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The Various Types of Depression and Their Symptoms

 

 

Not many people know that depression is subcategorized into different types depending on the established symptoms. Those who do, only know of the two major subcategories which are unipolar and bipolar depression.

Here are descriptions of the different types of depression.

1. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):

Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD is also known as winter depression or winter blues. It is observed in people who develop depression symptoms during the winter but rarely in the other seasons.

Certain individuals go through a severe mood swings when the seasons change.
Symptoms:

  • Difficulty waking up in the morning
  • Oversleeping
  • Overeating or lack of appetite (that leads to rapid weight gain/loss)
  • Lack of Energy
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Social withdrawal
  • Loss of interest in day-to-day activities
  • Anxiety
  • Decreased sex drive
  • Inability to cope with increased temperatures during spring & summer


2. Major Depression:

Major depression could possibly be the most widespread type of depression. It greatly affects how a person relates to those around them. The sufferer always looks fatigued or drained.
The person also looses interest in common daily activities and may resign themselves to being in this hopeless state. Below are some of the other common symptoms

Symptoms:

  • Consistently low and sometimes irritable mood
  • Inability to enjoy life
  • Have obsessive and negative thoughts e.g. of worthlessness, guilt, hopelessness, etc.
  • Have unpleasant mental images and dreams self-hatred
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Withdrawal from social situations and activities,
  • Have reduced sex drive
  • May think of or attempt suicide.
  • Lack of sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite

 

3. Melancholic depression:

Melancholic depression is a type of depression where a person loses the ability to enjoy the good things in life. The person may find it nearly impossible to see anything good even in the most positive happenings in their lives.

Symptoms:

  • Loss of sleep
  • Strong feelings of guilt
  • Severe weight loss
  • Psychomotor agitation or retardation,
  • Symptoms worsen in the morning but become better in the evenings

 

4. Atypical Depression:

Atypical depression is a variation of depression where the victim can sometimes have happy or good feelings in response to positive events. Atypical depression episodes can be experienced for some few months but can also last a lifetime.

Symptoms:

  • The person’s mood is apparently affected by external circumstances
  • Oversleeping (Hypersomnia)
  • Incessant fatigue
  • Overeating and weight gain. People who suffer from atypical depression believe that outside events control their mood (i.e. success, attention and praise).
  • Heavy or leaden of the limbs
  • Highly sensitization to rejection that leads to social or occupational impairment

 

5. Postpartum depression (PPD)

Postpartum depression is also referred to as postnatal depression. It affects women mostly after giving birth to a child. The onset of postpartum depression is usually the first few months after they have stayed with the newborn child. It’s duration can range from a few months to even a year.

Symptoms:

  • Overwhelm
  • Feelings of sorrow and hopelessness
  • Feeling of low sense of self and guilt
  • May develop unhealthy sleep and eating habits
  • May experience panic attacks
  • Inability to be comforted
  • Social withdrawal
  • Lack of energy
  • Become easily frustrated
  • Feels angry especially about other people
  • Low sex drive

 

6. Psychotic Depression:

Patients with psychotic depression hear (sounds or voices) and see things (visuals) that do not exist. These are also called hallucinations. The kinds of images or sounds imagined are mostly scary or unpleasant in nature.

Symptoms include

  • being irrationally obsessed about a part of their body when there’s nothing wrong
  • Irritability
  • Insomnia
  • Develop high suicidal tendencies

 

7. Dysthymia:

Dysthymia a depressive condition that many people live with but may not be aware of. Sufferers live most of their lives feeling low, indifferent, anxious and never able to enjoy themselves.

8. Manic Depression:

Manic depression is a type of depression where a person mood rapidly changes from depression to mania. Symptoms are always fluctuating from these two states.