Some low moods come with a specific cause, like a loss or a stressful year. Others come wrapped in questions that are much harder to answer. What is the point of any of this? Does my life matter? Why does everything feel empty even when things look fine on paper? When low mood and questions about meaning get tangled together, people sometimes call it existential depression. This post explains what that phrase usually means, how it differs from a short-lived crisis, what it can feel like and how therapy can help.
This post is general information, not a diagnosis or medical advice.
What is existential depression?
If you have searched what is existential depression, you may have noticed there's no single definition. That's because it isn't a formal diagnosis. It's a way people describe low mood that is closely tied to big questions about meaning, purpose, freedom, death or feeling fundamentally alone.
Those questions are part of being human, and thinking about them isn't a problem in itself. The difficulty starts when they come with a heavy, lasting low mood that makes daily life harder. At that point, it's worth paying attention to both the questions and the mood.
Depression, crisis or both?
An existential crisis is often a shorter, more acute period of questioning. It may follow a milestone, a loss or a big change, and it can feel intense. For many people, it eases as they find new footing.
Existential crisis depression is different in that the low mood sticks around. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that everyone feels sad or low sometimes, and that these feelings usually pass with time. Depression is different. It can cause severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating or working.
You don't need to sort out which label fits before reaching out. A therapist can help you understand what you're experiencing without rushing to name it.
What it can feel like day to day
People describe existential depression in many ways. Some common threads:
A sense of emptiness, even when life looks fine from the outside
Thoughts like "what is the point?" that return again and again
Feeling numb or disconnected from people and activities
Comparing your life to others and feeling it falls short of something important
Strain around values, faith or spirituality
Trouble getting motivated because nothing feels worth the effort
Meaninglessness and depression often feed each other. When nothing feels meaningful, it's hard to find energy. When energy is low, it's harder to do the things that might bring meaning back.
Why it often shows up at turning points
Questions about meaning tend to surface at certain moments. A milestone birthday, a child leaving home, retirement, a serious illness, a death in the family or simply achieving a goal and feeling oddly flat afterwards can all open the door. So can long stretches of isolation, or work that no longer feels connected to anything you care about.
Some people notice these questions most in quiet hours, late at night or on weekends when there's less to keep the mind busy. Others feel them constantly, like a low hum in the background of every day.
None of this means something is wrong with you. Turning points naturally invite reflection. But when reflection turns into a long stretch of heaviness and numbness, support can help you move through it rather than get stuck.
How therapy helps without a philosophy lecture
You don't need to be a philosopher to benefit from therapy for existential depression. Good therapy keeps the conversation grounded in your actual life.
A therapist might help you:
Clarify your values. What matters to you, separate from what you think should matter?
Explore meaning in small places. Meaning often lives in relationships, care, work done well or moments of beauty, not only in grand answers.
Face hard truths with support. Questions about death, uncertainty and responsibility can feel less overwhelming when you aren't facing them alone.
Reconnect with people. Isolation tends to deepen existential distress, and connection often eases it.
Existential depression treatment isn't about finding the one right answer to life's biggest questions. It's about finding enough meaning, connection and direction to live well alongside them.
Existential therapy for depression, and other approaches
Existential therapy for depression focuses on themes like meaning, choice, freedom and connection. It tends to be reflective and conversational, and it treats your questions as worth exploring rather than as symptoms to eliminate.
Research on it is limited but growing. In one small trial with adults who had mild or moderate depression, people received either cognitive behavioural therapy, existential psychotherapy or supportive counselling over eight weekly sessions plus two monthly booster sessions. Depression scores fell in all three groups. The existential and CBT groups had comparable results, and both did better than supportive counselling.
That's encouraging, but one small study isn't the final word. Other approaches may suit you better. Cognitive behavioural therapy can help with the thinking patterns that keep low mood going. Person-centred therapy offers a warm, non-directive space to explore what you feel. Many therapists blend approaches, and your preference matters. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health notes that depression treatment comes in many forms, including counselling, with the aim of helping people recover and keep up day-to-day functioning.
Signs it's time to reach out
Consider talking to someone if:
Low mood has lasted for weeks and isn't lifting
Questions about meaning are crowding out sleep, work or relationships
You feel cut off from people who used to matter to you
You are having thoughts that life isn't worth living
That last one is important. If you are having thoughts of suicide, please call or text 9-8-8 right away. You don't have to wait until things get worse to deserve support.
Our page on support for depression explains more about how we help with low mood in all its forms.
Starting in person or online in Ontario
We offer counselling in person at our offices in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Ottawa, and online anywhere in Ontario. Every service is offered at every location.
Some people find it easier to talk about deep questions face to face. Others prefer the privacy of their own space. You can choose what suits you, and you can change your mind later. In your free consultation, it can help to mention that you'd like to explore questions of meaning, so the team can suggest a therapist who enjoys that kind of conversation.
Cost, billing and your first step
Sessions with our therapists range from $130 to $200, depending on the clinician.
Depending on your plan, insurance may cover up to 100% of the cost. Our insurance page explains what to check.
We accept Health Spending Accounts (HSAs).
We can direct bill many insurers, including for sessions with an RP (Qualifying). Desjardins is the exception: through TELUS eClaims, we can direct bill Desjardins for sessions with an RSW, RP or psychologist, but not for an RP (Qualifying).
Book a free 15-minute consultation with our admin team to talk about what you're going through and which therapist might be a good fit for meaning-focused work.
If you're in crisis: if you or anyone else is in immediate danger, call 911. If you're having thoughts of suicide, call or text 9-8-8 any time.
Big questions don't have to be faced alone. Support can help you find your way back to what matters.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Sources
Yılmaz O, Mırçık AB, Kunduz M, et al. Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential Psychotherapy and Supportive Counselling on Facial Emotion Recognition Among Patients with Mild or Moderate Depression, Psychiatry Investigation, 2019
National Institute of Mental Health, Depression
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Depression