What is the difference between suicidal and depressed? Are these terms the same?

[FRUSTRATED MIND]

Good morning friends!
Considering these two words: suicidal and depressed, are these two words synonyms? I don't know if I have severe depression because I can do my daily activities without any difficulties, although I'm a very good actor, I'm pretending that there's nothing wrong, but there are days where I believe it's difficult to not look a little bit down and demotivated! I've been suffering from suicidal thoughts since 2017, now I'm planning but I am not prepared to ctb now because I have a little bit of hope ( 20% out of 100%) when I'm 100% sure that I won't make my dreams come true, I will catch the bus.

 

[nicotine_goblin]

I think they aren't synonyms, since you can be suicidal due to other issues and depressed without suicidality. Depression is a wide range of symptoms, including sleep and appetite problems, low energy, overwhelming guilt and more, besides bad mood and apathy. Of course if you are contemplating ctb you might feel demotivated with everyday life, but it doesn't mean it's necessarily depression

 

[FuneralCry]

I wouldn't say the terms mean the same thing exactly. Someone is suicidal when they wish to die and depression is the term that is very often used to label valid feelings, like hating existing or feeling tired of it, as an illness as pro-life people don't wish to accept that existence truly is dreadful. I find it very insensitive how all suicidal people are labelled as just being mentally ill, to me wanting to die is all that makes sense, there is no "illness" in seeing suffering as undesirable, it's having awareness instead.

 

[FRUSTRATED MIND]

I think they aren't synonyms, since you can be suicidal due to other issues and depressed without suicidality. Depression is a wide range of symptoms, including sleep and appetite problems, low energy, overwhelming guilt and more, besides bad mood and apathy. Of course if you are contemplating ctb you might feel demotivated with everyday life, but it doesn't mean it's necessarily depression

Okay. Many people associate suicide thoughts with depression, I don't know if I have depression my lack of motivation made me lose many job opportunities, I feel really demotivated to live each day. I believe it must be moderate depression.

 

[Tokugawa_Yoshinobu]

It doesn't have to be this way. I think I was depressed for a while while being also suicidal. But now I'm just suicidal but not depressed: I don't feel down all day or whatever and don't display symptoms associated with depression. Secretly I desire to die and have a plan in mind, keeping me calm but outwardly I just live a normal, day-to-day existence.

 

[nicotine_goblin]

Okay. Many people associate suicide thoughts with depression, I don't know if I have depression my lack of motivation made me lose many job opportunities, I feel really demotivated to live each day. I believe it must be moderate depression.

It could be, I can't diagnose since i'm not a doctor. Suicidal thoughts can be a symptom of depression as well

 

[FRUSTRATED MIND]

I wouldn't say the terms mean the same thing exactly. Someone is suicidal when they wish to die and depression is the term that is very often used to label valid feelings, like hating existing or feeling tired of it, as an illness as pro-life people don't wish to accept that existence truly is dreadful. I find it very insensitive how all suicidal people are labelled as just being mentally ill, to me wanting to die is all that makes sense, there is no "illness" in seeing suffering as undesirable, it's having awareness instead.

Oh I see. Do you also have plans to ctb?

 

[stilhavinightmares]

I have met one human who has depression and has never had suicidal thoughts. She's a unicorn. It's super weird.

 

[claraisnotcarol]

you can also be suicidal and not be depressed. there's a lot of mental illness apart from depression. I am not very informed, but for example, cult leaders because of beliefs could count right?

 

[nicotine_goblin]

you can also be suicidal and not be depressed. there's a lot of mental illness apart from depression. I am not very informed, but for example, cult leaders because of beliefs could count right?

Yeah, and suicidality could be caused by a lot mental disorders: schizophrenia (either in ill state or remission), anxiety, bipolar, personality disorders etc. A lot of the time it can be a thing in mentally healthy people as well

 

[FuneralCry]

Oh I see. Do you also have plans to ctb?

I don't have any plans to leave in the near future sadly, all the methods were either inaccessible or risky for me which is a consequence of existing in this anti-suicide society. It's truly such a hellish world we exist in where we cannot just die in peace.

 

[MiMif]

I think they're different. I mean I feel alot of suicidal people are depressed but I don't think all depressed people are suicidal.

Suicidal is a strong desire to stop living. Depression is not a desire to stop living its more like a loss of interest and happiness....I think it's more feeling disconnected from everything.

Even though depressed people feel like that not all of them want to just go and die they just find no meaning.

Though this is from my own experience. I was suicidal then wasn't suicidal for like a year. Then I was depressed for like 2 years and then I was suicidal again. It's just different I don't know how to explain it.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think they tend to diagnose depression when a group of symptoms show up. One of those can of course be- thoughts of hurting or killing yourself. There tend to be other things though too- changes to appetite/sleep patterns. Disinterest in things that formerly brought you joy etc.

In the below questionnaire (which is similar to one you would fill out with your GP,) if you ONLY check the box relating to thoughts of suicide, I don't think depression is indicated. But- if you check that box alongside others, varying levels of depression are predicted:

Patient health questionnaire

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is an easy-to-use patient questionnaire for screening, diagnosing, monitoring and measuring the severity of depression.

patient.info

 

[undecided]

Good morning friends!
Considering these two words: suicidal and depressed, are these two words synonyms? I don't know if I have severe depression because I can do my daily activities without any difficulties, although I'm a very good actor, I'm pretending that there's nothing wrong, but there are days where I believe it's difficult to not look a little bit down and demotivated! I've been suffering from suicidal thoughts since 2017, now I'm planning but I am not prepared to ctb now because I have a little bit of hope ( 20% out of 100%) when I'm 100% sure that I won't make my dreams come true, I will catch the bus.

What you're suffering with, is suicidal ideation. People can live for many years thinking about suicide, wanting to die, planning in their heads ways of getting the job done. But they also have days when life's ok, but they will still THINK about suicide.