Depression Types

 

Depression types are gauged by the severity, diagnostic criteria and duration of the depressive episode. Unipolar and bipolar depression represents the two dominant categories of depression, with the unipolar kind of depression found in people who exhibit two or more of these symptoms for an extended period:

 

  • Feelings of sadness and hopelessness
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Lack of appetite or eating too much
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Inability to concentrate, having “fuzzy” thoughts
  • Feeling guilty for no apparent reason
  • Experiencing low-self esteem issues
  • Constantly putting one’s self down
  • Unable to perform everyday tasks

Different Types of Depression

Bipolar disorder is one of the depression types because when the individual is not experiencing the manic phase of the disease, he or she is experiencing severe depression. Symptoms exhibited by someone who may have bipolar disorder are:

  • Manic phase:  Racing speech and thoughts; extreme euphoria and exaggerated sense of optimism; rampant insomnia; poor judgment; agitation and aggressiveness and indulging in risky behavior are all indications of this phase. Bipolar individuals in the grip of the manic phase frequently gamble away large sums of money, engage in excessive spending sprees or suffer from grandiose delusions.
  • Depressive phase:  Guilt; sadness; total lack of energy; utter hopelessness; suicidal ideation; hypochondria and difficulty focusing are all characteristic of this phase. Switching from one phase to the other can happen in a matter of hours to a bipolar individual, who then usually discovers how much damage they have done to their finances or relationships when in the manic phase.

Atypical Depression

Recently entered as an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, 1994), atypical depression is a commonly seen depression in individuals seeking psychological help. It differs from other depression types because atypically depressed individuals experience something called “mood reactivity”, i.e, their sadness temporarily improves when something occurs which causes them to feel “happy”. For example, someone who has been depressed and unable to get out of bed for several days may suddenly feel happy and jump out of bed with joy upon hearing a long-lost friend is coming to visit. What makes this type of depression atypical is because someone suffering from major depression would fail to react in such a manner.

Additionally, the DSM-IV states that a diagnosis of atypical depression is required to include at least two of these symptoms:

  • Increased appetite and weight gain
  • Hyposomnia (excessive sleeping)
  • A feeling of heaviness or paralysis in arms and legs
  • Extreme sensitivity to social rejection or criticism

 

Unlike major depression types, atypical depression seems to affect younger people, especially adolescents, and may be underdiagnosed at this age due to teenage moodiness and other normal behavioral fluctuations.

Depression in Children

According to the National Institute of Mental Health website, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. Childhood depression types have recently become a focus of numerous clinical studies conducted by psychologists and pediatricians for determining risk factors and treatment methods. While each child exhibits different behaviors that may indicate depression, some of the more fundamental symptoms noted in the majority of child depression cases are:

 

  • Sleep and appetite changes
  • Acting fearful towards things of which he or she would not normally be afraid
  • Social isolation and withdrawal
  • Having unusual problems with school or peers
  • Self-destructive behavior such as hitting one’s self, head-banging, self-mutilation
  • Frequent tearfulness

 

Stressful life events can trigger depression in children as young as five, where divorce, death of parent or grandparent, family violence or economic upheaval are all risk factors that influence a young child’s emotional condition. Diagnosis of different depression types in a child occurs by gathering information about the child’s medical issues, family history and any pertinent information that may contribute to the child’s depression. A child psychologist will interview the child as well, often utilizing play or art therapy to facilitate communication with a depressed child.

 

Depression in Teens

The occurrence of one or more depression types in adolescence is not surprising considering the complicated and tumultuous changes in the biological, social and psychological aspects of a teenager’s life. The stress of transitioning from childhood to adolescent to young adult requires behavioral and cognitive adjustments with which many teenagers have difficulty understanding and coping. As a result, depression in teens, while not unusual can be disastrous if neglected and left untreated.

Potential signs that a teenager may be suffering from one of the depression types are:

 

  • Consistent angry or hostile attitude, especially when alternating between tearful, sad moods
  • Uncharacteristic withdrawal from family and friends; socially isolating one’s self
  • Feeling worthless, guilty, useless, the reason for everyone’s problems
  • Agitated state of mind, often restless and sometimes aggressive
  • Disinterest in activities that were once enjoyed
  • Hyposomnia or insomnia
  • Thinking or talking about death and suicide
  • Engaging in risky behaviors such as drug and/or alcohol addiction, prostitution, gambling
  • Anorexia, bulimia or overeating

Sometimes it is difficult even for a parent to recognize these warning signs of possible depression types affecting their adolescent because of the commonly bewildering actions of teenagers. However, a professional psychologist can assist you in diagnosing your teen if you suspect he or she is suffering from depression.

Depression in Women

 

Adult women are twice as likely to develop depression as men, which many researchers conclude is primarily a result of the interplay between biological and cultural factors. The female endocrine system generates a number of hormones, which men do not possess. Hormones, or neurotransmitters, are responsible for mood regulation, as well as appetite, sleep and arousal.

 

Once a woman is old enough to reproduce, a number of hormonal changes occur that affect behavior, mood and physiological processes as well. When external events happen to a woman who is not equipped to cope with these stress-inducing circumstances, these neurotransmitters may become imbalanced, causing intense or chronic depression types.

 

In addition, women and depression often have roots in childhood traumas, especially incidences of abuse or molestation. A multitude of research indicates that women who were victims of molestation as an adolescent or child are more at risk for suffering clinical depression symptoms than women who were not molested. Because physical and mental abuse precipitates feelings of low-self esteem, helplessness, guilt and anger, diagnosis of major depression in women with traumatic pasts doesn’t occur until they reach adulthood

 

Postnatal Depression

 

According to an article published in the June, 1998 edition of the British Medical Journal, ” post natal depression affects 10% of women in the weeks immediately following the birth of a child”. However, the authors of the article state that scant evidence exists that biological conditions cause postnatal depression. Rather, research seems to indicate “social and personal factors are more relevant” than the activity of hormone fluctuation in a woman’s postpartum body.

 

Symptoms of post-natal depression include:

 

  • Feeling extremely anxious, which can provoke a sense of hopelessness, sadness and emptiness
  • Not deriving pleasure from taking care of the new baby
  • Loss of appetite or extreme hunger
  • Insomnia
  • Fuzzy thinking, inability to concentrate or perform everyday tasks
  • Overwhelming fatigue

Don’t confuse postnatal depression with postpartum psychosis, which infrequently develops from severe post-natal depression. While feeling depressed after having a baby is somewhat common, psychotic behavior is not and requires immediate intervention and hospitalization.

Menopause and Depression

Menopause usually occurs in women who are between the ages of 45 and 55 years old and causes a number of changes within the reproductive system. Women frequently experience mood changes, hot flashes, drying and thinning skin, weight gain and nervousness during menopause due to levels of progesterone and estrogen fluctuating in the body. Some women seem to manage menopause without much difficulty. Others develop depression types that require medication and/or counseling in order to help them cope with feelings that are confusing and overwhelming.

Medical anthropologists have researched menopausal women of other cultures and found that some women, especially those living in cultures where aging is seen as a natural part of living and youth is not venerated, do not experience depression types or other symptoms of menopause that Western women report. Menopause and depression may have a psychosocial component detrimentally affecting women in societies where seniors are generally ignored and devalued.

Male Depression

Because men are taught from an early age that behaving emotionally is not considered the “manly” thing to do, depression in men often remains undetected and undiagnosed, which may explain the reason why more men than women actually complete attempts at suicide. In addition, men experience depression types differently than women, with many men feeling depressed without feeling sad. Instead, they tend to feel more anxious, frustrated and hostile than women do when depressed. Men are also more likely to escape from depression by using alcohol and/or drugs rather than seeking professional treatment.

Further, physical symptoms bother depressed men more than women, with chest pains, backaches, joint pains and digestive issues frequently afflicting them. Psychologists attribute this to the fact that men tend to repress strong emotions rather than talk about them, unlike women who usually turn to friends or family members for support. Men in most cultures are more reluctant to ask for help, especially when it involves emotional or mental issues.

Forms of treatment available for all depression types include antidepressant medication, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and electroshock therapy, which are administered in cases of chronic and severe depression but usually require hospitalization for an unspecified amount of time. Prognosis for depression is good when patients adhere to treatment methods and have support groups on whom they can depend for emotional reinforcement.

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Depression Types

Also visit the other great pages on this site,  Depression Symptoms,  Cures for Depression,  Depression Statistics  og  Causes of Depression

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http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/05/23/10-things-you-should-know-about-male-depression/

http://www.symptomsofmenopause.net/Methods/Depression.html

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http://depressionsymptomssigns.org/types-of-depression/

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx22.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bipolar-disorder/DS00356/DSECTION=symptoms

http://www.mcmanweb.com/atypical_depression.html

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1113362/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/treatment-of-children-with-mental-illness-fact-sheet/index.shtml—Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. “Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication”. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.

 

 Posted by C. Jones at 10:39 am
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