Sometimes life gets difficult. What could previously cause us pleasure and happiness can suddenly transform into sadness and disinterest. Other times we spend our lives experiencing persistent and lasting anguish that does not stop. We live in a world full of situations that generate stress and affect our daily lives. Nothing seems to make sense anymore, we rethink different scenarios that we experience and we constantly remember situations from the past that make us forget the present and the future.
Does this sound familiar to you? It may have happened to you or you probably know someone who has these sensations. We are talking about depression, which can have consequences in our daily lives. Knowing its main characteristics can allow us to address it in time and thus have a better life. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the Types of depression, their symptoms and treatment.
What is depression
Depression is a emotional disturbance in which feelings of sadness and hopelessness occur regarding the present and the future. Likewise, it causes difficulties in carrying out daily tasks and can influence the development of social relationships and work performance.
The causes of depression can be very diverse. Mainly, the origin of this emotional disorder may be due to:
- Situations from the past that trigger depressive symptoms: It is possible that within the family there are people who have suffered or suffer from depression. This makes it possible for the person to imitate certain behaviors that he has seen throughout his life and adopt them as behavioral patterns.
- Genetic factors linked to the development of depression: here family inheritance plays an important role in determining the approach to this clinical condition.
Now that we know what depression is, we should know that there are several types of depression that present different symptoms depending on each person.
Major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder is a state of mind in which feelings of apathy and disinterest for any type of activity. Let’s see what are the main symptoms of major depressive disorder:
- Physical manifestations linked to decay.
- Loss or increase in appetite.
- Insomnia.
- Slowness or physical agitation.
- Feelings of guilt.
- Difficulty performing activities that require concentration.
- Thoughts referring to death.
To distinguish it from other types of depression, it is important to clarify that to determine that it is a major depressive disorder, these symptoms must be present for a minimum period of two weeks.
For the treatment of major depressive disorder, psychological therapy short-term such as cognitive behavioral therapy or long-term therapies that seek the origin of the problem. Likewise, psychiatric medication may be present under medical indication. In this article, we tell you how the .
Persistent depressive disorder
This disorder is also known as dysthymia and the symptoms persist for two or more years in the person’s life. If we talk about types of depression, in persistent depressive disorder the person presents the following symptoms:
- Lack or excess of appetite.
- Difficulties in sleep regulation: such as insomnia and/or hypersomnia.
- Lack of concentration.
- Low self-esteem.
- Hopelessness in the face of the world.
Regarding the possible treatment of this disorder, the evidence says that short-term psychological therapies They are effective in resolving conflicts in a person’s life. On the other hand, it may happen that a psychiatric treatment. If necessary, a health professional should indicate it. In this article you will find more information about the .
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Among the main characteristics of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, the following stand out:
- Sudden changes in mood.
- Fatigue.
- Hypersomnia or insomnia.
- Specific binges on some foods.
- Irritability.
It is important to know that these symptoms occur in women during the week before menstruation.
Regarding treatment, given the qualities of this disorder, we can mention that the psychological therapies They are highly effective in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. If necessary, therapy can be accompanied by pharmacological treatment, taking into account the characteristics of each person.
Destructive mood dysregulation disorder
One type of depression is characterized by the existence of episodes of anger and irritability. As its name indicates, this disorder causes changes in the person’s mood, since it oscillates between destructive behaviors and behaviors appropriate for living in society. In general, it is usually more common in adolescents and young people.
Likewise, the diagnosis is usually made in children who are between 6 and 10 years old. Here we mention the main symptoms of destructive mood dysregulation disorder:
- Three or more angry episodes per week.
- Episodes must persist for at least 12 months.
- Mood linked to anger for much of the day.
- Difficulties in social relationships resulting from these behaviors.
To address this pathology, it usually combines psychotherapyoriented towards the resolution of the situations that trigger these emotions, with the provision of medication under medical indication.
Depressive disorder induced by a substance or medication
Substance-induced depressive disorder is characterized by presence of moments of sadness and hopelessness for the present and the future. The main cause is the ingestion of a substance, such as a drug or medication, and its side effects. In this way, let’s see what the main symptoms of this disorder are:
- Alteration of mood: marked by a decline in interest in the activities of the world.
- Duration of more than one month: presence of these characteristics from prolonged consumption of a medication or drug.
- Deterioration in emotional relationshipssocial and labor
Regarding its treatment, psychotherapy combined with the use of supervised psychiatric medication by health professionals.
Depressive disorder due to another medical condition
The origin of this depressive disorder is the emergence of an illness. In general terms, there are some medical conditions that can be the cause of a depressive disorder. With this type of depression, we must take into consideration the following statements:
- The presence of an organic disease must be associated with the subsequent appearance of depression.
- Mood marked by feelings of sadness and disinterest in the world sustained over time.
For the treatment of depressive disorder due to another medical condition, it is always recommended to consult with a psychologist and evaluate the need for any psychiatric medication that does not generate side effects.
Depressive disorder with anxiety
One of the types of depression that is characterized by the presence of the aforementioned symptoms of depression and emergence of moments of anxiety. It is important to verify here whether the anxiety corresponds to the disorder itself or if it is part of the person’s way of being.
In this article you will find more information about it.
Depressive disorder with mixed features
In depressive disorder with mixed characteristics, it is common for moments of sadness and disinterest in the activities of daily life to overlap with moods linked to mania. Let’s look at some examples
- Flight of ideas.
- Thoughts related to greatness.
- Greater ability to speak.
- Decreased sleep.
Given this type of depression, it is important to take into account whether the person has these characteristics at the time of make a medical consultation.
Bipolar depressive disorder
Bipolar depressive disorder is closely related to depressive disorder with mixed characteristics, since a person who has bipolar oscillates between moments of deep sadness and disinterest in the world with moments of psychomotor exaltation and exaggerated joy.
In these cases, genetic inheritance and life history must be taken into account. It is usually common to treat this depression with psychotherapy and medication. Discover the .
Depressive disorder with melancholic features
In this clinical picture, it is usually common for the person to have symptoms of depression as a result of the loss of some very valuable item or person. It is frequent presence of feelings of guiltslowness in psychomotor coordination or loss of body weight, among others.
Depressive disorder with psychotic features
The main feature of depressive disorder with psychotic features is usually presence of delusions and hallucinations, whose contents are linked to elements that have been seen or heard, but the interpretation of the facts is usually erroneous. Thus, in this type of depression, they are the trigger of the depressive condition. In this article you will see what the .
Depressive disorder with atypical features
If we talk about types of depression, in this case the person may present improvements in their mood as a result of events that they consider positive for their life. However, these improvements are usually temporary given the persistence of feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
The main symptoms of this disorder are usually an increase or decrease in weight and a feeling of body heaviness.
Depressive disorder with catatonia
A person with depressive disorder with catatonia has the following symptoms:
- Wanting to be part of some meaningless activity.
- Withdraw from social contact.
- Performing movements and gestures that are not in tune with the social context
- Lack of coordination of their movements.
Furthermore, this can be added to the already described symptoms of major depression.
Depressive disorder with peripartum onset
One of the types of depression that occurs during pregnancy or up to four months after giving birth. In this case, the feelings of sadness and hopelessness are linked to the birth of the baby. There are possibilities that the boy or girl will be hurt by the mother due to fantasies, delusions and/or hallucinations.
For the treatment of depressive disorder with peripartum onset, it is necessary to undergo a psychological consultation and take psychiatric medication.
Depressive disorder with seasonal pattern
In seasonal depressive disorder, the symptoms of depression described above often appear during certain times of the year, such as fall and winter. To overcome this depression,…