What is Depression? Causes, Types, Symptoms and Medications

Everyone feels sad sometime in their lifetime but when you are sad for long periods of time, you could be suffering from depression. Depression is a serious mental illness and according to WebMD, major depression affects 14.8 million adults in the United States alone. That does not count childreen and teens with depression.

There are many different types of depression including major depression, Bipolar disorder, chronic depression, atypical depression, seasonal depression, psychotic depression and postpartum depression.

Major Depression:

Major depression, also known as clinical depression can debilitate a persons life if left untreated. Major depression causes an untreated person to lose interest in daily activities. It can interfere with eating, sleeping and work. Major depression can prevent a person from functioning normally.

Bipolar Disorder:

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression is a mood disorder that fluctuates between periods of depression and periods of mania or extreme elation. There are two types of Bipolar disorder, Bipolar one and Bipolar two. Bipolar one disorder consists of at least one manic episode with or without major depressive episodes. Bipolar two consists of at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode.

Chronic Depression:

Chronic depression is not as serious as Major depression or Bipolar disorder. It does not disable a person but actually consists of being depressed for a long period of time, i.e. two years or more. If a person is diagnosed with chronic depression or also known as Dysthimia, they can also experience major depression at least once in their lifetime.

Atypical Depression:

Atypical depression consists of symptoms such as overeating, oversleeping, fatigue, sensitivity to rejection and moods that become worse due to events. Other symptoms include feelings of worthlessness, problems concentrating, irritability, difficulty with making decisions and uncontrollable crying.

Seasonal Depression:

Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder is a depression that occurs at the same time every year, usually at the start of Fall and all Winter long. It will usually end when Spring or Summer returns. SAD is caused by a decrease in Serotonin due to less sunlight.

Psychotic Depression:

Psychotic depression consists of hallucinations and delusions along with depression. People with psychotic depression may get angry for no reason. People who suffer from psychotic depression may have delusions that people are out to get them.

Postpartum Depression:

Postpartum depression is a depression that affects new mothers. Postpartum depression occurs and is diagnosed when a new mother experiences major depression within a month or two after having their baby.

There are many different types of medications used for depression such as Zoloft, Lexapro, Prozac and that is just to name a few. If you feel you suffer from one or more of these types of depression, see a doctor and get treated immediately. Treatment can include medication and therapy or just medication by itself. As a person suffering from depression myself I highly recommend a combination of medication and therapy together for better results.