What Is The Difference Between Depression And Mourning?

Dr. Koenig answers the question: 'Difference Between Depression, Mourning?'

By
Harold Koenig, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center
May 1, 2008, 5:59 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: What is the difference between depression and mourning?

Answer: There's a difference also between depression and mourning. Mourning is when you lose someone close to you, or you can actually mourn over a loss of a pet, or even a loss of physical health.

And when people mourn over these losses in their lives, the depressed feeling typically lasts around three months or so, although actually it can last years particularly if it's a loss of a spouse.

But typically mourning is again not associated with the disability that depression causes. The feelings of worthlessness and the suicidal thoughts that typically can accompany depression -- you don't see those when people are mourning. They usually think about the lost person, or lost pet, or they ruminate and think repeatedly over that person. But again it doesn't disable them, impair their ability to function in other relationships.

Now for a short time, there is an overlap between depression and mourning, and they may be indistinguishable in the first few months after a loss.

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