Depression is one of the most common issues faced by youngsters and the old-age alike. It has become a worldwide concern that has caused many to have difficulty in living a carefree life. And you may be surprised to find that there is more than just one type of depression. In this article, you will get to learn about the major depression, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum depression, and several others.
Depression, you may be surprised, comes in different shades. It ranges from very mild or extremely severe. Depression can also be of a temporary kind or even become chronic. It is not something that is fixed and so dealing with it becomes a challenge. Natural occurrences like the seasonal changes or even the birth of a baby can lead to depressive symptoms.
The most important thing to firstly do is identify the kind of depression a person has. Through this clarification, the doctors will then be able to determine the suitable treatment. For those who have been clinically diagnosed as having depression, learning more about their experiences and information regarding their specific disorder comes in handy.
“Folks seem comforted in knowing what’s going on for them,” states Sarah Noble, DO, who works as a psychiatrist at the Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia. “At least they have an answer for why they’re experiencing what they’re experiencing.” She firmly believes that keeping her patients in the loop about their own depression helps them get better.
So just in case you or someone close to you show signs or symptoms of depression, allow us to crack the different kinds of depression for you. As you read through this and you feel as though you have someone showing these signs, consult a mental health professional. These doctors can help in the diagnosis and would also help find the most suitable course of treatment.
In just a span of one year, this type of depression affects about 16 million Americans, predominantly women. This is called major depression or clinical depression. Under the diagnostic criteria published by the American Psychiatric Association, there must be at least five symptoms persisting for two weeks or more for someone to be diagnosed as having a major depressive disorder.
The main symptoms are sadness, emptiness, worthlessness, hopelessness, and guilt; loss of energy, appetite, or interest in enjoyable activities. They also change their sleeping habits and often have suicidal thoughts. This type of depression is most treatable. There are two main subtypes: “atypical depression” and “melancholic depression.”
People who have atypical depression usually sleep and eat a lot. They are emotionally reactive and constantly remain anxious says Dr. Noble. Those who have melancholic depression, on the other hand, cannot sleep and usually ruminate over guilt-ridden thoughts. Young adults mostly have atypical depression, and the melancholic type occurs mostly in older people.
There are many people who suffer from a major depressive disorder that cannot be treated effectively. These folks cannot have good results even after trying one type of antidepressant to another. Their depression never seems to fade. “Maybe it’s genetic, maybe it’s environmental,” Dr. Noble claims, “Their depression is just tenacious.”
Trying to cure treatment-resistant depression initiates with a workup that would help properly diagnose and specify other psychiatric and medical reasons for the symptoms. The doctors who treat patients like these, tend to switch the kind of medicine if they see that one type does not work. They usually end up testing several kinds of antidepressants including antipsychotic.
When someone shows many signs of depression but does not necessarily tick all the symptoms of someone having a major depression can be a victim of “subsyndromal” depression. These people may show just two or more symptoms but not all five of the symptoms noted. They may even be depressed only for the duration of a week, not two according to Dr. Noble.
“Rather than look at symptoms, I usually look at functionality,” she explains. The main question that comes up is if these people can go along fine doing their day to day responsibilities or are they able to still function at work. If they appear to be finding trouble, then they may be able to find that the treatment helps reduce their instability using medication.
People who have a persistent depressive disorder (PDD) usually show an unhappy, dark, or sad mood majority of the time and days. They mostly have two added symptoms of depression that has been there for 2 years. In youngsters, PDD aka dysthymia, the symptoms include irritability or other signs of depression that has occurred for a year or two. “It may wax and wane in intensity, but generally it’s a low level of depression,” Dr. Noble claims.
This type of depression has people having sleep problems which can be excessive or deprived. They show low energy or fatigue and they have low self-esteem, poor appetite or overeating, they find it hard to concentrate and make concrete decisions with a tinge of hopelessness. Usually, PDD is treated with the help of medication and psychotherapy.
Around 10% of women who belong to the childbearing age go through this thing called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This severe cases of PMS result in the triggering of depression, unhappiness, anxiety, or irritability with a few other extreme symptoms. This takes place within about 7 days from when a woman has her period.
“It can be really uncomfortable, disabling, and interfere with a woman’s day-to-day life,” explains Dorothy Sit, MD, who is also an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences teaching at the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She reveals that this kind of depression as it affects only women is something all women must help spread awareness about.
Scientists have claimed that the women who have an abnormal sensitivity to hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle cause this depression. Using antidepressants, a selective amount of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, before a month or 14 days of their period is advised by Dr. Sit says. Staff at the University of California San Diego are currently working on light therapy to treat women with PMDD.
Extreme changes in the mood and energy that goes from ecstasy to self-loathing, are the key signs of bipolar depression which can also be called bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness. To have this kind of depression, a person must have gone through at least one incident of mania. Bipolar disorder usually shows symptoms in young adults.
Even though women and men are diagnosed in equal numbers, researchers have pointed out the possibility of gender differences when it comes to bipolar depression. Men usually show a more manic behavior while women become very depressed. Bipolar tends to intensify if not treated but can be regulated using mood stabilizers, antipsychotic medicines, and talk therapy.
There was a recent study done by Dr. Sit and colleagues which shows that light therapy could perhaps be a potential treatment for those who have bipolar depression. Replacing a low placebo light, being exposed every day to bright lights during midday can help in lessening the symptoms of depression. It can also help them function better, the study claims.
Shouting and temper tantrums are usually the key signs that a person has a disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD),. This is a kind of depression that has been witnessed in children who have a hard time regulating their emotions. Some other signs are irritable or angry mood majority of the time every day and trouble with peers in school, at home, or anywhere.
“These are the kids with strong emotional outbursts,” Dr. Noble suggests, “They’re just not able to contain their emotions,” so they “act out and act on” their feelings". Right now, DMDD is treated with the help of medications, psychotherapy, and the parents are trained on ways to effectively handle their child’s irritable behavior.
Even though the birth of a newborn is a blessing, it leaves some people to experience postpartum depression (PPD). This type of depression is seen on one in four women and one in eight men. In women, postpartum depression usually occurs due to the shifts in hormones, fatigue, and other factors. In men, the reason is environmental like the shifting of roles and lifestyle changes that parenting summons.
Postpartum depression usually occurs during the first year following a child’s birth. It can happen any time but mostly takes place during the time of the baby's arrival. The people affected usually show sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that ends up overwhelming to the point where it disrupts their daily well-being. It can lead to urges like hurting yourself or your baby.
We all know about “baby blues". They are usually very mild, short-lived, and extremely common condition which results in anxiety and depressive symptoms which occurs during the wake of a baby’s birth. PPD mostly calls for the treatment where victims use antidepressants and/or talk therapy.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is the0 depression which is known to reoccur. It is also known as seasonal depression which usually takes place during the fall or winter-time. The people affected usually show a change in mood, and exhibit low energy. They are also known to overeat, oversleep, crave carbs, gain weight, or refrain from any kind of social interaction.
Women and younger adults are the ones the mostly develop SAD. It is also hereditary. SAD can be diagnosed after recurring, seasonal symptoms go on for 2 or more years. The main cause is unknown but is mostly due to an imbalance of the brain chemical serotonin. They usually have an excessive melatonin level with an insufficient supply of vitamin D and is treated with light therapy and sometimes medication.
The exposure or misuse of sedating drugs could result in a mood change. The symptoms of this include depression, anxiety, and loss of interest in pleasurable activities. These sensations usually occur quickly after the person has taken in or abused a substance or maybe at the time of withdrawal.
Substances which can cause this kind of depression are namely: excessive intake of alcohol, opioid painkillers, and benzodiazepines that affect the nervous system. For a person to be diagnosed with a substance-induced mood disorder, the experts must identify all the potential causes of depression, and the depression must be severe enough to the point where daily duties are hampered.
People having psychotic depression usually show signs of severe depression that is followed by psychosis, which if you a have not heard of means that a person has lost touch with reality. Symptoms of psychosis usually mean a person has hallucinations and delusions. This could end up being harmful to both the person and the people around them.
A patient of Dr. Noble’s who was suffering from this kind of depression revealed that she did not want to eat anything that her father cooked because she suspected that he wanted to poison her. The woman was otherwise lucid who was psychotic depression which was yet to be treated. These people are mostly treated using antidepressants and antipsychotic medicines.
Sometimes living with a chronic disease, for example, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS, can sometimes cause someone to fall into depression. The disease alone becomes draining and challenging to deal with. After many research work, there has been a discovery that a disease-related inflammation could also be a contributing factor to this depression.
Inflammation results in the release of certain chemicals by the immune system. These chemicals flow through the brain where this causes a few changes that sometimes results in the depression of some people, Dr. Noble claims. Antidepressants can help them function to lead a longer life while therapy helps these patients in dealing with their mental and physical illnesses.
Here are 10 myths about depression that we have been lead to believe all these years...
Extreme sadness is synonymous with depression but is not necessarily the same. Sadness occurs temporarily. Sadness comes and goes. We must remember that depression is a chronic condition. Sadness comes from a negative experience while depression does not fleet. Depression can make a person feel empty, apathetic, anxious and tense, enough to hamper one's daily activities.
This stigma makes it common for depressed people to stay silent rather than look for the assistance they need. But you can never choose to develop depression. It is a complicated mental disorder which causes issues for a person biologically, psychologically and socially. A person who lives with depression actually fights their mental battles every day so as a matter of fact, they are quite strong.
A person's depression is indeed sparked by sad circumstances but cannot be held accountable for everything. A loved one's death, divorce and other sad instances in life cause a person to experience sadness, remorse, loneliness, and emptiness. This can go on for more than two weeks and reoccurring frequently. This is a sign of a depressed person during his or her depression diagnosis.
We must remember that depression is a serious medical condition that requires a complicated treatment. There isn't just one way it can be cured or treated. Mayo Clinic states that depressed people possess different physicality in the brain, and neurotransmitter and hormone imbalances. Depression affects not only the mood but even the very physical existence of the person. Categorizing this condition based on character is very demeaning for the victims.
Emotional symptoms aren't the only characteristics of a depressed person. People living with depression basically have an illness that affects their whole body. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, fatigue, insomnia, unusual changes in appetite, chronic muscle aches, and chest pains are all associated with depression. Limiting depression to just mental issue belittles the damage it can actually cause.
We often see that men tend to suffer in silence. Just because women are two times more likely to have depression, it does not mean that the opposite sex cannot be depressed too. Of the number of suicides committed each year, the majority would be white men who are middle-aged that suffer from depression. There is a toxic masculinity in the society that withholds men from expressing themselves. This has resulted in a lot of men to collapse mentally, ultimately driving them to commit suicide.
There is only 10 to 15 percent chance that a hereditary predisposition takes place. Older research has painted depression as a hereditary defect. New studies have been led to question these statements. A family that a number of members having depression may be aware and well-versed with depression symptoms but it is advisable to seek a medical professional's opinion first.
You cannot just pop a pill to make yourself feel better the next day with a complex mental condition like depression. Antidepressants may be a common way to treat the depressed patient but it is not the only way. You can go for psychotherapy or several other methods to investigate the symptoms. Doctors have stated that medicine and therapy when used hand in hand is the best treatment for depression of any sort.
Depression treatment varies as the symptoms never seem to be the same for every individual. Some people make use of medications, some go for therapy while some chooses to self-medicate themselves or not use medication at all. Psychotherapy has proven to be 40 times more effective than when medication is involved. Doctors often try out different treatments to help the patients what suits them best.
Society has made it so that it is somewhat of a taboo topic to discuss. Even if we pretend like it does not exist or that it can go away on its own, it is not just going to vanish. If we swap this approach to a proactive discussion of how the depressed person and his or her close ones can all help to battle it, there would be progress made. People will be more open to speaking about their struggles and hopefully, this would eliminate suicidal tendencies and the feeling of worthlessness.