Learn More About Types Of Depression

There are 6 major types of depression, or categories of depression which range from relatively mild to very severe and serious depression.

1. Dysthymia/ Chronic Depression

This is a mild manifestation of depression. However, if you experience the blues or symptoms of chronic depression for months, one can feel the blues, albeit mild, day in day out for at least 2 years. It is characterized by feelings of sadness, insomnia, hopelessness, and eating disorders for extended periods of time to a point that the feelings become part of day to day life. Chronic depression can lead to clinical or major depression, hence treatment should be sought at the soonest time possible.

2. Clinical/ major depression

This is the most prevalent type of depression and is described by psychiatrists as the type of depression that affects the gloomy part of the spectrum, hence is also referred to as unipolar depression. It is characterized by sad thought, inability to control one's emotions. Such people in the sad state tend to blame and hate themselves for being the way they are rather than blaming other people. People suffering from clinical depression need utmost and round-the-clock supervision as they are very likely to harm themselves, no wonder it is always treated with medications to prevent cases of suicide.

3. Bipolar Depression

The presence of unipolar depression means there is also the bipolar depression, a condition characterized by mood swings where an individual is very happy at one moment and then drifts into a melancholic state in a short period of time. Such states are also referred to as 'hypomania' and 'mania', the two opposing poles in a typical mental state --hence the term bipolar.

4. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

There are individuals who get depressed during a particular season such as fall or winter, or Christmas season, New Year Celebrations, their birthday or that of a closed person, Valentine's Day and such like seasons. People suffering from SAD will experience an alteration in hormones when the season hits as is with an individual suffering from a major depression but once the season ends, they get back to normal functioning again.

5. Atypical Depression

This category of depression makes an individual very difficult to live and cope with. They become very hypersensitive emotionally, oversleep, overeat and get into panic attacks. This of course inhibits the formation of a lasting relationship, romantic or otherwise, as the other party would be driven 'nuts' but these symptoms. Atypical depression is however mild and can be cured easily when compared to other categories of depression.

6. Psychotic Depression

This is the most severe type of depression of all others which is characterized by hallucinations, getting delusional and hearing voices. An untreated type of depression leads to a psychotic breakdown, and would take a lot of therapy and counseling, plus medication to uproot someone from a psychotic depression.

by: Abigail Roy

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