Are Grief and Depression The Same?

Many of the Same Symptoms are Shared When Grieving or Depressed

Aug 19, 2009

Grieving is a normal and natural process that people experience when they go through any kind of loss. Determining when grief has moved to depression can be challenging.

The grieving process is influenced by culture and environment. There is not an exact time line for how long grieving should last or how intense it should be, but people who are grieving may receive non-verbal or verbal cues and clues if their grief has gone on too long.

Of course, that does not mean that a grieving person is depressed. It could just be that their environment has a limited amount of tolerance for seeing others in pain or grief. That's one of the reasons it is challenging to determine when or if, grieving has moved into depression and treatment or some kind of intervention is required.

Symptoms of Depression

According to the National Institute of Mental Health the symptoms of depression are:

People who are in the process of grieving will look over the list of symptoms and admit to experiencing some or all of them. For most people, these symptoms fade after a few days, weeks or months as healing progresses.

When Grief is No Longer Normal

It is hard to define when grieving, which is a normal process, is no longer normal since the term is very subjective. The Mayo Clinic even has a site where people can ask about their grieving process to see if what they are experiencing is normal because it is such an individualized process.

Since grieving is subjective there are no clear guidelines about when it is has shifted into depression. Perhaps it is when it has gone on for a long time and emotional distress has increased versus decreased. Perhaps it is when people cease to function at home, work, school or as a parent or spouse. Perhaps it is when those that are grieving are ready to move on but seem unable to do so.

Whether people decide on their own that their grief has moved into depression or whether others have encouraged, pushed or prodded them to seek help because they feel it has gone on too long, it is good to know that there are many options for dealing with depression.

When it comes to treating depression and helping with the grieving process, counseling is a wonderful option as it offers a place for people to talk about their loss and their feelings and not be judged, ignored or placated. People can choose to go to a grief group where they are surrounded by others who have experienced loss, or individual counseling where they meet one-on-one with someone.

Some people are reluctant to start medication for depression, but medication can be helpful in reducing symptoms quickly, thus helping people to sleep, eat, and think clearer within a short period of time. Medications will not, however, heal their sense of loss, so they are most effective when taken in conjunction with counseling.

In some cases, the sense of loss is so deep and devastating that people become psychotic. When this happens people need to be hospitalized and evaluated for the best treatment options.

When there is loss, there is grief and it is important that people have the freedom to grieve and go through their individual healing processes. However, sometimes grief slips into depression and when that occurs it is important for people to get help and not suffer needlessly.

The copyright of the article Are Grief and Depression The Same? in Counseling is owned by Melody Hicks. Permission to republish Are Grief and Depression The Same? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.