What are the 8 Types of Depression?


Contrary to common belief, there are several different types of depression. Depression can come in a variety of forms, from a variety of causes and experiences.

It’s important to understand the different types of depression in order to pin-point common struggles and treat each specific situation appropriately.

The 8 types of depression are atypical depression, psychotic depression, major “regular” depression (with a scale of severity), seasonal affective depression, postnatal depression, dysthymia depression, bipolar disorder depression, anxiety with depression.

While all types of depression usually make you feel “down”, sad or unmotivated, it’s important to be able to recognize what type of depression you’re dealing with.

Let’s take a deeper dive into what each type of depression is like.

Atypical Depression

Atypical depression is more common than it sounds. The reason why it’s called atypical is because the event of depression can be broken by positive experiences. It will then come back later on.

Atypical depression usually manifests itself by making people want to sleep or eat more. As a result, weight gain is typical and they will experience a lack of quality of life.

Someone experiencing atypical depression could be experiencing the lows of depression, overeating and feeling physically heavy or “weighed down”.

People with atypical depression also are known to not take rejection or criticism very well. They may take it personally or make it mean something negative about themselves. This can cause them to slip into a depressive episode.

They can also snap out of it in an instant if something exciting happens or they experience something positive. It’s an exhausting cycle that is hard to break out of.

types of depression

Usually, talk therapy, implementing healthy lifestyle habits and sometimes medication are the top go-to treatments for someone experiencing atypical depression – or any form of depression.

Psychotic Depression

Psychotic depression is diagnosed with those experiencing such severe depression to the point of exhibiting signs of psychosis.

The signs of psychosis that are seen in this case could be extreme delusions or even hallucinations.

When someone is severely depressed, their mind can start to believe certain things which are not true. This can cause delusional thinking which leads to odd behavior.

Similarly, your mind will fabricate things which sometimes appear to be in the physical world as hallucinations. Part of this is from the unhealthy state of mind and extreme exhaustion that often accompanies extreme depression.

People experiencing psychotic depression will often be unable to relax and can be suicidal. They are almost always in a constant state of torment and finding relief can be difficult. Therapy and medication are the top treatments for psychotic depression.  

Major “Regular” Depression

Major depression is what most people generally describe as depression. It does not have a specific “reason” or symptoms as the other forms have.

It can be chronic or acute. The common symptoms of depression are extreme feelings of sadness, excessive crying and lack of motivation. Difficulty thinking/remembering things, feeling unworthy, feeling exhausted after oversleeping and much more are also often experienced.

Most people experience some form of depression at one point or another in their lifetime. Major depression could be a regular occurrence, or only brought on by specific scenarios.

Depending on the severity of an individual’s major depression, treatment may or may not include an antidepressant (as is true with any form of depression).

As usual, talk therapy and lifestyle changes are also known to have positive results with someone suffering from depression.

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Seasonal Affective Depression

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been recognized as the depression many of us feel when the seasons change.

This is usually from warm sunny weather to the cold, dark days of fall/winter. People might describe it as “cabin fever” or the “winter blues” but it can actually be much more serious than just feeling bummed out about the weather changing.

If you live in an area that you’re not happy with and wish to live in a warmer climate, this can especially affect you as you may feel trapped as well.

While it’s uncommon, some people do experience SAD when summer comes and experience relief once the seasons change back to fall or winter.

Less than 10% of people experience SAD in the US but slightly more than that usually have some sort of negative mood shift due to the seasons changing.

It is also much more common for women to experience SAD. Typically, only a quarter of those diagnosed with SAD being men.

The reason for this is unknown, however, my theory is that since women tend to be more spiritual and into nature, we feel less connected and fulfilled when we’re stuck inside and unable to enjoy being outside as much.

Just a thought but I know this is why I experience some sadness when the weather changes.

Postnatal Depression

Postnatal depression is more than just the emotional experiences a woman might have after giving birth. This is the depression that new mothers often experience in the first year of their child’s life.

Symptoms can vary depending on the mother’s emotional state and preexisting conditions. Postnatal depression is known to last anywhere from a few weeks up to a full year.

Eventually it will subside if the mother does not have any pre-existing struggles with depression. In some cases, a more long-term state of depression may form depending on how well the new mother is coping.

types of depression

Common treatment includes talk therapy and medication. In some cases, emotional support and self-care is the only treatment needed as well.

All in all, getting the support and extra help they may need can significantly improve the emotional and mental state of new mothers experiencing postnatal depression.

Antenatal depression should also be addressed as many people are not familiar with depression in expecting mothers.

Antenatal depression may be experienced BEFORE the baby is born. The depression symptoms and experiences may be the same with antenatal depression as with postnatal depression.

Perinatal depression is what is commonly referred to when discussing antenatal and postnatal depression as a whole.

Dysthymia Depression

Dysthymia depression is a long term form of depression in which the individual experiences depression constantly.

What makes dysthymia different from major depression is that it is constant and tends to be very mild. The individual can experience episodes of intense major depression, seasonal depression and also bipolar and anxiety.

Dysthymia is often described as a disorder where people are always sad or down. It is also more common with people with long term health conditions or terminal illnesses.

As with seasonal depression, dysthymia affects more women than men. Treatment is recommended to be more long term in this case as the level of need is very deep due to extreme underlying mental and emotional issues.

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Bipolar Disorder Depression (aka Manic Depression)

Bipolar disorder with depression is especially dangerous as people suffering with this have a high suicidal rates.

Individuals suffering from this also tend to have other serious medical conditions which often lead to fatal results.

Treatment for those suffering from bipolar with depression is different from other types of depression as certain medications often seen (with depression patients) may make suicidal tendencies worse.

Studies discussed in this article mention the use of lithium for treating those with severe suicidal tendencies.

Talk therapy, healthy lifestyle habits, emotional support and certain medications should/may all be needed long term to help treat the bipolar/depression those suffering are experiencing.

Anxiety with Depression

Anxiety with depression is debatably a “type” of depression or not. Often (usually with major depression), anxiety is seen as a symptom of depression.

The opposite is true for depression. Sometimes people with severe depression will develop anxiety as a side effect/result of their depression.

Anxiety and depression are often seen together, it just depends on which causes the other to occur.

Someone can develop anxiety out of fear due to their episodes of depression. Fear of fear is what keeps people stuck in the relentless cycle of anxiety and depression.

Causes of Depression

There isn’t one specific cause of depression. Like any mental health disorder the development of depression has a lot to do with genetics, past experiences (trauma/abuse), brain chemistry/damage and external factors such as poverty or neglect during childhood.

Here’s a deeper look at how these factors could cause depression to develop later in an individual’s life.

Genetics

Behaving like our parents isn’t just because we spent so much time with them growing up. Characteristics are often “hard-wired” in us as opposed to just surface level.

Disorders such as OCD or anxiety are often considered “inherited” disorders. The same is true with depression as personality and emotional traits can influence the development of depression. 

types of depression

Experiences

Experiences such as trauma or abuse often lead to mental and emotional health disorders. Witnessing or being a victim to a traumatic event can cause depression to develop if not properly treated.

The same is true for any type of abuse that was experienced in the past, both physical and/or emotional abuse.

If you used to be in an abusive situation and no longer are, getting treatment for PTSD is important as underlying conditions such as depression, anxiety, or poor self image can occur.

Unfortunately, abuse can be more common than most realize as it can take on a variety of forms and come in any level of severity.

Narcissistic abuse is one of the most common forms of domestic emotional/mental abuse and can leave it’s victims depressed and with anxiety if proper treatment is not sought out.

Brain Chemistry/Damage

Depression has a lot to do with what’s going on inside of your brain. When a chemical imbalance is present, depression occurs.

This happens as “happy” chemicals are being blocked and not released when they should be. When chemicals are imbalanced, you may need an antidepressant which would help regulate the “happy” chemicals that are being blocked.

External factors

External factors such as poverty or neglect can also influence the development of various types of depression into adulthood. So much of what we experience as children and teens impacts us into adulthood.

This is because after a certain age (most agree around 7 years old) your brain decides it has all the information it needs to survive in the world.

If you grew up with certain family struggles, you will have underlying limited beliefs. Those experiences will carry with you into adulthood.

If you are unaware of these limiting beliefs and do not work on your mindset toward eliminating them, you could unknowingly develop depression as a result.

Impacts of Depression

Memory Loss

Unfortunately, memory loss is a common impact  that those suffering with depression will eventually experience.

While this is not always the case, it can happen on any scale. This is often mistaken for other health conditions when it manifests later in life.

If depression continues to develop and treatment avoided, symptoms associated with memory loss will include confusion, lack of focus, short term memory loss, long term memory loss and an increased level of disinterest.

Physical Pain

The relationship of emotional and physical pain is an interesting one and affects more people than most realize. If depression persists, physical aches and pains can manifest themselves.

This is due to how people store their stress and discomfort. There are many different areas of the body that many of us carry our stress.

When you’re depressed, your behavior changes. This could include lack of exercise, poor posture, an increase in sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits that will all cause physical pain as well.

Headaches and general body tension can also increase as a result of untreated depression.

Relationship Issues

Unfortunately, some individuals struggling with various types of depression will push their loved ones away. They may even lash out and project their pain onto others around them.

If this is ongoing, they will ultimately end up with limited relationships and a lack of emotional support from those around them.

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If you or someone you know is struggling with any of these types of depression seeking treatment is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Talk therapy, behavioral therapy, emotional support, lifestyle changes and other personal development work can significantly improve your quality of life and bring you closer and closer to recovery.

A life without the constant nagging that something is wrong or feeling like you simply do not know what’s wrong is worth working toward.

Recovery is possible but it starts with the individual. If you don’t know how to start and don’t want to start with therapy, talking to a trusted loved one can help give you the encouragement you need to make a significant change for yourself.

I invite you to take that first step today and make some moves that will positively impact the rest of your life!

More from the Blog

Resources and Helpful Articles

More on Atypical Depression – mayoclinic.org

Psychotic Depression – nhs.uk

More on Seasonal Depression – cleavelandclinic.org

More on Dysthymia Depression – hopkinsmedicine.org

mblblogger

Hi, I'm Marissa! I'm passionate about mental and emotional health and want to share what I've learned over the years with others! I've seen first hand how mental health struggles can cause serious issues within relationships, work life, daily productivity, self-worth and more! I truly believe that we owe it to ourselves to bring more awareness to these life changing topics. Start your mental/emotional health journey by learning more today!

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