Grief and mental health — when grief becomes depression

Grief and depression share many features, and the distinction between them is both clinically important and genuinely contested. Grief, however painful, tends to be organized around the loss — it comes and goes, preserves the capacity for positive emotion in other areas, and gradually changes with time. Depression is more pervasive and more stable; this domain examines the distinction carefully, what helps in each case, and why getting it right matters for how one seeks support.