Depression – The Silent Enemy

As with any illness depression has more than one classification. There are three common types that we will look at today. Each one has its own characteristics in symptom, how severe they are, and how long they last.

Major depression has many symptoms that can obstruct you in your way of working, sleeping, eating, studying, or even enjoy your activities. This type of depression may only occur once in your lifetime, but can happen several times.

Dysthymia, is a type of depression that is not as bad as major depression but it is long term and does not completely stop you from functioning but you will just not feel well. If you have dysthymia you can also at times throughout your life experience major depression.

Manic depressive is another form of depression that is called bipolar disorder. With this type of depression, you will see cycling mood swings, severe highs and lows. Most of the time these mood swings come on slowly but can be very fast in the onslaught. During the manic cycle you will notice, overactive behavior, more talkative, and a lot more energy. This type of depression affects the way you think, judge, and even the way you act in a social setting. You may even cause embarrassment to your self or to others when you are in a manic cycle. If manic depression is not treated it can become worse even to a psychotic state.

Here is a list of symptoms associated with depression and mania. Not every person will experience each and every symptom. Each person may have only a few of these symptoms and they may not be very severe, while others may have more of these symptoms and they may be more severe. Each person is different.

Depression Symptoms

* Being anxious, sad, or feeling empty
* Feelings of hopelessness, or being pessimistic
* Feeling of guilt, unworthiness, or helplessness
* The loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that you once enjoyed, including sex
* Having less energy and more fatigue
* Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
* Insomnia, waking up earlier than normal, or oversleeping
* Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
* Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
* Being Restless or irritable
* Constant physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Mania Symptoms

* Abnormal or excessive excitement
* Unusual irritability
* Less need for sleep
* Extravagant thoughts
* More talkative
* Racing thoughts
* Increased sexual desire
* Major increase in energy
* Judgment becomes poor
* Inappropriate social behavior

What causes depression?

Depression can be found to run in families, like bipolar disorder. Studies have shown that people that have bipolar disorder do in fact have a different genetic makeup than those that do not get this illness. But, everyone that has this genetic makeup does not get the illness. There are other factors that may help with the onset of this type of depression like stresses brought on at work, home, or school.

Major depression also seems to happen to people that have had family members in their past with this disorder. It can also happen to anyone whether it is in their family line or not. This type of depression usually happens because of a change in brain structure or function.

Other people that can have depression are those that do not have a very high self esteem or always see the world and themselves in a gloomy state.

If you notice this type of behavior in yourself or a loved one seek the advice of a health professional. Do not overlook children or the elderly because they can also develop depression. Depression does not care about the age, gender or intelligence of their host.