Depression is a medical condition that affects mood and ability to function. types of depression include clinical depression, bipolar depression, dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder and others. Treatment options range from counseling to medication, brain stimulation and complementary therapies. There are many different types of depression.
Events in your life cause some and chemical changes in your brain cause others. Your doctor may diagnose major depression if you have five or more of these symptoms most days for 2 weeks or more. At least one of the symptoms should be a depressed mood or loss of interest in activities. If you have depression that lasts 2 years or more, it's called persistent depressive disorder.
This term is used to describe two conditions formerly known as dysthymia (persistent low-grade depression) and chronic major depression. A person with bipolar disorder, which is also sometimes called manic depression, has mood episodes that range from high-energy extremes with a high mood to low depressive periods. When you're in the low phase, you'll have symptoms of major depression. Traditional antidepressants are not always recommended as first-line treatments for bipolar depression because there is no evidence that these drugs are more useful than a placebo (a sugar pill) for treating depression in people with bipolar disorder.
In addition, for a small percentage of people with bipolar disorder, some traditional antidepressants may increase the risk of causing a high phase of the disease or speed up the frequency of having more episodes over time. Seasonal affective disorder is a period of major depression that occurs most often during the winter months, when days get shorter and you get less and less sunlight. It usually disappears in spring and summer. A combination of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs can treat psychotic depression.
ECT can also be an option. Women who have major depression in the weeks and months after childbirth may have peripartum depression. About 1 in 10 men also experience depression in the peripartum period. Antidepressant medications may help in a similar way to treating major depression that is not related to childbirth.
Home Education Depression Types of depression, major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder are two of the most common types of depression people experience, however, there are many types of depression. Most mood disorders have major depressive episodes in common. This is also true for bipolar disorder, another type of mood disorder. People who have major depressive disorder have had at least one major depressive episode (five or more symptoms for at least a two-week period).
For some people, this disorder is recurrent, meaning that they may experience episodes once a month, once a year, or several times throughout their lives. People with recurrent episodes of major depression are sometimes said to have unipolar depression (or what was once called “clinical depression”), because they only experience periods of low or depressed mood. Persistent depressive disorder (formerly dysthymia) is a chronic, ongoing state of low-level depression. The depressive state of persistent depressive disorder is not as severe as that of major depression, but it can be just as disabling.
Postpartum depression is characterized by feelings of sadness, indifference, exhaustion and anxiety that a woman may experience after the birth of her baby. It affects one in 9 women who have had a child and can affect any woman, regardless of age, race or economic status. People diagnosed with bipolar disorder have mood swings that include both low (bipolar depression) and high levels (called mania if severe or hypomania if mild). When people experience the minimums of bipolar disorder (bipolar depression), their symptoms are very similar to what a person with unipolar depression might experience.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) usually begins in late fall and early winter and dissipates during spring and summer. Summer-related depressive episodes can occur, but are much less common than winter episodes of SAD. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder characterized by periods of abnormally elevated mood known as mania. These periods can be mild (hypomania) or they can be so extreme that they cause a marked deterioration in a person's life, require hospitalization, or affect a person's sense of reality.
The vast majority of people with bipolar disorder also have episodes of major depression. Currently classified as peripartum onset depression, postpartum depression (PPD) is more than just postpartum melancholy. Bipolar disorder used to be known as “manic depression” because the person experiences periods of depression and periods of mania, with periods of normal mood between them. Bipolar disorder seems to be more closely related to family history.
Stress and conflict can trigger episodes in people with this condition, and it's not uncommon for bipolar disorder to be misdiagnosed as depression, alcohol or drug abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or schizophrenia. The diagnosis depends on whether the person has had an episode of mania and, unless observed, may be difficult to detect. It's not uncommon for people to spend years before they get an accurate diagnosis of bipolar disorder. If you're experiencing ups and downs, it's helpful to make it clear to the doctor or healthcare professional who treats you.
Bipolar disorder affects approximately 2 percent of the population. Cyclothymic disorder is often described as a milder form of bipolar disorder. The person experiences chronic fluctuating moods for at least two years, including periods of hypomania (a mild to moderate level of mania) and periods of depressive symptoms, with very short periods (no more than two months) of normal between. The duration of symptoms is shorter, less severe and not as regular and therefore does not fit the criteria for bipolar disorder or major depression.
The symptoms of dysthymia are similar to those of major depression, but are less severe. However, in the case of dysthymia, the symptoms last longer. A person has to have this milder depression for more than two years to be diagnosed with dysthymia. Dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder) is a type of mild and long-lasting depression.
People suffering from dysthymia experience symptoms that are less severe than those experienced by patients with MDD. Because the symptoms of dysthymia last so long and may not have a major impact on your life, you may not even realize you have the condition. Bipolar disorder is a type of depression in which a patient oscillates between periods of abnormally elevated mood (mania) and depressive episodes. Since bipolar disorder includes periods of mania as well as depression, treatment is different from MDD, which does not include mania.
This helps prevent the intense ups and downs associated with bipolar disorder. Talk therapy can also help you recognize what triggers mania and depression and help you better manage your symptoms. Medicines may not work for some people with psychotic depression. Therefore transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is sometimes recommended.
EMT treatment stimulates prefrontal cortex cells with electromagnetic pulses. Postpartum Depression Affects Some Mothers After Childbirth. You may have heard it called “postpartum melancholy,” although it is more serious than sadness. If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Dysthymia, now known as persistent depressive disorder, refers to a type of chronic depression present for more days than not for at least two years. May be mild, moderate or severe 1 According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1.5% of adults in the United States had persistent depressive disorder in the past year. The disorder affects women (1.9 per cent) more than men (1 per cent), and researchers estimate that about 1.3 per cent of all EE,. Adults will have the disorder at some point in their lives.
Currently classified as peripartum onset depression, postpartum depression (PPD) is more than just “postpartum melancholy.”. If you experience depression, sleepiness, and weight gain during the winter months, but feel perfectly well in spring, you may have a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) ,1 currently called major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern. Prevalence rates for SAD can be difficult to determine because the condition is often not diagnosed or reported. It is more common in areas further away from the equator.
For example, estimates suggest that APR affects 1% of Florida's population; that figure rises to 9% in Alaska. Send us a confidential message or call 713-660-1100. People with major depression experience symptoms most of the day, every day. These symptoms can last for weeks or even months.
Some people may have a single episode of major depression, while others experience it throughout their lives. Regardless of how long symptoms last, major depression can cause problems with your relationships and daily activities. Persistent depressive disorder is depression that lasts 2 years or more. People may also refer to this as dysthymia or chronic depression.
Persistent depression may not feel as intense as major depression, but it can still strain relationships and make daily tasks difficult. Persistent depression lasts for years in a row, so people with this type of depression may begin to feel that their symptoms are only part of their normal view of life. Some people with major depression may experience periods of psychosis. This may involve hallucinations and delusions.
Medical professionals refer to this as major depressive disorder with psychotic characteristics. However, some providers still refer to this phenomenon as depressive psychosis or psychotic depression. Similar to perinatal depression, PMDD may be related to hormonal changes. Your symptoms often start right after ovulation and begin to subside once you have your period.
Situational depression, or adjustment disorder with depressed mood, resembles major depression in many ways. PND is a term given to depression that occurs after having a baby. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, about 10 to 15 percent of mothers go through it, so it's quite common, and awareness is getting better and better. Also known as persistent depressive disorder (PTE) or chronic depression, dysthymia is a fairly constant mood that lasts two years or more.
As it is long-term, dysthymia may seem “normal”, but like other types of depression, it is completely treatable and worth seeking help. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, patients suffering from “atypical” depression will have symptoms of general depression or dysthymia, but unlike those with “typical” depression, they will experience “a better mood when positive events occur”. Not only is depression difficult to endure, it is also a risk factor for heart disease and dementia. Depressive symptoms can occur in adults for many reasons.
If you experience cognitive or mood changes that last more than a few weeks, it's a good idea to contact your doctor or see a mental health specialist to help determine possible causes, says Dr. Nancy Donovan, Psychiatry Instructor at Harvard Medical School. The classic type of depression, major depression, is a state in which a dark mood consumes everything and you lose interest in activities, even those that are usually pleasurable. Symptoms of this type of depression include difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite or weight, loss of energy, and feeling worthless.
Thoughts of death or suicide may occur. It is usually treated with psychotherapy and medication. For some people with severe depression that is not relieved by psychotherapy or antidepressant medications, electroconvulsive therapy may be effective. Formerly called dysthymia, this type of depression refers to low mood that has lasted at least two years but may not reach the intensity of major depression.
Many people with this type of depression can function day by day, but they feel depressed or joyless most of the time. Other depressive symptoms may include changes in appetite and sleep, lack of energy, low self-esteem or hopelessness. Unlike other forms of depression, people with atypical depression may respond better to a type of antidepressant known as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). This is the term used to describe a severe form of depression in which many of the physical symptoms of depression are present.
It is important to know the different types of depression and the form of depression you suffer from, so that you can find the right treatment option for you. . .
