Different types of depression

This is the most widely-spread type of depression. An episode lasts from several weeks to a year. Approximately 30% of individuals who get sick have only one episode in their life. But in lack of treatment, it may transform into a recurrent form. Depressive episodes always affect a person's performance to one degree or another.

In repeated depression, the disease is classified as a recurrent depressive disorder or major depression. It is a so-called true or clinical depression. It usually occurs during the teenage or early adulthood years. Depressive episodes, which can last from several months to several years, alternate with periods of normal mood.

Dysthymia manifests itself with milder and less severe manifestations than major depression. But it is persistent, i.e. the symptoms at least two years, sometimes it can last for decades, hence the name "chronic depression." Sometimes it becomes more severe and if it does, it is called double depression.

This is a type is a bipolar disorder. It is less frequent than unipolar depressions. It consists of a change in phases: depressive, normal mood, and manic.
Manic phases are distinguished by excessively high moods associated with hyperactivity, anxiety, and a decreased need for sleep.
Mania impacts thinking and social behavior and cause serious trouble both in personal and professional life. The best way to describe these "emotional shocks" is to "be on top of the world and fall into the depths of despair."

This type looks more like major depressive disorder than bipolar disorder. In this disorder, multiple depressive phases alternate with phases of mania, but with less pronounced euphoria. During these phases, family and loved ones may even mistakenly assume that the person is doing well.

In anxiety-depressive disorder, the clinic is very similar to depression but anxiety is added. In this case, both anxiety and depressive manifestations are evenly combined.

Psychosis is when people see or hear things that do not exist (hallucinations) and/or have wrong beliefs (delusions). There are various types of delusions such as self-blame for no reason, financial ruin, feelings of incomprehensible illness (hypochondriacal delusions). This disease almost always requires treatment at a special facility. Psychotic episodes can be either unipolar or bipolar.

This type is distinguished by hypersensitivity and mood swings, overeating and drowsiness, and panic attacks. This type of disease is mild and can be bipolar.

It is quite alike to atypical depressive disorder and flows seasonally with climate change, more often in autumn or winter. As a rule, in the season change, people resume normal functioning again.

It is a milder form of depression, more commonly affecting young adults, and characterized by short depressive episodes lasting less than two weeks.