Depression

Types

There are several types of depression:

• Major depression is marked by a depressed mood that lasts for more than two weeks and is accompanied by several distinct symptoms related to eating, sleeping, concentrating, etc.
• Dysthymia is a chronic, low-grade form of depression that is not as severe as major depression.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a pattern of depression that comes and goes with the change in season.
• Postpartum depression occurs in some women after childbirth.
• Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which people have extreme mood swings that include intense emotional highs (manias) and lows (depression). It requires a different treatment approach than depression.
• Adjustment disorders with depressed mood are characterized by emotional symptoms that occur after a particularly stressful event.
• Depression with psychosis is an extremely serious but uncommon condition that is characterized by delusions or hallucinations co-occurring with depression symptoms.