One important difference is that normal sadness, even when it is painful, does not necessarily mean that a person hates himself or sees himself as worthless, whereas in depression, suffering can turn into harsh judgments on the self.
This type of thinking is not just fleeting pessimism, but may be part of the illness itself. Therefore, it is not helpful to tell a depressed person to “think positively” or “look at your blessings”; they need real support, and perhaps psychological or pharmacological treatment, because the way the brain evaluates itself and the future may be affected by depression.
Grief after death
Losing a loved one is one of the most painful human experiences, and it is natural for a person to feel intense sadness, longing, anger, guilt, denial, , or difficulty concentrating afterward.
website states that most people who experience normal grief after a loss feel a period of sadness, numbness, or even guilt and anger, and then these feelings gradually subside over time, and coping with the loss becomes possible.
But sometimes grief turns into a prolonged and debilitating state, which the American Psychiatric Association describes as “prolonged grief disorder,” a severe and persistent grief that causes obvious problems and interferes with daily life, with symptoms continuing strongly long after the loss.
This does not mean that a person “forgets” what he lost if he gets better, nor that he is “weak” if his grief lasts a long time; some forms of grief need specialized help so that they do not turn into isolation and permanent disability.
