There are two main types of depression, but many degrees of each and variations… clinical depression: A person who has clinical depression feels overwhelmed by sad feelings for months and stops being able to carry out everyday activities. manic-depressive: A person who is suffering from this illness shifts from one emotional extreme to another for no apparent reason. Manic swings is where the person is over excited or restless and has trouble concentrating and frequently show poor judgment. The depressive swings are deep depressions that bring thoughts of suicide. What’s normal? There is such a thing as normal depression. The way you might feel after a bad break-up or the way you feel when someone you love dies. The key here is, that feeling goes away. When you have a type of depression as an illness it’s re-occuring and has no apparent reason for coming about or it may be a small thing that sets you into the depression. Of the 35-40 million estimated people to suffer from depression
Depression can come in different forms and in different degrees. For the purpose of management and treatment the most common types of depression are often referred to as the following:
Mild: Depression is described as mild when it has a negative but limited effect on your daily life, for example, you may have difficulty concentrating at work or motivating yourself to do the things you normally enjoy.
Moderate: More of the symptoms are present in moderate depression than in mild depression and they are usually more obvious. There may be a clear reduction in functioning at home and in the workplace.
Severe (sometimes known as clinical or major depression): Severe depression significantly interferes with an individual’s ability to cope with their daily life – eating, sleeping and many other everyday activities seem impossible tasks which can be life-threatening, as a person may be unable to look after themselves. There is also a high risk of suicide. Some people may experience only one episode, but several episodes in a lifetime is more common. In some circumstances a person’s inability to function can lead to hospitalization.
Some of the less common types of depression are…
Bipolar Disorder (manic depression): This is a less common form of depression characterized by cyclical mood changes of severe highs (mania) and lows (depression). See our factsheet on Bipolar Disorder for further information.
Psychotic depression: This occurs in rare cases of severe depression when depressive symptoms are accompanied by some form of psychosis such as hallucinations or delusions.
Post-natal depression: This is not “the baby blues” which occurs 2-3 days after the birth and goes away. Postnatal depression can occur from about 2 weeks and up to a year after the birth. Around 1 in every 10 women has post natal depression after having a baby.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): A type of depression linked to exposure to sunlight which generally coincides with the approach of winter, starting usually from September and lasting until spring brings longer days and more sunshine. Symptoms of this depression are a desire to sleep more and eat carbohydrate foods. Bright light therapy can be helpful.
It seems to me that depression has many forms and manifestations. It all depends on your life situation. Sometimes depression can be mild, and sometimes it can be very severe. The most important thing is to see a specialist in time, even if you have a mild form of depression. Once, a psychologist helped me to prevent depression from developing. I am very grateful to him because I would not have been able to cope with this illness independently. Many people are afraid to seek help from professionals. They think that depression will go away by itself, but, unfortunately, this does not happen. At https://psychoanalystlondon.com/, you can read about the varieties of psychological and mental illnesses and, if necessary, seek help from a professional. Take care of your health.
