{"id":12751,"date":"2017-03-24T11:19:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T05:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/?p=12751"},"modified":"2025-10-06T15:56:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T10:26:52","slug":"what-is-depression-a-guide-to-everything-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourdost.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/what-is-depression-a-guide-to-everything-you-should-know.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is Depression? A Guide To Everything You Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

All of us experience episodes of feeling blue or low as a normal part of life. However, consistently feeling sad, the experience of negative rumination and lack of energy isn\u2019t something normal. If someone persistently feels sad, empty and irritable which is affecting their daily activities, it could be a sign of depression. <\/span><\/p>\n

Depression is a mood disorder which is affecting 350 million people worldwide according to the WHO. The symptoms range from lasting feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness to losing interest in the things you used to enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the symptoms:<\/b><\/h2>\n

— Depressed mood all the time nearly every day<\/span><\/p>\n

— Diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities <\/span><\/p>\n

— Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain or decrease\/increase in appetite<\/span><\/p>\n

— Insomnia or hypersomnia <\/span><\/p>\n

— Psychomotor agitation or retardation<\/span><\/p>\n

— Fatigue or loss of energy <\/span><\/p>\n

— Feelings of worthlessness or excessive, inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) <\/span><\/p>\n

— Diminished ability to think, concentrate or indecisiveness,<\/span><\/p>\n

— Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), suicidal ideations without a specific plan, a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide<\/span><\/p>\n

These symptoms can cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. The episodes are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or to another medical condition.<\/span><\/div>\n

If the above-mentioned symptoms last for more than 2 weeks, it can be diagnosed as depression and needs professionals help.<\/b><\/p>\n

Types of Depression<\/b><\/h2>\n

1. Major depressive disorder<\/b> – \u00a0The most common type of depression is a major depressive disorder. \u00a0It occurs when the symptoms interfere with one\u2019s social, occupational and other areas of functioning. The symptoms of MDD are extreme sadness, hopelessness, lack of energy and interest in everything. There may be changes in sleeping and eating habits, feeling of worthlessness, thoughts of death or suicide persistent for at least 2 weeks straight.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Dysthymia <\/b>-The essential feature of persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) is a depressed mood that occurs for most of the days, for at least 2 years or at least 1 year for children and adolescents. Individuals with persistent depressive disorder describe their mood as sad or “down in the dumps.” This type of depression has fewer or milder symptoms than major depression and also lasts longer than major depression. Symptoms include sadness, trouble concentrating, fatigue, and changes in sleep habits and appetite.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder – <\/b>The main features of premenstrual dysphoric disorder are mood swings, irritability, dysphoria, and anxiety symptoms. They occur repeatedly during the premenstrual phase of the cycle. It is a cyclical condition in which women feel sad and irritable for one or two weeks before their menstrual period each month. It is a depressive disorder caused due to the changes in chemicals of the brain and hormones of the body during ovulation in a woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Postpartum depression<\/b> – \u00a0In this type of depression mothers experience depression symptoms after giving birth. This can occur anywhere from weeks to months after childbirth. Some of the symptoms are extreme sadness, fatigue, loneliness, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, fear of hurting the baby, and feelings of disconnect from the child. \u00a0Postpartum depression must be distinguished from baby blues which affects most mothers post pregnancy. \u00a0It is caused by changes in the chemical nature of the brain and body (reduced levels of estrogen and progesterone), due to pregnancy and delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Seasonal affective depression – <\/b>This type of depression affects people during particular times or seasons of the year. During the months of winter, individuals feel depressed and lethargic. But during the rest of the months, their moods may be stable. This sets in during winter and is associated with a lack of sunlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Atypical depression – <\/b>\u00a0This condition is different than the persistent sadness of typical depression. \u00a0A positive event can temporarily change one\u2019s mood. \u00a0Symptoms of atypical depression include:<\/span><\/p>\n