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
• Hypersomnia (oversleeping)
• Changes in eating habits (increased or decreased)

For many people, especially if you already experience chronic pain or illness, these changes in sleeping and eating habits can be a sign that something more is going on. If you are not actively trying to change your weight through dieting or exercising, an increase in weight or caloric intakes can be motivating to speak with your doctor, which can be the first step to treating your depression and experiencing significant relief.

Treating Depression Without Sadness

Depression may be one of the most common mood disorders, but the good news is that it can also be successfully treated. Even severe depression can be addressed through a combination of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy. You can start treating your depression by talking to your primary care provider. Many doctors’ offices now make questions about depression part of their regular intake. However, these basic questions often do not capture depression without sadness as well as more typical forms of depression. Instead, you should discuss your mental, emotional, and physical symptoms with your doctor and find out whether treatment with a psychotherapist can help address your version of depression.

For depression without sadness, “talk therapy” often starts by identifying your depression symptoms and setting goals for your treatment. This can give you a good way to measure your progress and experience relief from depression symptoms over time.

David Stanislaw is a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience. He helps adults, teens and children with depression, and other mental health concerns, individually, and as comorbid diagnoses. Contact David Stanislaw to get help today.