By Dr. Alexandra Sisam ND | Updated by Birgitta Kautz

Depression vs. Low Mood

What is the difference between depression and low mood?

Many people experience phases from time to time in which they feel down, restless, tired, sad and lack drive. A low mood is usually triggered by current stressors. These include disappointments, stress, financial worries, limiting physical disorders, or conflict with other people. 

People affected by low mood feel more exhausted, more thin-skinned, or more restless than usual. Some people need more time for themselves. Others try to distract themselves or confide their problems in trusted people such as friends or family. 

A low mood is not a psychological illness. It reflects the current emotional state in the context of current events. A low mood usually improves after a few days. Small changes such as going for a walk, talking to a friend, or getting enough sleep can often help. 

Depression, on the other hand, is a complex mood disorder. It is defined by an ongoing feeling of sadness and lack of interest that lasts for more than two weeks. 

This mental illness can develop at any age but often begins in the teens. More women are experiencing depression than men. The symptoms of serious depression can be severe enough to interfere with daily life, school, work, or relationships.

Doctors differentiate the following severities of depression: minor depressive episode, moderate, and major depressive episode. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. The World Health Organization estimates that around 280 million people are affected worldwide.

Different types of depression

Depending on the depression symptoms and causes, mental health professionals distinguish between several different types. These include:

• Major depressive disorder (also known as clinical depression)
  The patient has at least five of the symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This is the American psychiatric standard handbook to diagnose mental illnesses. The symptoms last for more than two weeks and interfere with day-to-day life.
• Dysthymic disorder (also known as persistent depressive disorder)
  This is a long-term but mild depression. The symptoms last for two years or longer.
• Bipolar disorder
  Patients with bipolar disorder swing between alternating periods of extremely elevated mood (mania) and extremely low mood.
• Postpartum depression
  Some women are affected shortly after giving birth. Even though people might call this condition “baby blues”, the symptoms are more severe and last much longer.
• Seasonal affective disorder
  SAD is a seasonal type of depression that is mostly experienced in the late fall and in the winter. It often ends in the sunnier days of spring. A mild version of it is known as the winter blues. 

What can cause depression?

As with many other mental health conditions, there is no one reason but many factors that play a role. Research suggests that this includes a combination of our environment and our personality, genetics and family background, brain structure, hormones, and more. 

Older adults are affected especially often by chronic illness and major changes in their lives. This increases their risk of developing depression. Certain medications can also trigger depression as a side effect. This can happen in older people, but also in young people.

Which symptoms point to depression?

Diagnosis is not always easy. The mood disorder is often underdetected since it can show up in many different ways. If the following symptoms persist for longer than two weeks this can be a sign of depression.

The main symptoms include:

• Persistent low mood
• Lack of drive and exhaustion
• Loss of pleasure and lack of interest
• Increased fatigue

Additional symptoms may include:

• Feelings of self-doubt and inferiority
• Feelings of guilt
• Difficulty concentrating and paying attention
• Sleep disorders
• Hopelessness
• Changes in appetite
• Suicidal thoughts

Furthermore, other characteristic symptoms include:

• Brooding
• Restlessness
• Lack of emotion
• Loss of libido
• Physical symptoms

How to deal with a low mood?

Here are some tips to boost your mood:

• Talk to someone you trust - this can be talk therapy or friends and family.
• Listen to some uplifting music - you can even create a playlist for days when you are feeling blue.
• Get more active - try to include a walk or some exercise every day.
• Get enough sleep - creating a proper sleep routine and calm surroundings can help a lot.
• Do some activities you enjoy - best to prepare a list from which you can pick when you feel down.
• Get enough sunshine - supplementing with vitamin D can help prevent deficiencies that are also linked to mood changes.

How can depression be treated?

Exercise, self-help groups, or talk therapy can often help with mild to moderate forms.

Moderate to severe depression can in most cases be managed with medication and psychotherapy. 

The drugs prescribed are most often antidepressants. In contrast to painkillers or sedatives, it generally takes around 10 to 14 days before the patient starts to see an initial improvement in their symptoms. Thus, it is important to take the medicines consistently and not discontinue them due to a perceived lack of effectiveness. 

The active participation of the patient is a prerequisite for beneficial psychotherapy. If the depression is severe, the conversation can often only take place after preparatory treatment with antidepressants. 

There are many different types of talking therapies. The most suitable format is defined as a personal therapy concept between the doctor and the patient. Other treatment options are brain stimulation therapies.

Study findings: The secret logic of depression

Our contemporary culture is geared towards maximizing happiness and promises everyone unlimited achievement. 

So the interesting question is: How does depression with its never-ending sadness, the feeling of paralysis or isolation equate to the maxim that everyone forges their destiny?

A Pascoe study by the Rheingold Institute sheds light on the problem. A psychological study of 80 men and women with depressive episodes concludes that the desire for perfection drives people into mental exhaustion. 

In two-hour probing interviews, the interviewers triggered a wave of narratives. The perspective of those affected revealed a structure of depressive moods that follows its secret inner logic:  

Highest demands → experiencing limitations → shutting down → everyday indifference → stewing in one’s juice → resigned-bitter treatment of symptoms.

This structure results in courses of action for ways out of the depression:

• Openly confront your aspirations and put them into perspective
• Incorporate some room for manoeuvre into your daily life: extended breaks, open days, moments for boredom and idleness
• Have confidence not only to use the label depression but also to share with others how you are feeling
• Set priorities in your everyday life: Try out little imperfect intermediate steps
• Radiate energy outwards and open your horizon beyond the symptoms
• Handle annoyances more proactively:
  - defend yourself actively
  - mourn losses or setbacks, do not just accept them
• Take responsibility for your actions, but also permit yourself to fail once in a while or to make yourself unpopular

Be willing to take constraints not only as an insult but as an impulse to actively call yourself and your environment into question.

Help is key to combating depression and despondency

If depression and despondency continue for long or dominate your daily life, you should talk to your doctor or alternative practitioner.

Further advice

• Be aware that depression is not due to personal failure or a character defect.
• Talk with friends or a therapist and learn to say "NO".
• Benefit from the sun and sport's capacity to heal: get plenty of exercise in the fresh air.
• Learn and do regular relaxation exercises (yoga, autogenic training, Tai Chi).
• Sleep at regular times and do not retire to bed during the day.
• Do not hold back your tears; they can release pressure.
• Do not put yourself under pressure, but set specific and clear goals for the day.