sadness

Under sadness or Dejection one understands a depressed and negative mood. Usually there is a specific cause for the sadness. A feeling of depression is often accompanied by listlessness, states of exhaustion or psychosomatic symptoms.

What is sadness

An acute sadness often affects the joy of life and can lead to a life crisis.

Sadness or depression is a normal and healthy feeling in everyone's life. Mostly it is triggered by particularly sad or discouraging events. An acute sadness often affects the joy of life and can lead to a life crisis.

Normally, such periods of sadness are a healthy response that reflects an ability to emotionally deal with certain events. However, there is also a misguided sadness that arises for seemingly no reason and can last for a very long time.

This kind of sadness or depression can be a sign of depression. Depression can also cause attention disorders, sleep disorders, loss of appetite, heart and circulatory problems, low self-esteem, or attention disorders. Sadness is one of several symptoms.

causes

Sadness can have several causes. Psychological and social causes can be responsible for the depression. In detail, this can be the death of loved ones, serious illnesses, but also the missing of a person, lovesickness, longing or even unsuccessfulness.

Taking certain medications can also cause sadness. Different diseases cause sadness. These include, for example, changes in the brain after a stroke, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

Hormonal disorders, for example after the menopause, can also trigger sadness. Sometimes depression occurs due to winter depression. Changes in the hormonal balance and the lack of sunlight are responsible for the sadness.

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➔ Medicines against depressive moods & to lighten the mood

Diseases with this symptom

• Burnout syndrome
• Menopause
• Hormonal imbalances
• Hypothyroidism

• stroke
• Parkinson's
• Bipolar disorder
• Cushing Syndrome

• Diabetes mellitus
• multiple sclerosis
• schizophrenia
• Chorea huntington

Diagnosis & course

As soon as the feeling of sadness persists over a longer period of time and the person concerned can no longer get out of the depths of feeling alone, a doctor should be consulted so that the cause can be diagnosed and appropriate therapy can be used. The doctor will first find out in discussions whether depression is the reason for the sadness.

It is important to find out how long the symptoms have persisted and whether there are any other symptoms of depression. This includes listlessness and loss of interest. Questionnaires are often used to diagnose an existing depression in self-assessment and external assessment.

If there is no psychological cause for the sadness, physical causes must be investigated. Various investigation methods are used for this purpose. This usually includes a general physical exam and a blood test. Further examinations can be carried out depending on the suspected cause.

A normal phase of sadness can always be traced back to a specific trigger. Those affected can overcome these phases of depression without help. If an affected person cannot name a trigger for his or her sadness and is unable to overcome the phase of depression himself, medical help is necessary. Otherwise the sadness can extend to a life depression and absolute hopelessness.

Complications

Most often, sadness arises as part of an adverse event. This can result in depression. Depression often comes with an anxiety disorder. Most of them also suffer from sleep problems. A chronic lack of sleep leads to irritability and also increases the risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system.

These include a heart attack or a stroke. An eating disorder also usually occurs in depressed people. This can lead to bulimia or obesity, both of which are also related to cardiovascular problems. Obesity also increases the risk of developing diabetes. The sequelae of diabetes are blindness (diabetic retinopathy), kidney failure (diabetic nephropathy) or ulcers on the foot (diabetic foot).

Those affected by depression usually have an increased consumption of alcohol or other drugs. Too much alcohol damages the liver, causing cirrhosis of the liver, which can turn into liver cancer. In the worst cases, chronically depressed people have thoughts of suicide, which around ten percent also carry out.

Bipolar disorder can also be behind the sadness. Sufferers usually have complications similar to those of depression. In addition, they often meet with rejection in society and are thus socially isolated, which intensifies the depression. In addition, those affected by mania are more likely to commit crimes.

When should you go to the doctor?

Sadness is a normal and healthy emotional reaction to stressful or perceived bad events and influences. The death of a loved one or animal, a personal setback or even a disappointment lead to sadness. However, unhealthy can be persistent or extreme sadness, no matter how understandable it is.

Together with other signs, this can be an indication of the onset of a depressive mood up to real depression. Objectively bad events like the death of a loved one or a bad personal experience naturally carry a higher risk of dangerous persistent sadness than less serious events. If sadness occurs recurrently, in phases or continuously in different degrees of severity without a trigger being recognizable, this is also a warning signal. Depressive moods do not always need a reason to develop.

It can be difficult to persuade those affected to see a doctor, because they often fail to realize that their sadness should have been examined by a doctor long ago. There are not always only emotional reasons behind it. It may just as well be that a change in your body affects your mood unnoticed and leads to sadness. Since such organic causes can usually be remedied easily and then no longer cause any symptoms, a visit to the doctor in the event of recurring, persistent or severe sadness is not excessive caution, but common sense.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

Usually the feeling of sadness does not need treatment. The feeling of depression diminishes on its own over time. Consolation and discussions with outsiders help those affected to overcome the difficult time and to get out of the emotional depth.

If depression triggers the sadness, psychotherapeutic treatment is usually carried out. Depending on the severity of the underlying depression, talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapies are used.

Various drugs in the form of antidepressants can also be used in depression. In the case of winter depression, light therapy is often helpful. Therapy is always based on the underlying disease, provided that the sadness is a symptom of a physical illness.

Outlook & forecast

In most cases, sadness does not need to be treated by a doctor. It occurs in all people in the course of life and is part of every human life. Even without treatment, the sadness usually disappears after a few hours, days or weeks.

The time it takes for a person to overcome sadness depends heavily on the cause of the sadness. It can happen that people suffer from sadness for months, for example if their own parents or children have passed away. These are ordinary states.

However, friends and family should make sure that sadness doesn't turn into depression. This is often a smooth transition that the patient cannot recognize himself. In such cases, a conversation with a psychologist or a pastor must take place. Talking to friends often also helps.

If the sadness is very pronounced, in the worst case it can lead to suicidal thoughts and other severe psychological problems without treatment. Usually, however, people can overcome their grief on their own so that there are no further complications.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines against depressive moods & to lighten the mood

prevention

A sadness that goes beyond the normal level can only be prevented to a limited extent. An intact and stable social environment can help to overcome phases of sadness better and faster.

If extended phases of depression occur frequently and repeatedly as a symptom of recurring depression, it makes sense to carry out long-term preventive therapy in order to prevent deep phases of sadness.

You can do that yourself

Approaches to self-help in the case of sadness are highly dependent on the occasion. If there is a comprehensible reason for the sadness - such as grief - it helps to talk to a trusted person about the reason and to work out possible solutions. Not suppressing feelings, but giving them space - for example by crying violently - also help.

A deeper-seated, fundamental sadness that is not related to a specific occasion, but sometimes significantly restricts everyday life, indicates a depressive mood. Talking to a familiar person usually doesn't help. Physical activity, on the other hand, can help to restore an emotional balance. Depending on your preference, the activity can be a (endurance) sport - jogging, swimming, cycling - but also physical activities such as housework and gardening. Dealing with animals also has a positive effect on people's moods. Activities should take place in the great outdoors if possible.

Under no circumstances should people who are often sad should resort to mood-enhancing medication. Such medication is only indicated when a sadness leads to a depressive episode. Likewise, the patient should not withdraw. Being alone, pondering too much and consuming too much media make the sadness stronger.