Depression Types

We all know that life is not perfect. Sometimes you’re up, and sometimes you’re down. However, when it seems like you’re down all the time and the feeling it brings interrupts the way you function and live your life, then you may just be suffering from what is known as depression. There are different depression types.

This article presents you with what the known types of depression are, in an attempt to enlighten you about which type of the illness you may be suffering from. The known depression types include, to this date, the following: major depression, dysthymia, and manic-depression. It took psychologists and other medical experts years and years of study and research to come up with these classifications, using them to understand and treat their patients more effectively according to the symptoms of each type.

The first type, which is major depression, is what health professionals also refer to as uni-polar or clinical depression. Patients who are suffering from this type of depression are known to manifest some or all of the following symptoms: persistent sadness, emptiness, or anxiety; loss of interest in activities that used to excite them or give them pleasure, including sexual intercourse; irritability and excessive mood swings; restlessness; over or under-sleeping; early-morning awakenings; weight loss or weight gain; fatigue; significant decrease in energy; difficulty making decisions; difficulty concentrating or keeping up; frequent thoughts of death and/or suicide; suicide attempts; and physical symptoms that fail to respond to treatment, including headaches, digestive disorders, and kinds of chronic pain in varying parts of the body.

The second type of depression, which is dysthymia, similar symptoms manifest themselves albeit they are milder and last for a period of about two years. The most common description of patients with dysthymia include is a lack of enthusiasm or zest for life. While patients of this type of depression are usually harmless (they basically just go through life without joy), they sometimes experience major depressive episodes.

The third type of depression, which is manic-depression, is considered a bi-polar disorder. It is the most uncommon type of depression and characterized by disruptive cycles of the symptoms of depression that alternate from time to time with the symptoms of mania, such as the grandiose notions; risky behaviour; decreased need for sleep; overexcitement; abnormally elevated moods; increased energy; and many others. All three depression types must be treated.