How to differentiate a blow of blues from a depression?

With the days getting shorter and the lack of light, it is very common to feel a “stroke of blues”, a “stroke of blues”, or “depression”. If feeling sad is a normal emotion that everyone feels during an event, for example, in some cases sadness invades all thoughts and settles to the point of talking about depression.

I have a stroke of blues or depression?

Feeling sad, tired and lacking motivation can be part of a negative emotional state in any given context. Whether it is due to overwork at work, the loss of a loved one, a separation or accumulating fatigue, the symptoms of depression are not part of a psychiatric illness to strictly speaking.

However, they can very often be confused with a real psychiatric illness such as depression and make the doctor prescribe useless antidepressants.

To make the difference, it is important to rely on the 9 criteria from the DSM-5 (5^thedition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association), namely apermanent sadness; aanhedonia (loss of the sensation of pleasure); dsleep disorders such as insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleep); ano weight gain or loss; an psychomotor retardation; adon’t get tired; an feeling of worthlessness anddark thoughts or suicidal thoughts.

Having had all these symptoms for more than 2 weeks is not trivial and requires the advice of a psychiatrist or a doctor.

What to do in case of blues or depression?

Feeling sadness is a normal and necessary emotion after a difficult event, for example. Accepting what you feel, and taking special care of yourself during this period by surrounding yourself with caring people and practicing activities that make you happy, for example, allows you to find a more positive emotional state.

If, on the other hand, the symptoms persist for several weeks, this is a warning signal that requires a medical consultation to assess the need for psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment if necessary.