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Various Forms Of Depression

When talking about emotional status, the term depression has taken on an almost generic meaning. Among the general public, depression, it seems, can refer to sadness, grief, disappointment, loss, and probably other unique states of being as well. But the reality is depression is not some hodgepodge of emotional outlooks: depression is a specific mental health diagnosis that has a unique and specific symptomology.

There are, in fact, various depression forms, contrary to what the average person, and even the person with some knowledge of depression, may think. The most common depression type is dysthymia. Dysthymia is characterized by long-term, chronic depressive symptoms, though dysthymia symptoms never reach the point of becoming disabling. Though it is not disabling, dysthymia does affect life quality, and can and does prevent an optimal outlook.

A second depression type is major depression. Major depression is different from dysthymia in that it can and does cause functioning disability. Where chronic depressive symptoms may go on for long periods at unpleasant levels, symptoms in a major depression are so significant that normal functioning becomes seriously affected. Major depression typically occurs episodically, not chronically, perhaps due to the fact that major depression often demands treatment intervention and can't be overlooked as dysthymia, for example, can. A person may have only one episode of major depression during his or her lifetime, but is more likely to have several.

A third common depression type is bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is characterized by periods of debilitating major depression, but also by manic states. During a manic state, a person with bipolar disorder may appear exceptionally energetic, talkative, and possibly even euphoric. Inappropriateness in both behavior and judgment are typical manic traits. This swing, sometimes occurring very rapidly, between debilitating depression and mania is a classic indication of bipolar disorder.

Dysthymia, major depression, and bipolar disorder all call for treatment intervention. The treatment approach to dysthymia can involve psychological counseling, psychiatric medication, or a combination of both. Treatment for an episode of major depression almost always involves some form of psychiatric medication, and this is especially true if a major depression episode leads to hospitalization. The baseline treatment for bipolar disorder is treatment with medication, accompanied frequently, if not always, by psychological counseling. Lithium has long been a treatment for bipolar disorder. A case of bipolar disorder that goes untreated will often lead to the afflicted individual having more and more difficulty functioning normally in society, with an eventual possible outcome of considerable medical and / or legal difficulty.

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Zinn Jeremiah is a freelance writer. Access other writings by Zinn at article exchange. Get depression help by visiting depression self help.