1. Identify Clinical Depression
Suffering from clinical depression can have a huge effect on your quality of life. This disease represents one of the most severe types of depression, as many patients experience intense symptoms that limit their daily activities. In fact, clinical depression is so debilitating, that it is recognized as the number-one cause of disability in the United States today.
The symptoms of clinical depression include persistent sadness or irritability, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, difficulty concentrating, lack of interest in activities that you once enjoyed and feelings of guilt or hopelessness.
2. Recognize Dysthymia Disorder
Although symptoms of dysthymia disorder are not as severe as clinical depression, the persistence of the illness can make it difficult to treat. Dysthymia is categorized as a mild-to-moderate form of depression that affects you for at least 2 years.
To be diagnosed with dysthymia disorder, you must have at least two of the following six symptoms: changes in eating habits, changes in sleeping habits, fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration and difficulty making decisions.
3. Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is clearly recognizable by the cycling effect between periods of extreme depression and extreme mania. Also known as manic depression, the mood instability that results from this disease is very serious and could cause you to become temporarily disabled until treatment is found.
The mood swings that accompany bipolar disorder could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. In the manic phase, you could experience extreme symptoms of euphoria, optimism, racing thoughts or inflated self-esteem. In the depressive state, symptoms of the opposite nature become evident, such as hopelessness, sadness, anxiety, fatigue and chronic pain. Patients in this phase are also at risk for suicide.
Although a disease of the mind, bipolar disorder is classified as a medical condition. It is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain and must be treated with medications to stabilize the patient's mood and keep the symptoms under control. As of now, no known cure for bipolar disorder exists.
4. Atypical Depression
Perhaps one of the most difficult types of depression to diagnose and treat is atypical depression. The classic sign of atypical depression is mood reactivity--symptoms improve and worsen in response to life events. This means that you could experience complete relief from depression when something good happens. This is in contrast to other forms of depression, in which you'd have difficulty experiencing feelings of joy or happiness at all.
Other symptoms of atypical depression include overeating and oversleeping. You'll notice that this is in contrast to most other types of depression in which under-eating and insomnia are more common. These, too, are classic signs of atypical depression that help psychologists diagnose and treat patients who are suffering from the illness.
5. Psychotic Depression
Psychotic depression is an extremely dangerous disease that affects approximately 15 percent of people suffering from depression. The condition is marked by auditory and visual hallucinations and delusional thinking. Auditory and visual hallucinations include seeing people and things that aren't there and hearing voices in one's head. If you've experienced any of these symptoms, it's crucial to find help immediately.
Psychotic depression shares characteristics with schizophrenia. The difference, however, is that patients suffering from psychotic depression are generally aware that their hallucinations and delusions aren't real. This can make the disease difficult to diagnose because patients are often too embarrassed or ashamed to seek help. Treatments are available, however, and a full recovery can be achieved through the right combination of medication and psychotherapy.
