How do you know if you're experiencing sadness, like we all do sometimes, or depression?

The answer could come from a depression screening.

Thursday is National Depression Screening Day, amid Mental Health Awareness Week.

Kenza Haddock, the Clinical Director at Oceanic Counseling Group in Myrtle Beach, says if you've been feeling down or ashamed for a prolonged period of time, have had loss of motivation and appetite, or are having trouble sleeping, you should talk to someone about a screening.

"Your primary care physician or a mental health professional can give you a screen and see if you are just feeling sad and adjusting to what's going on, or you are diagnosable with a clinical depression," Haddock said.

She says the coronavirus pandemic has made mental health issues rise dramatically.

"COVID-19 is not helping the situation either because we already feel isolated from loved ones," Haddock said. "Between anxiety and depression, I mean it has skyrocketed."

Haddock says for anyone going through a tough time mentally because of the coronavirus, try to take it one day at a time, because none of us can control everything that's changed this year.

"Watch your thoughts. A lot of times it's in our thought process, and how we talk to ourselves about ourselves," she said.