From grief to depression: what happens if you don't get over the death of a loved one – Online Psychologists

Losing a loved one is one of the worst experiences there is. No matter the cause or the time we spent with them, death hurts, no matter the circumstances. Grief accompanies any lossIt's natural. And sometimes, after grieving, depression sets in.

Grief plunges those who suffer from it into such sadness that it is sometimes difficult to differentiate it from depression. It is a long and not necessarily straight road. Therefore, it is not unusual to confuse it with a much more serious problem, such as depression.

Grief and depression have many characteristics in common.

Both are accompanied by a very deep sadness and lack of motivation and energy. Like depression, grief can take away your appetite, your sleep, and even your desire to get out of bed.

The best way to distinguish them is to know that the duel endsalthough sometimes it can be a matter of months.

Also, you should know that mourning consists of several phases:

If you have already accepted the death of a family member or person you loved, but you continue to experience constant sadness and lack of motivation, it is very possible that you are suffering from depression.

Sadness, anger and anxiety These are normal parts of grieving, but they shouldn't incapacitate you any more than necessary.

The world goes on even though someone dies every day. You can't give up on your life just because someone you loved is no longer by your side. You can't let the loss keep you away from work, from school, or from the rest of your relationships. It's essential learning to live with painbecause it is another emotion that can bring us very valuable lessons.

If you lack the strength to get up every day, if you find yourself wishing it had been you instead, if you are unable to return to normal… then you are no longer going through mourning, but rather a depression.

When someone you love is going through a bad time, the normal thing is to want to help them. It doesn't matter if it's your father, your brother, your friend or your partner. Nobody likes to see a loved one discouraged and in pain.

However, it is necessary to understand that grief has its reason for being. We can make it more bearableYes, but we can never get rid of it before its time.

If we want to help a person who is going through grief, it is essential to give them our support. Sometimes it is necessary express the pain so that it heals faster. Other times, it is simply comforting to have a shoulder to cry on.

But we should not overwhelm the person who is grieving. Often, the person who is grieving will need to have his or her own space. Perhaps he or she wants to rest, cry or reflect on everything that is happening.

The ideal is strike a balance between moments of company and moments of respectful distance. In addition, it is very important that we make sure that the person eats, sleeps and, in short, continues with their daily routine. Distractions such as sports or reading can be very beneficial and what better way to do it than with someone else.

The Royal Spanish Academy defines depression, in one of its meanings, as a «syndrome characterized by a deep sadness and for the inhibition of psychic functionssometimes with neurovegetative disorders.»

The death of a loved one is often the perfect breeding ground for developing this profound sadness that characterizes depressive disorder.

However, sadness is not always accompanied by depression. Sometimes sadness is nothing more than that: a passing emotion that allows us to express the pain of an emotional wound.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depression goes hand in hand with many other things. symptoms that can help us differentiate it from normal, everyday sadness:

Overcoming depressive disorder without the help of a psychologist is very complicated.

Luckily, the cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be very effective in treating depression.

But what does this type of therapy consist of?

Well, during cognitive behavioral therapy the psychologist helps the patient be aware of your thoughts and how these affect their lives.

Its effectiveness against depression lies precisely in the fact that people who suffer from depression have a distorted vision of reality which makes them develop negative thoughts. And these negative thoughts directly affect the way they handle the different situations they face on a daily basis.

If you struggle with depression and want to get rid of it, remember that our team of psychologists can help you.

As we have mentioned before, mourning is a completely normal process that serves to process the pain caused by a loss.

However, when the mourning period becomes excessively long, or when there is no mourning at all, we may encounter a problem called «pathological grief».

Although there is no single cause, the truth is that pathological grief usually arises in the face of an unexpected or traumatic death. In addition, various health professionals argue that other circumstances, such as having cared for the deceased, influence the development of this problem.

In this case, it is very common that this poorly processed grief is accompanied by a depressionespecially in those people who had already suffered from depression before.

Getting out of depression is possible, but it is difficult without the help of a psychologist. Therefore, when the first symptoms of depression appear, it is advisable to seek therapy and put yourself in the hands of a professional capable of stopping the situation before it gets worse.

At we can help you overcome depression. We have been experts in online therapy since 2012 and our psychologists have helped more than 1,600 patients since then.

In addition, we offer a First session completely free and without any commitment to stay. If you want to try our services, just click on the button, fill in your details and our team will contact you.