Have you or someone you are close to been feeling depressed for at least a few weeks? Or are you confused about whether you really are depressed because your symptoms don’t fit what you know about depression?

Feeling depressed is actually not just one condition but many — all of which fall under the umbrella of mood disturbances. Let’s review some common and lesser known forms of depression.

The hallmarks of major depression, the most common type of depression, are a persistent depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure. Major depression may be associated with sleep and appetite disturbance, weight loss, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, poor concentration or indecisiveness, or ongoing thoughts of death or suicide.

People who suffer from major depression may also experience some degree of impairment in social or work interactions, or other important areas of functioning. Episodes of major depression can recur multiple times throughout a person’s life.

People who experience depression almost all the time have a type of depression called dysthymia. They feel depressed most of the day, for more days than not, during a period of at least two years. However, a person with dysthymia does not have such severe depression or enough symptoms to meet the criteria for major depression during this period.

That’s probably why we haven’t heard more about this type of depression. Although not as disabling as major depression, the long-lasting low mood of dysthymia still affects a person’s ability to function normally.

Sometimes people with ongoing dysthymia may have superimposed episodes of major depression, which sometimes is then described as a double depression.

As stated above, the typical constellation of symptoms occurring with major depression includes a loss of appetite, weight loss, and insomnia. Another kind of depression, however, called atypical depression, refers to a condition where the symptoms are just the opposite. A person with atypical depression can have increased appetite and often gain weight during their episodes. They also have a sense of increased sleepiness, or of not being able to get enough sleep to feel refreshed.

Psychotic depression refers to major depression episodes that are associated with delusional thinking or the experience of hallucinations. When a depressed person does have delusional thoughts, often they are in keeping with a sense of guilt or pessimism. For example, someone with psychotic depression may incorrectly believe that they have caused terrible catastrophes or are in financial ruin.

People with bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic-depressive illness, have had at least one episode of mania or hypomania, but generally they spend greater periods of time in depressive episodes. Even here there are different types of bipolar disorder: Type I bipolar disorder is characterized by severe manic episodes; in type II bipolar disorder, manic episodes are not pronounced and people have greater difficulty due to recurrent depression.

And last, around this time of the year we start hearing more about seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also called seasonal pattern depression. This is a predictably low mood that begins in autumn and disappears in the spring. This type of depression often is associated with symptoms like an excessive desire for sleep, increased appetite, or significant weight changes throughout the year.

Although this seasonal type of depression generally is not as severe as major depression, it still can have a significant effect on the lives of people, due to the long periods of time people suffer with the disorder.

The different types of depression require different treatment approaches. So when seeking help, it is important to tell your doctor or counselor about how you experience your depression. The good news is that there are effective therapies and medications that work for most people no matter what their flavor of depression.

© 2007 Johns Hopkins University

By Malcolm Moorhouse, depressionsite4you.com

Depression can affect the working ability, family and social life of a person. This is why we should never try to ignore or hide depression. It is important to be aware of the symptoms, the causes and what possibilities we have to try and prevent it in our lives.

Each of us has had a depressing sad moment at some point in our lives. Depression is a normal human reaction associated with bereavement, pressures of life or maybe the break up of a relationship. Sometimes the feeling of sadness passes but sometimes it doesn’t, if it becomes more persistent it can lead to depression. Diseases of the nervous system are very serious and that is why it is important not to ignore depression and to get proper help when we realize there is a problem.

Listed below are some symptoms of depression:

* Feeling sad
* Loss of energy
* Loosing hope in life
* Not finding pleasure doing the things you used to love
* Can’t concentrate
* Always crying
* Sleeping a lot
* Can’t sleep
* Loss of appetite

What causes depression? This is a complicated question because there isn’t a single cause for depression. This is a complex disease that can appear as a result of multiple causes. Depression can also be transmitted among people that are close to each other, by influence.

There is proof that people suffering from depression suffer brain changes. There is also evidence that illustrates how depression can also be genetic. Children can be affected by parents who suffer from. Also it seems that parents whose children suffer from chronic depression are more likely to be affected themselves by this illness.

To prevent depression we have to know ourselves very well. Treatable depression can be hard to prevent once we are already down in the dumps. The best method to avoid another crisis after a chronic depression is to keep our eyes open for its symptoms and its causes. If we feel we are loosing control then getting professional help would be the right direction to take.

Sent By Gabriel Adams, Depression Causes and Treatment

Depression is an illness of the mind. It is where neurotransmitters in the brain are not balanced out. There is no way to overcome this illness without treatment and it can be serious and in some cases harmful.

Some of the symptoms of depression include:

- Feeling sad and upset a lot of the time.

- Thinking about the bad things in life and what has went wrong with your life.

- You feel like you’re always weighing other people down and holding them back from having a good time.

- You have physical pain over different parts of your body that has no medical cause.

Depression affects many people of this world and probably affects you or someone close to you. The good thing about it being so common is how easy it is to find a cure. Some of the cures for depression include:

- Medication. Medication includes different types of medicines which help to fight the symptoms of depression. They fall under three main categories.

1. Tricyclics (example: Norpramin)
2. SSRI (example: Prozac)
3. MAOI (example: Nardil)
4. St. Johns’ Wort has also been proven effective in curing depression. This is an all natural herbal cure which some people prefer to medication.

Acupuncture has also been tried to help treat depression patients.

Changing the way you feel about yourself. While this seems like it wouldn’t work one of the best ways to fight this disease is to look at life with a positive attitude. What this means is to mentally tell yourself to stop sulking around and to think of all the good things that life has brought you.

Depression can be caused by abuse, bad feelings, and mental expectations that you can’t meet. Verbal and mental abuse seems to be some of the leading causes of depression. Some scientists believe that depression is a way of the patient asking to be treated better by the people around them. Studies suggest that depression works, in a way to achieve that goal.

If you have depression it’s best you seek immediate advice about how to treat your disease. Remember, if not taken seriously it can cause harmful long term effects.

By Bakhru, Natural Home Remedies

Chronic Depression which is a less severe form of depression is also called Dysthymia. While this is not a severe condition of depression the symptoms of this disorder can last for quite a long period of time. Therefore it should be given the same concern as the other more debilitating forms of depression.

The symptoms of Chronic Depression are about the same as major depression. They include difficulty sleeping, loss of interest in one’s daily activities, being unable to enjoy one’s life, loss of energy, fatigue, changes in appetite, mental and physical sluggishness, thoughts of death or even suicide, difficulty concentrating, trouble making decisions and thinking, excessive feelings of guilt and worthlessness.

These symptoms can sometimes last for years. People who have Chronic Depression can lead normal lives and perform all of their tasks adequately but they are unable to shake off the unhappiness that consistently grips them. Besides suffering from Chronic Depression some people will also experience a condition called Double Depression. Double Depression occurs when a person suffers a Major Depressive episode and their mood swings towards a Chronic Depressive mood.

In Double Depression the person suffers from the severe symptoms of Major Depression as well as the milder symptoms of Chronic Depression. The symptoms of Chronic Depression include difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, loss of energy or fatigue, loss of interest, the inability to enjoy oneself, physical and mental sluggishness, difficulty in concentrating, thinking or making decisions, excessive feelings of guilt and worthlessness as well as death and suicide.

Chronic Depression can affect any one who is aged 18 and over. There are currently about 10.9 million American adults who suffer from Chronic Depression. For depression to be medically classified as Chronic Depression the symptoms must be present for a period lasting longer than two weeks.

Even though the symptoms may last for 2 or more weeks, it is necessary for a mental health specialist to rule out that there is any other illness that is causing these symptoms. Once it is certain that the individual is suffering from Chronic Depression then medical treatment for the depression can be started. One way that Chronic Depression can be diagnosed is by examining the psychiatric history of the patient and their family. Any family history of Chronic Depression will indicate that the individual symptoms do indicate Chronic Depression.

While Chronic Depression is a serious illness it can be treated and its victims do not have to suffer needlessly for years. There are currently a range of medications and therapies that work quite while at controlling the initial stages of the disorder. After a period of time you can see an improvement in the quality of your life. So if you suffer from Chronic Depression don’t lose heart, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.