Most everyone goes through seasons in life when they may feel sad due to current situations or circumstances, such as the passing of a loved one, losing their job, going through a breakup, or many other situations. While feeling sad or grieving is a normal life process, it is generally expected that after a number of days, weeks, or even months, the individual is able to go back to functioning normally, or close to what is normal for them. For those with major depressive disorder, this is often not the case, which is what differentiates major depressive disorder from “regular” grief and sadness.
