How do you go about identifying depression rather than laziness as a reason for your inactivity?

When you are severely depressed , in most cases, you lack motivation to even stay alive. Doing your laundry , for instance , becomes irrelevant cause you don’t see the purpose of it , and maybe if you do see, it doesn’t matter. Everything becomes irrelevant when the constant thought in your head is to stop existing. That’s what someone close to me told me, when he was going through that.

I've never sought help so I don't know if I am/was depressed. I generally assume I'm lazy and scatterbrained because I never put off anything I really had to do, like important exams, finals or paying bills. If I have a task, I usually do it, the problem is I have a horrible problem with self-management and self-motivation to do anything consistent on my own initiative that would benefit me in the long run. I'm addicted to fast "rewards", fast satisfying results and if I know in advance they won't come I'm just unmotivated to even start the activity. Okay, I also often ask myself what's the point at all and if this is really what I want. 😶 I just feel like pushing square shape into a round opening and probably should drop it all and start anew with something completely different.

Depression maybe if your whole mood is suffering instead of feeling good and just not caring to do something. But then for me, I don't care about a lot of stuff and procrastinate a ton, which is a side effect of being depressed, so idk

Depression feels a lot heavier than just being lazy/unmotivated…. But it can present to those around you as laziness

For me when I go through depressive episode, I know there’s all this stuff to get done but I just can’t. It feels almost like having the flu, just without the fever and all that. My body feels heavy and I don’t want to move, it hurts. Then stuff starts piling up, and then my anxiety about not keeping up or performing properly comes up, and then it feeds the part that is feeling low and I sink deeper. It’s exhausting when everything is too much but not enough all at once. Even the brightest beautiful day will feel gloomy and dull. Nothing appeals.

I am severely depressed but not lazy. I do everything I can to break it. Some days are worse like today. I don't even want to be awake or alive at all.

It's difficult. I keep wondering if I'm not faking it and whether I'm just being lazy. Deep down I know I'm not, but imposter syndrome is real.

For me, laziness is feeling like I could do something but really can't be bothered to do it. Other than that it has no impact on my day. Depression made me feel like the smallest responsibility was a mountain and it ruined my whole day. It was more like a crushing weight than a minor irritant.

Depression does kill productivity.
I've never been inactive. But when I was depressed, I just wasn't in the mood to do stuff.

You can tell the difference between depressed people and lazy people by their behavior patterns.

Lazy people will always look for other people to do their work for them. And, lazy people are good at making up bullsh!t excuses.

It's a sort of ailment of the soul to put it in poetic terms. It's a sense of inertia on an emotional and mental level that creates more inertia and becomes difficult to get out of. The physical is also a manifestation of the mind and the spirit, so it's felt physically.

Im never normally lazy. I get shit done. The moment i start qualming over cleaning i know depression is settling in. Its like our of character for me as i enjoy cleaning (yeh im weird)

With depression its alot of lethargy and feeling really down i think thats how you can tell the difference with laziness

That's a very good question. It can be very hard to determine which is causing a lack of motivation.

That needs a close n detailed case study of the subject.
Find for yourself. None but you can do it.

My friend thinks I have depression, I think that I'm just lazy.

Depression spawns inactivity, but is killed (slowly and momentarily??) by action which brings feelings of accomplishment

For myself I really need to push myself through things. I don’t procrastinate well I never did but now I find myself just not caring no matter what it is.