"Do not accuse the depressed person of faking illness or of laziness, or expect him or her "to snap out of it."

"Many forms of psychotherapy, including some short-term (10-20 week) therapies, can help depressed individuals."

Types of Depression


Just like other illnesses, such as heart disease, depression comes in different forms. This booklet briefly describes three of the most common types of depressive disorders. However, within these types, there are variations in the number of symptoms, their severity, and persistence.

Major depression (or major depressive disorder) is manifested by a combination of symptoms (see symptoms list below) that interferes with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. A major depressive episode may occur only once; but more commonly, several episodes may occur in a lifetime. Chronic major depression may require a person to continue treatment indefinitely.

A less severe type of depression, dysthymia (or dysthymic disorder), involves long lasting, chronic symptoms that do not seriously disable, but keep one from functioning well or feeling good. Many people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes at some time in their lives.

Another type of depressive illness is bipolar disorder (or manic depressive illness). Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes: severe highs (mania) and lows (depression), often with periods of normal mood in between. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but usually they are gradual. When in the depressed cycle, an individual can have any or all of the symptoms of depression. When in the manic cycle, the individual may be overactive, over talkative, and have a great deal of energy. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, the individual in a manic phase may feel elated, full of grand schemes that might range from unwise business decisions to romantic sprees and unsafe sex. Mania, left untreated, may worsen to a psychotic state.

"Depressive disorders make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless and it is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect the actual circumstances."

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"A study supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that CBT led to remission in nearly 65 percent of cases, a higher rate than either supportive therapy or family therapy."

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"It is important to keep taking medication until it has a chance to work, though side effects may appear before antidepressant activity does."

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"Efforts are underway to develop a skin patch system for one of the newer MAOIs, selegiline."

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"NIMH-sponsored studies estimate that 6 percent of 9- to 17-year-olds in the United States and almost 10 percent of American adults, or about 19 million people age 18 and older, experience some form of depression every year."

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"Certain medications as well as some medical conditions such as a viral infection can cause the same symptoms as depression, and the physician should rule out these possibilities through examination, interview, and lab tests."