Depression is now recognized by doctor's as a potentially serious medical condition. Gone now are the days when symptoms of depression were dismissed as "imaginary" or "self pity". Not only is depression recognized as being a real illness, but there have been different forms of depression that have been recognized as "unique" and that require different types of treatment.

Some people have been diagnosed with chronic depression, or long term depression. This is a type of illness that can be a life long condition, but can potentially be controlled with proper medication. Other forms of this illness are as follows:

Bipolar - Also known as "Manic Depressive". This type of depression is unique as, unlike other types of this illness, has its own set of unique symptoms that can include both major and minor mood swings. Individuals with Bipolar Disorder have been known to be violent and self destructive, with many doing things to hurt themselves and damaging their bodies.

Adjustment Disorder - This can be triggered by a major or minor life change. An example of this could be PostPartum Depression, although this is only theory from different case studies and not proven to be fact.

Dysthmyic Disorder - This type of depression is considered to be a more low or moderate condition that lasts a minumum of twenty four months (two years). A person diagnosed with this condition may have serious episodes of major depression, but tend to have a more steady, persistant, low to medium depression level.

Major Depression - Going by severity and number of symptoms of this illness, this would be considered to be the most serious of all types of this illness. Persons suffering from this type of depression may or may not have suicidal tendencies.

Uncategorized - There are studies being done on other types of symptoms that are not yet categorized by medical research, but have not yet accumulated enough information to be placed within any particular category.

There are also as many as four million individuals that suffer from a type of depression that is known as "Treatment Resistant". These are people that have tried everything, medication, therapy, shock treatments, you name it, but all have proven to be innefective.

Medical science is now in the early stages of experimenting a surgical procedure on individuals who feel that all other options have failed them and are desperate enough to try the surgery as a "last resort". This type of surgery involves drilling holes in the patients head and placing electrodes in an area of the brain known as "Area 25". A pacemaker is then placed in the persons chest and wires are run from the chest up to the electrodes in the brain.

As previously stated, this surgery is in the early stages and is definitely not without risk such as infection or stroke.

If successful, the maker of the pacemaker, Medtronic, stands to potentially make billions of dollars from the sales of these devices. This could potentially change the lives of many people that have been suffering for most or all of their lives.