What are the types of Depression?

Depression is not a sign of weakness or a temporary mood oscillation but a medical condition that affects a person’s mood and impairs day-to-day life. Depression can also be a risk factor for the onset of other health conditions, such as dementia or heart disease.

The most common types of depression include major depression, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, seasonal depression, psychotic depression, postpartum depression, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder, also known as clinical depression, is the most common type of depression. To be diagnosed as major depression, depressive symptoms need to last at least for two weeks continually.

If you suffer from major depression, you most likely feel hopeless, sad, and guilty most of the time. You may also lack energy, experience insomnia, have low libido, and lack of appetite. People with clinical depression commonly have no focus in life and lack energy for things they used to enjoy.

Nevertheless, clinical depression can be successfully treated if addressed on time. The treatment usually consists of a combination of psychotherapy and medication.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a form of depression with successively altering episodes of depression and mania. During the depressive phase, all signs of depression are present: a person feels sad, hopeless, short-tempered, guilty, and lethargic.

On the opposite, during the manic stage, the person feels energized and happy for no reason, confident, and powerful. The manic stage of bipolar disorder can be dangerous, as, during this phase, a person leans towards risky behaviors.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

This is a milder form of depression that refers to a low mood that has lasted for a more extended period (at least two years) but never reached the intensity of the major depressive disorder. Persistent depressive disorder (formerly known as “dysthymia”) may not impact your daily life like major depression, but it can cause you to feel hopeless and low most of the time.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is most present in people who live in the northern parts of the US, Canada, and Scandinavian countries in Europe. SAD is a mood disorder that causes depressive symptoms in people who otherwise don’t have any mental health troubles.

These depressive symptoms occur at the same time every year, most commonly in the winter, when the days are shorter, and there is no much sun.

Psychotic Depression

Psychotic depression is a form of major depressive disorder with psychotic characteristics. It involves not only depressive symptoms but psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions too.

Unlike psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia, people with psychotic depression are usually aware that their hallucinations and delusions are not real.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum or postnatal depression occurs after childbirth and is believed to be linked to a rapid drop in women’s hormone levels after delivery.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that affects 3-8 percent of women. PMDD involves a combination of emotional, physical, and behavioral symptoms that recur monthly during the menstrual cycle.

While the symptoms resemble those in PMS, women with PMDD find their symptoms unbearable as they affect their day-to-day lives.

If you experience depression symptoms, seek advice from your doctor. When addressed on time, depression can be successfully treated.