Different Types of Depression

Depression is primarily categorized into three areas. They are:

• A) Major depressive disorder or Unipolar disorder
• B) Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depressive Disorder
• C) Dysthymia

Major depressive disorder or Unipolar disorder

Major depression is considered as the most severe type of depressive illness as the outcomes are severe and might lasts for at least six months. Major depressed is also referred as clinical depression or unipolar depression. Unipolar depression means is such a depressive illness which affects a person who is either experiencing normal mood, or is in depressive state.

The National Institute of Mental Health has defined major depressive as "a major depressive disorder is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once-pleasurable activities."

Major depressive or unipolar disorder does not lead a person to develop extreme mood swing. But it can prevent one to react normally losses one’s ability to enjoy pleasure. People with major depressive disorder may experience one or more episode throughout his/her life as it is recurring disorder. Moreover, with major depression, people must visit either depressed mood or loss of interest which may continue for at least two weeks.

Besides these two symptoms there are also several symptoms which are visible in major depressive state. Though these symptoms are stable but can ranging from moderate to severe stage. Some of the common and frequently visible symptoms of unipolar depression are given below:

• Mood swing
• Lack of interest and enjoyment
• Lack of energy
• Poor concentration
• Lose of self-esteem and self-confidence
• Feeling of guilt and unworthiness
• Bleak and negative view of the future
• Self-harm activity or suicidal deaths
• Sleeping disturbance
• Diminished appetite

But the symptoms will be recognized as the outcomes of major depression if these are clinically suffering or affect in normal functioning. Symptoms that are resulted from the effect of drug abuse, medications, hypothyroidism, or from any stressful will not be considered as the outcome of major or unipolar depression.

However, to repair mood disorder and to reduce the risk of recurrence of major depression continuous and effective treatment is must.

Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depressive Disorder

Bipolar disorder or manic depression is the most common types of depressive disorder as it is often found in about 1 in 10 depressed people. Bipolar disorder causes high and low mood swings resulting severe changes in psychological state (such as thoughts, emotions, feelings etc.) and physical health of any depressed person.

Most people meet with the first phase of bipolar disorder in their late teen age or in early twenties. Bipolar disorder also can equally affect both women and men.

People with bipolar disorder or manic depression often have to go through under severe depressive stage which leads them to display extreme ups and downs in mood between mania and deep depression. They will experience both ends of the range of mood swings, for example either too high or too low and this could be very tough to bear.

The victim person become unable to perform his/her daily routine activities and also finds it hard to maintain social contact with other people. Even due to this disorder some people could not continue employment which also can create poor relationship or poor financial state.

Some worrying situations or stressful life events could be responsible for bringing manic depression in people’s life such as lack of support, physical illness, poor marital status, social biasness and many other painful stage of life. Even some people can inherit the depressive illness and some researchers have state that if one twin has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder the other twin has great chance to develop the disorder.

If this disorder ranges to severe stage then some psychotic and physical features can occur which are considered as the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder are as follows:

• Loss of interest or loss of enjoyment.
• Feeling of tiredness or irritability.
• Feeling hopeless and worthlessness.
• Thoughts of suicide.
• Lack of confidence.
• Early wakening.
• Appetite change.
• Constipation. Etc.

However, it is very much necessary to make the distinction between normal depression and bipolar disorder. Diagnosis tools and treatment procedure will be vary for who is only depressed and who is affected by manic disorder, moreover people with manic-depressive illness often respond better to treatments than people who is solely depressed.

Without proper treatment bipolar disorder could not easily recovered. Therefore, the people with bipolar disorder must be treated with proper treatment and mental support. If it is left untreated or undiagnosed then it can lead to suicidal deaths or thoughts.

Dysthymia

Comparing to other type of depression dysthymia is more chronic and lasts for at least two years. Dysthymia also often commonly called as melancholy. Basically dysthymia is melancholic condition which is often unaware by the people but continue along with the life.

Despite of its long continuation it comes in milder range and outcomes are less severe than major depression. Dysthymia affect women more than men and also is more likely to hit the older person. Dysthymia lead a person to develop short periods of normal mood disorder. But this depressive disorder could be recurring in a depressed person’s life.

The symptoms of dysthymia do not affect a person severely but sometimes these can make life unbearable by creating loss of enjoyment or feeling of worthlessness. These symptoms can demolish a person’s ability react socially and occupationally. Dysthymia can be characterized by the following chronic symptoms:

• Continuous depressed mood
• Poor appetite
• Sleeping disturbance
• Lack of energy
• Poor concentration and indecisiveness
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Absence of mania

Dysthymia is completely treatable disorder; even the symptoms are undiagnosed or untreated for many years. Medication is very much effective treatment in order to get of this type of depression. However, dysthymia patients also can experience the symptoms of major depression at same time during the course of their dysthymia depression which is referred as double depression.