This is the difference between feeling naturally lonely and being depressed

Loneliness has been felt by almost all humans. This form of emotion can also be a sign of serious psychiatric problems such as depression. However, you need to know that loneliness does not always indicate depression. There is loneliness that is natural for all people to feel, there is also loneliness that marks depression. Then, what is the difference between feeling naturally lonely and lonely, which is a sign of depression? Check it out below.

Actually, what is loneliness like?

Loneliness is a condition in which a person feels empty, alone, and unwanted. Experts agree that loneliness is a mental state, not a physical one. Many people feel lonely even though they are in a crowd or in the middle of the people closest to them.

For example, a new student who feels lonely even though he is surrounded by peers on campus. Lonely people tend to feel isolated in a crowd. Lonely people often crave contact with other humans, but a chaotic state of mind makes it more difficult to form connections with other people.

Based on research conducted by Dr. John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago in the United States, loneliness is closely related to genetics. Apart from that, exclusion, divorce, and death of the closest people are also common causes of loneliness. Loneliness is also associated with a person's internal factors, such as looking down on oneself due to insecurity. People who have less self-confidence believe they don't deserve other people's attention. This condition can cause a person to feel lonely or isolated.

What's the difference between feeling naturally lonely and lonely because of depression?

Loneliness sometimes stands alone, but it is not uncommon to be a sign of certain mental health problems. Normal loneliness is generally not a problem that needs to be dealt with specifically. Meanwhile, loneliness which leads to depression requires immediate treatment so that it does not lead to a more severe condition. Therefore, it is important to understand the fundamental differences between natural loneliness and the loneliness associated with depression.

Normal loneliness is usually subjective and does not have certain indicators to be categorized as lonely. This is because the causes and symptoms can vary from person to person.

While loneliness due to depression is usually more complicated because it doesn't just feel alone, this loneliness is usually accompanied by depressive symptoms in general. To be able to see the difference in loneliness between the two cases, here are some common symptoms of depression, namely:

• Feeling worthless and ignored by anyone. You may feel that the life you are living is very bad. You always think about the failures and losses that have occurred in life.
• Hopeless. You will be a very pessimistic person and believe that nothing good will happen to you.
• Excessive restlessness. The weight of the burden that you think about you will feel excessively restless beyond your control.
• Not interested in doing anything. Hobbies or activities that you used to enjoy may no longer appeal to you. In fact, this also has an impact on your sex life and your partner. When a person feels depressed, their sexual desire can drop dramatically.
• Has no passion. You may find yourself very tired and discouraged. This condition usually leads to neglect of duties and daily work.
• Difficulty concentrating. You usually will find it difficult to focus, even for trivial things. For example watching TV or reading news on the internet.
• Changes in sleep patterns. People who have depressive symptoms usually experience changes in sleeping hours. Once in a while you may wake up too early, but other times you may end up with insomnia and can't sleep all night. It is also possible that you are sleeping longer than usual.
• Change in appetite. Not only sleep changes, your appetite will usually turn out to be irregular. Sometimes you always feel hungry, but it can also be the other way around, you don't feel hungry at all. Therefore depression usually results in drastic weight gain or loss in a person.
• Aches and pains. Depression can lead to several health problems such as headaches, stomach cramps, stomach upset, or other digestive problems.

Distinguishing normal loneliness from depression-induced loneliness can help you choose the right solutions and treatments, whether for yourself or your loved ones.