sadness

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.

Sadness is a central human emotion. As a rule, it is a completely normal and healthy reaction, for example to the loss of a person or to disappointment. However, if the sadness appears for no apparent reason or lasts for a long time, it may have a cause that needs treatment, such as depression. Read more about the causes of sadness and what you can do about it here.

Brief overview

• What does sadness mean? Sadness is an emotion and a reaction to an event such as disappointment or loss. It is important for the manufacturing process.
• What are the causes of sadness? Usually a loss (death, end of relationship, resignation) causes the sadness. But there can also be mental or physical illnesses behind it, z. B. Depression, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's.
• What to do when you are sad Those affected should take care not to brood too much, be consciously grateful for positive things in their life, and make sure they exercise regularly and socialize. In the case of pathological sadness, depending on the cause, psychotherapy or therapy for the underlying physical illness can help.

What does sadness mean?

Grief and sadness, like joy or anger, are basic emotions of a person. They are natural reactions to disappointment or loss: For example, we are sad when a partnership breaks, we fail at a task, our environment rejects us or we lose our job, our idealism or - due to illness or old age - lose a physical ability such as walking.

Being sad at such times is a sign of mental health. Because sadness is part of a processing process and a first step on the way to acceptance and a new beginning.

Special case of grief

A special place in this context is the grief that arises after the loss of a loved one or in view of one's own imminent death. In discussions with the dying in the 1960s, the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross developed a model of grief that comprises five phases. It is now not only applied to dying, but also to mourning processes in general:

• denial
• anger
• Negotiate (e.g. with God)
• depression
• approval

As a result, grief is not a passive state that subsides on its own. Grief is an active process of conflict, the goal of which is approval and acceptance. It enables the bereaved, for example, not to remain in despair and bitterness, but to re-establish new bonds.

Sadness with disease value

If sadness and depression appear for no reason or if they persist over a long period of time, an illness may be behind the sadness - often it is depression. However, other diseases can also be considered as the cause.

Sadness: causes and possible diseases

Sadness and grief are negative, but evolutionary and emotionally meaningful reactions. Man is a social being. To survive, he needs family and friends - his clan, with whom he feels connected. These bonds within a social group keep them together and able to act.

When you lose someone from the clan, it is painful and sad. In phases of mourning, social contacts often intensify because the environment tries to support the mourner. The pain strengthens the interpersonal bond and thus increases the chances of survival.

From a psychoanalytic point of view, too, grief work is a meaningful process. It makes it possible to get out of an old situation and adapt to a new one.

Sadness in its pathological form, on the other hand, can be the symptom of a mental and sometimes physical illness:

Mental causes

Mental illnesses and disorders with symptoms of sadness are:

• depression

• Bipolar disorder

• schizophrenia

Physical causes

• Alzheimer
• Parkinson's
• stroke
• Cardiovascular diseases
• diabetes
• multiple sclerosis
• Hypothyroidism
• Chorea huntington
• Cushing's Syndrome
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Menopause (climacteric)
• Medicines such as hormone-containing preparations or beta blockers

Sadness: What Can You Do By Yourself?

Sadness and grief are normal emotional responses to loss and disappointment and are part of the process of coming to terms with them. It looks different if your tendency to melancholy makes life fundamentally difficult for you. There are a number of things you can do about this:

• Put an end to brooding: “Why me? Why can't I get my life under control? Why did my boss look at me so strangely today? ”People who brood a lot are more unhappy than those who take things as they are. Therefore: Avoid useless brooding. If you catch yourself brooding, you should consciously stop the carousel of thoughts - for example, by distracting yourself or replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Be grateful once a day: Anyone can complain. Even a day of bad luck usually has good moments - if only the fact that it didn't go any worse. Make time to show gratitude once a day, such as before bed. Try to find at least five things that you are grateful for that day. That can also be little things. This mental exercise not only helps in the short term, it also changes your worldview positively in the long term.

• Look ahead: There is an old saying that you shouldn't complain about spilled milk. Good point. Instead of grieving about things that you cannot change afterwards, it is better to see how you manage things better in the future.
• Exercise: Exercise reduces stress and lifts your mood. This works even for people with depression. Therefore, be physically active on a regular basis.
• Maintain social contacts: Interpersonal relationships protect against negative thoughts and feelings. In addition, those who socialize also have less opportunity to brood.

Sadness: when to see a doctor?

You should definitely see a doctor if sadness and depression appear for no reason or if they persist over a long period of time. In particular, if there are other psychological or physical complaints, sadness can be the symptom of a serious mental or physical illness.

Sadness: what does the doctor do?

First, the doctor tries to get to the bottom of your sadness. Only then can he suggest appropriate treatment.

diagnosis

In order to find out the origin of your sadness, the doctor will first take a detailed discussion with you about your medical history (anamnesis). For example, he asks how long you have been sad, whether you have any other symptoms, an underlying disease (e.g. diabetes) or are taking any medication. The information usually helps the doctor narrow down the possible causes of the sadness.

Laboratory tests and / or imaging tests may also help uncover the cause of your negative feelings. A blood test can tell whether your thyroid is working properly. Computed tomography (CT) can help rule out Parkinson's disease.

therapy

If depression requires treatment, the doctor will initiate appropriate therapy if possible.

If there is a mental disorder behind the symptom, medication can be useful, but so can psychotherapy. It helps to stabilize the emotional life that has gotten out of balance. Therapeutic methods that are taken over by the statutory health insurances are depth psychological procedures such as psychoanalysis, but also cognitive behavioral therapy.

If the examinations reveal a physical cause, treating it can often dispel or at least reduce the sadness.

Tags:  Diseases dental care organ systems