Clinical depression

Depression

Sometimes depression is referred to as 'clinical depression'. Clinical depression is a serious disorder where depressed feelings set in and continue for a long time making it impossible to continue with life in a normal way.

Clinical depression affects your:

• Feelings
• Thoughts
• Behaviour
• Bodily functions

When suffering from clinical depression, you have less control over your mood and feelings. You feel depressed day after day, sometimes for many months. This frame of mind takes over and clinical depression colours all aspects of your life:

In the most severe cases, depression can be life threatening. There are many symptoms such as poor sleep, loss of appetite, disinterest in your usual everyday activities and/or pleasures, self neglect and self harming thoughts or behaviour. People who are severley depressed may contemplate suicide.

It is very important that people who suffer from depression seek medical help. By encouraging a depressed person to seek help, you can help save a life. If you think that you are suffering from depression, you must go to see your doctor as soon as possible.

Types of depression

There are different ways of categorising the types of depression and terminology varies between countries and between professional groups. In Australia the following four types of depression are recognised:

1. Non-melancholic depression
This is the most common type and the most variable in terms of symptoms and in its pattern over time. Non-melancholic depression may resolve by itself or may require treatment. The best type of treatment depends on many factors including individual preference, level of severity of the depression, and local treatment resources.

2. Melancholic depression
Melancholic depression is uncommon but severe. It is associated with physical symptoms, such as disturbance in sleep, appetite and concentration, and is typically associated with disorders of movement that can be seen by others: profound slowing or agitation. Thinking is often severely affected, with intense negativity and often slowing of thinking speed. Melancholic depression usually requires medical treatment.

3. Psychotic depression
Psychotic depression is also uncommon but very severe. It combines the features of a melancholic depression with psychotic elements, such as hallucinations (e.g. hearing voices) or delusions (false beliefs). It also usually requires medical treatment and a hospital admission will almost always be necessary.

4. Bipolar depression
Bipolar depression occurs as part of a Bipolar Affective Disorder (previously known as Manic Depression). Someone with Bipolar Disorder usually experiences episodes of mood elevation, known as hypomania (mild mood elevation or unusual irritability) or mania (more severe mood elevation), as well as episodes of depression. Their mood may be normal for long periods between episodes.

Bipolar Disorder often runs in families and usually requires medical treatment. Treatment lessens the chance of future episodes of illness. Bipolar Disorder is often missed and may go undiagnosed for years.

5. Secondary depression

This is when the depression is caused by another disorder. The other disorder could be another psychiatric disorder (e.g. an anxiety disorder), or substance abuse (e.g. alcohol or drugs), or a medical illness (e.g. thyroid disease). It usually requirements treatment of both the depression and the disorder causing it.

6. Post-natal depression

This is when depression occurs after the birth of a baby. Link