What is the difference between depression and loneliness?
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| What is the difference between depression and loneliness? | Healthbiztips |
Is loneliness and depression the same? | Healthbiztips
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog
It is worth knowing that although loneliness and depression are associated with extreme feeling of sadness, these two are completely different things.
To a layman, the difference between loneliness and depression may not be apparent.
Let's look into loneliness. Have you ever felt the emotional pain caused by being far away from your family or loved ones? Have you ever experienced the pain of a break up?
Loneliness is the sadness a person feels caused by the absence of or being away from close relations like family, friends, and intimate relations.
In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we learn that love and belonging is a basic human need that needs to be fulfilled in order for a person to be motivated to achieve self-actualization. Other basic human needs include physiological needs (such as food, water, sleep, and clothing), safety, and self-esteem.
Humans can go to such extremes just to feel accepted and loved because the sense of belonging is a basic human needs.
When our need to belong is not met, it is normal to feel the pain of loneliness. Did you know that this feeling actually activates the same area of the brain that processes physical pain, thus, the pain experienced is real.
Loneliness stems from the absence of close ties and meaningful relationships.
Depression
Depression is mental health problem in which a person experiences profound sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness. While loneliness is a normal and temporary response, depression is a serious mental illness that needs to be addressed and treated.
Depression affects both the individuals mental and psysical state. Below are several of it's manifestations:
- adhedonia (inability to feel pleasure)
- inability to feel pleasure in previouslt enjoyable activities
- loss of appetite
- fatigue
- sleep disturbance
- social withdrawal
- loss of self-esteem
- feeling of worthlessness
- inability to concentrate and think clearly
- loss of purpose and meaning in life
- developing suicidal thoughts
What causes depression?
The exact cause of depression if hard to point out, but there are several factors linked to it's development:
- genetics and family history
- mental health disorder such as bipolar disorder
- medications such as corticosteroid and isotretinoin
- unpleasant life experiences
- history of experiencing abuse
- death of a loved one
To summarize, loneliness is the feeling of temporary sadness that an individual experiences due to the absence of the basic need of being loved and accepted. On the other hand, depression if a serious mental health problem characterized by long lasting feeling of extreme sadness that's debilitating to a person's normal functioning.
