There are many different types of depression. Depression can take many forms, and so many healthcare professionals use a number of different terms when referring to depression. Seasonal affective disorder, clinical depression, and bipolar depression are all commonly diagnosed types of depression. What really causes a lot of confusion when someone is diagnosed with depression is that it can very often overlap with another illness. Conditions such as substance abuse or an eating disorder may be confused with depression, and can make any form of depression rather hard to diagnose. The following are some very common forms of depression.

You will hear the term major depression when you are experiencing one of the depressive disorders that are severe enough to require treatment. For example, say you are very active at your local gym but have experienced some type of severe emotional trauma and start to avoid the gym at all costs. It is very likely that you could be experiencing a bout with major depression.

Another one of the major types of depression is bipolar depression (also known as manic depressive illness). Bipolar depression is commonly recognized as someone experiencing being overly happy, then suddenly becoming horribly depressed. Many doctors believe that bipolar depression is an imbalance in the brain that can often be successfully treated with medications.

One of the major types of depression that women are known to suffer from is postpartum depression. Healthcare professionals have determined that many women suffering from postpartum depression have already suffered from some form of depression previously. Most women that go through giving birth feel badly the first few days afterward. However, those that are not able to snap out of the depressive feelings can experience them for months, if not years, if not properly treated.

Of the many types of depression, a common subtype of depression is seasonal affective disorder. This form of depression seems to be tied to the way people react to the amount of sunlight that is available to them each day. Light therapy by use of special lamps is a common treatment for those suffering from seasonal affective disorder.

A very serious form of the many types of depression is psychotic depression. Those that suffer from psychotic depression very often hear voices in their head in addition to having visual delusions. Individuals that are suffering from this need to have someone help them seek treatment as soon as possible. Most sufferers are not able to think rationally, and therefore are likely to hurt themselves or others. Psychotic depression strikes about 15% of individuals suffering from major depression.

People that seem to be suffering constantly from a mild form of depression are likely to be suffering from dysthymia. People that are suffering from dysthymia can also be hit with a bout of major depression, the more severe form of depression that results in necessary close medical monitoring and aggressive treatment.

Another of the many types of depression that are very commonly suffered by women is atypical depression. This form of depression is commonly marked by experiencing things like panic attacks, overeating, and sleeping disturbances. Someone with atypical depression will feel depressed for a period of time, feel better, and then feel worse again. Atypical depression is very common in a person’s younger years, and if gone untreated will follow them into adulthood.

No matter which one of the many types of depression you might be suffering from, knowing the difference between them is the best way to get the best possible treatment. Once you know which is the best course of treatment you will know the best way to battle whichever of the many different types of depression that you might be suffering from.



Thanks to Ryan King for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

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Can you answer Rachael.’s question about Depression?:

i think i have bipolar depression. i mean, one minute im all happy and then the next, yeah.
how would i know if i did or not?
and i dont want to talk to my parents about this, it would bring up too much shitt.

Postpartum Depression Symptoms

There are three main categories of depression disorder. They are known as Bipolar Disorder, Chronic Depression Disorder and Major Depression Disorder. Of the three mood disorders Major Depression Disorder is the most severe. This disorder may also be called Severe Depression.

In Severe Depression the cause can be a single traumatic event in your life. It could even be the result of many personal disappointments and problems in your life. Sometimes it is possible to develop Severe Depression without any traumatic events or life problems. Still other times people who suffer from Chronic Depression can go into Severe Depression as a result of a traumatic event.

The symptoms of depression are also present in Severe Depression. They are however more intense than normal depression symptoms. For most people who suffer from Severe Depression, they can either have a recurring Severe Depression episode or their Severe Depression may occur only once in their lifetime and never reoccur again.

Recurring Severe Depression is where the individual will have periods of Severe Depression that are followed by periods of depression. After these bouts of depression are finished, they will be able to live at least several years without any episodes of depression. They may have another episode of Severe Depression which can arise due to some traumatic event. In a single episode of Severe Depression the symptoms occur due to a major traumatic event in the individual’s life. Once medical treatment has taken effect, the Severe Depression will not occur again in their lifetime.

In general the medication that is prescribed for Severe Depression is anti-depressants. There are several types of depression medications that are used for Severe Depression. These medications include Tricyclics, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Serotonin Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors, Noradrenergic and Serotonergic anti-depressants, Serotonin 5-HT (2) Receptor Antagonists, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors and Bupropion.

The other type of treatment that works for Severe Depression is that of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The best method of treatment is that of medication combined with cognitive therapy. The therapy is used to treat the psychological aspects of Severe Depression while the medication will treat the symptoms of Severe Depression.

The intensified symptoms of Severe Depression include restlessness, irritability, insomnia, oversleeping, fatigue, thoughts of death, suicide, early morning waking, pessimism, hopelessness, weight loss or gain, and a change in appetite

These symptoms coupled with any traumatic incident or an accumulation of life problems can trigger either recurring Severe Depression or episodic Severe Depression. Both types of Severe Depression need to be treated as the consequences can be life threatening. Should you suspect that you may be having Severe Depression then you should get immediate medical help.



Thanks to Krishan Bakhru for contributing this article to our Depression blog:

Best Medication For Depression

Can you answer TeFa’s question about Depression?:

what is the difference between bipolar depression and bipolar disoder?

Best Treatment For Depression

Can you answer garda0354’s question about Depression?:

I am writing a paper on men who suffer from Bipolar Depression. Does anyone have any insight on the subject or know of any professional journals online or off that can be helpful to my research? Thanks!

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