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.
Each step builds on the last.