Depression - Overview
Depression is a medical illness that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It can cause physical symptoms, too. The term clinical depression is usually used to distinguish the illness of depression from less difficult feelings of sadness, gloom, or the blues.
Clinical depression is not just grief. It is an illness that can challenge a person’s ability to perform even routine daily activities. At its worst, depression may lead to contemplate or attempt suicide. Sometimes that burden can seem overwhelming.
There are several different types of clinical depression (mood disorders that include depressive symptoms):
Major depression is an episode of change in mood that lasts for weeks or months. It is one of the most severe types of depression. It typically involves a low or irritable mood and/or a loss of interest in usual activities. It interferes with one's normal functioning and often includes physical symptoms. A person may experience only one episode of major depressive disorder, but often there are repeated episodes over an individual's lifetime.
Dysthymia, is less severe than major depression but usually goes on for a long period. There are usually times of feeling fairly normal between episodes of low mood. The symptoms usually do not completely disturb one's normal activities.
Psychotic depressionrefers to the situation when depression and hallucinations are experienced at the same time .This may be the result of depression that becomes so severe that it results in the sufferer losing touch with truth. Individuals who primarily suffer from a loss of touch with reality are thought to suffer from an inequity in the brain and to be at risk of consequently becoming depressed.
Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression, usually severe, alternating with episodes of extreme elation called mania. The depression that is associated with bipolar disorder is often referred to as bipolar depression. When depression is not associated with bipolar disorder, it is called unipolar depression
Seasonal depression, which medical professionals call seasonal affective disorder, is depression that occurs only at a certain time of the year.
Adjustment disorder is a state of distress that occurs in relation to a stressful life event. It is usually an isolated reaction that resolves when the stress passes. Although it may be accompanied by a depressed mood, it is not considered a depressive disorder.
Some people believe that depression is "normal" in people who are elderly, have other health problems, have setbacks or other tragedies, or have bad life situations. On the contrary, clinical depression is always abnormal and always requires attention from a medical or mental-health professional. The good news is that depression can be diagnosed and treated effectively in most people. The biggest barriers to overcoming depression are recognition of the condition and seeking appropriate treatment.
More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness, nor is it something that you can simply "snap out" of. Depression is a chronic illness that usually requires long-term treatment, like diabetes or high blood pressure. Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychological counseling or other treatment.