Depression: symptoms, causes, types

Depression is not just a constant lowering of mood, pessimism and a desire for solitude. This is a mental disorder that leads to serious consequences. The patient loses the ability to enjoy life, he is not given the solution of difficult problems, he is prone to negative outcomes from any situation. But this condition can be corrected, depression is curable.

Types of depression

Depression is not always perceived as a disease not only by relatives of the patient, but also by himself. A bad mood lasts for weeks, everything is seen in gloomy colors, you don’t want to move, but you want to hide in a corner and just lie. The patient is accused of deterioration of character, selfishness and laziness. And he needs help. Help of a specialist.

Such help can be needed at any age. Five out of a hundred teenagers and children are familiar with this condition. With age, the number of cases also increases among young people – from 15 to 40%. Among adults, depressive disorders occur in one in ten, and women are twice as likely to experience this disorder. At an older age, about 30% of people have ever been depressed.

Depression as a disease can take many forms.

depressive episode

This is the most common form of the disease. Its duration is from two weeks to a year. If such a disorder is recorded only once, it is called unipolar. About 33% of patients experience this condition only once in their lives. As a rule, a depressive disorder is accompanied by a decrease in working capacity. Lack of treatment can lead to relapse.

Periodic depressive disorder

Characterized by repetition of episodes. It is also called recurrent, as well as classical or clinical depression. It usually first occurs in childhood or adolescence. Duration from several months to several years. Phases of the disease alternate with remission. Seriously affects working capacity and requires an appeal to a child psychologist in the early stages of the development of the disease.

Dysthymia

Duration from two years to decades. Although the symptoms are less severe than in recurrent disorder, they last longer. Dysthymia is also called chronic depression. The transition of this type to a severe form is called a double depression.

Bipolar depression type I

It is characterized by a change in the phases of the disease, remission and manic phases. This disorder is also called manic-depressive psychosis. When the patient goes through the last phase, he is characterized by hyperactivity, combined with a good mood, but at the same time with anxiety and insomnia. The patient loses the ability to think critically. As a result – financial problems, the risk of casual sex. After this phase, the patient becomes depressed. This is bipolar disorder.

Bipolar depression type II

Similar to depressive episodes. Changes of phases are also observed, but without an excessive increase in mood. During remission, there is an illusion of recovery.

depressive psychotic episode

With this disorder, hallucinations, delusions are observed. Such patients in most cases require hospitalization.

atypical depression

A mild type of depression, accompanied by drowsiness and excesses in eating, a sharp change in mood, hypersensitivity, a tendency to panic attacks.

Seasonal depressive disorders

Most often observed in autumn or winter. They pass when the season changes.

Causes of depression

There is no consensus among doctors on the causes of depression. Allocate the influence of heredity, as well as the environment. Almost half of people with depression have close relatives who suffer from the same disease. There is a high probability of illness of one of the identical twins if the second is sick.

External factors can also be the cause of depression. It can be stress caused by the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce. Those who have previously suffered from depression are also at risk. People with a passive life position, with increased anxiety, with mental disorders are also more likely to get sick.

A high risk of depression in women is associated with stress and increased emotionality. And also, with some features of female physiology, for example, a tendency to thyroid dysfunction, hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle and menopause. Also, pregnancy and the postpartum period due to increased stress on the body can lead to postpartum depression.

Signs and symptoms of depression

Signs of depression are divided into 4 groups:

1. Emotional.
Depressed mood, impaired activity, decreased interest in life, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or lethargy, fatigue, loss of energy, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts, low self-esteem, impaired concentration, difficulty making decisions, hopelessness.

2. Physiological.
Cognitive, psychomotor and other types of dysfunctions, increased fatigue, decreased sexual desire, loss of interest or pleasure in activities that previously bring joy, sleep disturbances, decreased or increased appetite, body pain, constipation.

3. Behavioral.
Anxiety, tension, nervousness, irritability, anger, mood swings, bouts of sadness, tearfulness, exacerbation of interpersonal conflicts, passivity, a tendency to solitude, abandonment of previous hobbies, cravings for alcohol and psychotropic substances.

4. Thinking.
Inability to concentrate, make a decision, slow thinking, pessimism.

Symptoms of depression are divided into primary and secondary.

The main ones are:

• deterioration in mood without external causes for at least two weeks;
• increased fatigue for at least a month;
• persistent loss of interest in favorite activities.

Additional symptoms of depression include:

• pessimism;
• suicidal thoughts;
• feelings of depression, bouts of fear or guilt;
• a drop in self-esteem;
• any disturbances in sleep and appetite.

The presence of two main and three additional symptoms of depression in a patient allows making an appropriate diagnosis.

Depression in children has its own characteristics. Young children tend to feign illness in order to miss school or kindergarten, they are dependent on their parents and tormented by the fear of their death. Older children are constantly in a bad mood, their academic performance decreases, they perceive everything “with hostility” and complain of misunderstanding. The complexity of the diagnosis lies in the fact that sometimes it is not easy to separate the signs of depression and growth difficulties. In such cases, professional advice should not be abandoned.