The Many Faces of Depression: Types and Symptoms

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms that some people don’t know about.

I choose not to be in a depression anymore because I was heading down a path of destruction. As a result, it was literally tearing me apart. I tried to take my life many times over and over.

Then something clicked in my brain. Furthermore, I realized that I could control my life, not the depression. How did that happen? By all means, I just got tired of living on a hamster wheel. It was the same scene over and over again. I wanted off the hamster wheel.

So, I carefully took one small step forward and survived. Then I took another step and became more competent in myself.

Fast forward to today…my life is just the way I envisioned it all those years ago. Even though, it may have taken a couple of dead end paths, but eventually I found the right one.

So, my post today is about the different types of depression. There are many different types of depression. Equally, events in your life cause some, and chemical changes in your brain cause others.

Everyone experiences depression differently. However, there are different types of depression that have particular symptoms. T

They may also appear at different times. For example, postnatal depression appears around childbirth, while seasonal affective disorder appears during winter.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. MDD is also called clinical depression, characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in daily activities.

Consequently, people who have major depressive disorder have had at least one major depressive episode (five or more symptoms for at least a two-week period). For some people, this disorder is recurrent, which means they may experience episodes once a month, once a year, or several times throughout their lives.

Also, people with recurrent episodes of major depression are sometimes said to have unipolar depression, because they only experience periods of low, or depressed mood.

During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:

Firstly, feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
Fourthly, sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
In addition, anxiety, agitation or restlessness
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
Additionally, trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
Lastly, unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. Instead, this is a chronic, long-term form of depression that lasts for at least two years, but may be less severe than MDD.

Persistent depressive disorder (formerly dysthymia) is a continuous long-term, chronic state of low-level depressed mood. Even though the depressed state of persistent depressive disorder is not as severe as with major depression, but can be just as disabling.

The main symptom of PDD is a sad, low or dark mood. Other signs may include:

Firstly, fatigue.
Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness or isolation.
Lack of appetite or overeating.
Fourthly, Lack of concentration.
Limited energy.
Low self-esteem.
Trouble at work or school.
Lastly, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much.

Most people with PDD also have an episode of major depression at least once at some point, which is sometimes called “double depression.”

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. Meanwhile, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that causes people to experience depressive symptoms at the same time each year. Even though they usually have normal mental health throughout the year. SAD is often associated with the “holiday blues,” but these mood shifts can also occur in spring and summer. About 10% of people with SAD experience symptoms in the summer, which can include:

Firstly, loss of appetite
Trouble sleeping
Weight loss
Anxiety
Restlessness and agitation
Lastly, violent or aggressive behavior

Postpartum Depression (PPD)

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. A medical condition that can affect women after giving birth. Consequently, it can cause severe mood swings, make it hard to care for yourself and your baby, and can last longer than baby blues. PPD can also impact a mother’s relationship with her infant.

Postpartum depression symptoms may include:

Firstly, depressed mood or severe mood swings
Crying too much
Difficulty bonding with your baby
Fourthly, withdrawing from family and friends
Loss of appetite or eating much more than usual
Inability to sleep, called insomnia, or sleeping too much
Additionally, overwhelming tiredness or loss of energy
Less interest and pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
Intense irritability and anger
Fear that you’re not a good mother
Hopelessness
In addition, feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy
Reduced ability to think clearly, concentrate or make decisions
Restlessness
Severe anxiety and panic attacks
Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
Lastly, recurring thoughts of death or suicide

Untreated, postpartum depression may last for many months or longer.

Bipolar Disorder (manic depression)

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. Bipolar disorder (formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental illness that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration. In brief, these shifts can make it difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks. There are three types of bipolar disorder.

 Manic Episode

A manic episode is a period of at least one week when a person is extremely high-spirited or irritable most of the day for most days. They possess more energy than usual, and experiences at least three of the following changes in behavior:

Firstly, decreased need for sleep (e.g., feeling energetic despite significantly less sleep than usual.
Increased or faster speech.
Additionally, uncontrollable racing thoughts or quickly changing ideas or topics when speaking.
Distractibility.
Increased activity (e.g., restlessness, working on several projects at once).
Lastly, increased risky or impulsive behavior (e.g., reckless driving, spending sprees, sexual promiscuity).

 Bipolar II Disorder

Particularly, to diagnose bipolar II disorder in an individual, they must have at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode. With bipolar II, it is common that people return to their usual functioning between episodes.

Therefore, people with bipolar II disorder often first seek treatment as a result of their depressive episodes. Hypomanic episodes often feel pleasurable and can even increase performance at work or school.

Bipolar II Symptoms

Firstly, flying suddenly from one idea to the next.
Having exaggerated self-confidence.
Rapid, “pressured” (uninterruptible) and loud speech.
Lastly, increased energy, with hyperactivity and less need for sleep.

Cyclothymic Disorder

Subsequently, people with cyclothymic disorder have a chronically unstable mood state. They experience hypomania and mild depression for at least two years. Also, people with cyclothymia may have brief periods of normal mood (euthymia), but these periods last fewer than eight weeks.

Psychotic Depression

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. For the most part, psychotic depression is a subtype of major depression that occurs when a severe depressive illness includes some form of psychosis. Given that, the psychosis could be hallucinations (such as hearing a voice telling you that you are no good or worthless). Also, delusions (such as, intense feelings of worthlessness, failure, or having committed a sin) or some other break with reality.

Common symptoms for patients who have psychotic depression include:

Firstly, agitation
Anxiety
Constipation
Fourthly, hypochondria
Insomnia
Intellectual impairment
Physical immobility
Lastly, delusions or hallucinations

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. Similarly, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that causes mood swings, physical symptoms, and behavioral changes.

Thus, PMDD symptoms appear during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and disappear shortly after menstruation begins. Some researchers have suggested that PMDD is a variant of depression.

Symptoms of PMDD

Firstly, Depressed mood, sadness, hopelessness, or feelings of worthlessness.
Increased anxiety, tension, or the feeling of being on edge all the time.
Additionally, mood swings.
Self-critical thoughts, increased sensitivity to rejection.
Frequent or sudden tearfulness.
Lastly, increased irritability, anger, or both.

Different Kinds of Antidepressants

There are many faces of depression: types and symptoms. There are several different types of antidepressant. They mostly affect the same brain chemicals and cause similar effects. But some people may respond to certain antidepressants better than others. And the different drugs may cause different side effects.

The different types are:

firstly, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
tricyclics
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
lastly, other antidepressants

SSRIs and SNRIs side effects:

firstly, decreased alertness
headaches
nausea (feeling sick)
fourthly, sexual problems
tooth decay and oral health
diabetes
SIADH (Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion)
additionally, gastrointestinal bleeding
serotonin syndrome
suicidal feelings
neuroleptic malignant syndrome
lastly, hypomania or mania

Tricyclics side effects:

firstly, antimuscarinic effects
tooth decay and oral health
decreased alertness
fourthly, suicidal feelings
serotonin syndrome
additionally, SIADH (Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion)
diabetes
neuroleptic malignant syndrome
lastly, hypomania or mania

MAOIs side effects:

firstly, decreased alertness
SIADH (Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion)
serotonin syndrome
fourthly, diabetes
suicidal feelings
lastly, neuroleptic malignant syndrome

Conclusion

When to get emergency help:

If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call 911 in the U.S. or your local emergency number immediately.

Also consider these options if you’re having suicidal thoughts:

Call your doctor or mental health professional.
Contact a suicide hotline.
Also, in the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or use the Lifeline Chat. Services are free and confidential.
U.S. veterans or service members who are in crisis can call 988 and then press “1” for the Veterans Crisis Line. Or text 838255. Or chat online.
In addition, The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. has a Spanish language phone line at 1-888-628-9454 (toll-free).

Articles About Depression

-7 Common Types of Depression

https://www.verywellmind.com/common-types-of-depression-1067313

-Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9132-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd

-Bipolar Disorder

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9294-bipolar-disorder

Have a Good One,

Cindee Murphy, One Voice In The Vastness Of Emotions

“That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end.”― Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

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