Depression is one of the most common and serious medical illness that affects everyone at least once in their life. It is a medical illness that negatively affects your overall behaviour. The way you think, the way you feel and the way you react to the situation is all affected by depression. It causes you to lose interest in the things that you once enjoyed. You find yourself in the constant state of despair and hopelessness. Everything starts to seem dull and uninterested.
Types of depression
An individual needs to understand that depression is just a category. There are a lot of sub-categories that fall under it. In order to cure it, you need to first figure out what category you are dealing with. Some major types that you find commonly are given below;
1. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
The major depressive disorder is commonly known as clinical depression. It is the most common type of the disease that affects around 16 million adults around the globe annually. The common symptoms of MDD are; depressed mood, lack of interest in activities, insomnia, fluctuations in weight, fatigue, feeling down all the time, thoughts relating to suicide and more. If you feeling such behavioural changes that visit your doctor immediately.
2. Persistent Depressive Disorder
A persistent depressive disorder which in the past was known as Dysthymia is a chronic type of depression that stays with you for a longer period. It affects different individuals differently from mild, moderate and severe.
3. Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. The condition is characterized by a mania which in common language is an abnormally elevated mood. Bipolar disorder affects people differently. It can be mild or quite severe. In severe cases, hospitalization is required as it affects the person’s sense of reality. In such cases, the risk of suicide is 15times higher than clinical type of the disease.
4. Postpartum Depression
Pregnancy can cause a hormonal balance that results in a postpartum depression in some women. It can take place during pregnancy or after the birth, it varies from mother to mother. It ranges from persistent lethargy and sadness to postpartum psychosis.
5. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
It is clear from the name that seasonal affective disorder only affects individuals in different seasons. You might feel perfectly in the summer season but very depressed in the winter season. This kind of depressive disorder is triggered by the changes in the normal circadian rhythm of the body. It can be treated by light therapy.
6. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
The premenstrual syndrome commonly known by women as PMS is the most common type of depressive sickness observed in women. The symptoms of the disorder are irritability, breast tenderness, fatigue, and an increase in appetite, anxiety, moodiness, bloating, food cravings and aches. The disorder is treated with traditional remedies.
7. Atypical Depression
Atypical depression is one of the most common types the disease that is treated with antidepressants. The common symptoms through which the disorder is treated are excessive eating which results in increased weight in a short period of time, excessive mood swings, sleep changes, fatigue, weakness and loss of interest.
8. Melancholia
Melancholia is a term that is used to describe the severe form of depression. The symptoms of this type are almost the same as the MDD. One of the most apparent symptoms is slow moving of the victim. The person will completely lose the interest in things that he once enjoyed and will feel depressed throughout the day.
9. Psychotic depression
Psychotic-depression is another type, in which people lose the sense of reality and experience hallucinations and psychosis. Such individuals feel paranoid all the time and might be delusional as well. It is very important to stay careful around them because they feel like they are in constant danger from everyone around them.
10. Cyclothymic disorder
Cyclothymic disorder is the mild form of bipolar disorder. When the symptoms of bipolar disorder are not so severe and last for a shorter period of time then it is considered a cyclothymic disorder. The symptoms are not regular and don’t affect the individual as much as in bipolar disorder.
11. Dysthymic disorder
If a person is diagnosed with the symptoms of major depression for more than two years then it is considered a Dysthymic disorder. This means that the symptoms of the dysthymic disorder are similar to the major type and affect the person in the same way.
12. Subsyndromal Depression
This is the normal kind that almost affects everyone. This isn’t a severe type of the illness. It only has like two symptoms so you need to get it diagnosed. It usually goes away by itself within a few days, if it doesn’t then consult your doctor.
Depression is a very serious medical illness that should be taken seriously. Instead of ignoring it or trying to diagnose it by yourself at home with antidepressants, visit a doctor and figure out what is really wrong with you and how you treat it.
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