Depression Categorized

Depression is an ailment that affects studies, profession and family, interferes with the sleeping pattern and ruins your appetite, thereby jeopardizing your health. The disease can be a one time occurrence, or it may repeat. It can be sudden or gradual; it may last for a short period, or drag on for years. Mortality is found to be high in patients of depression on account of suicides, or other causes. The symptoms, severity, frequency etc. in case of depression varies widely, as in the case of any other ailment.

The category of depression that is chronic enough to be treated is called Clinical Depression. Depression can be either minor or major. In minor cases there is the occurrence of two or more symptoms of the ailment, for two weeks at least.

Major Depressive Disorder is severe depression that carries on for at least two weeks. When the patient suffers from the disorder only once during life time it is called ‘single episode’, and in case of repeated occurrence it is known as ‘recurrent’. Major Depression can also be further categorized as mild, major, or severe. Unipolar Depression is one in which the patient continues to be at one pole, one state of emotion. Prolonged state of sadness following the death or departure of a dear one is not generally diagnosed as unipolar depression.

On the other hand Bipolar Depression has periods of mania, which is the other extreme of the disease, which is also called manic-depressive illness, in which there is a dramatic change in the mood of the patient. A patient suffering from depression is withdrawn from the world, he is pessimistic and anxious. There is an obsession with feelings like guilt and helplessness. He is irritable and touchy. Energy level of the patient is low and there is ‘slow down’, and there are often complaints of fatigue. There is no desire to involve in any activity that gives pleasure. He is shrouded in negative thoughts like death. There is also an increased tendency for suicide. During the high the patient exhibits inappropriate social behavior, they appear to be uninhibited, agitated, irritable, highly elated, garrulous, and animated. They may stay active and energetic for long hours, without feeling the need for sleep. Sexual desire is also more. Mania may lapse into psychosis if unattended.

In case of Melancholia the patient exhibits lack of pleasure in everything. He fails to react to pleasurable stimuli. The expression is very distinct and different from that of usual sadness. Generally patients are awake during morning hours, and the symptoms are severe during this time. The patient is tormented by the feeling of guilt. There is generally a ‘slow down’ resulting from psychomotor retardation.

In Atypical Depression patients indulge in food, as they resort to food for comfort. There is considerable increase of weight in such cases. It is a very common type of depression where the person not only eats, but also sleeps a lot, as a sign of withdrawal and social isolation. They appear to be hypersensitive.

There is also Depression with Psychotic Features where the patients during severe instances of either depression or mania, suffer from delusions, typical of a psychotic state. The hallucinations are sometimes ‘mood-congruent’ and sometimes ‘non-mood-congruent’. In the variety known as RBD or Recurrent Brief Depression, the patients suffer monthly; the state of illness recurs, and lasts from two days to two weeks.

In case of Dysthymia the patient appears constantly ‘low’ for a period of two years at least, without any symptoms of severe depression. A person suffers from double depression when a case of major depression co-occurs along with dysthymia. Postpartum Depression accompanies the birth of a child, and has the symptoms of clinical depression. This variety is cured with proper medication, and is short-lived.

Hypomania is a lower variety of mania, and not considered severe. Patient exhibits all symptoms of mania like elation, irritability, hypersexuality, lack of sleep etc., but the symptoms are not manifest. Patients of hypomania suffer from anxiety as well, along with feelings of guilt and dread.