Is There Only One Kind of Depression?

June 21, 2018 centerforpr mental health QA

Mental Illness: Why Shame Should Never Take Place in Your Professional Career

The World Health Organization reports that nearly 350 million people or more are living with depression around the world. Depression is a leading cause of illness, workplace productivity loss, and more. Substance use disorders are commonly co-occurring with depression, as well.

Though depression can be genetically inherited, the mental disorder can also develop as a response to life circumstances. For example, depression can be part of post-traumatic stress disorder, postpartum depression, grief, and more. Without intervention or treatment, depression can be pervasive and damaging. Changes in weight, appetite, motivation, energy, positivity, life outlook, and much more come with depression. Depression can affect a professional’s career, health, wellness, personal life, and more.

Depression, however, is a general term. There are multiple ways for a professional to experience depression in his or her life.

Major Depressive Disorder: Sometimes referred to as “general depression”, this form of depression often starts early in life during formative adolescent or teenage years. Disregarded for hormones or moodiness, people who are young learn to view their depressed thoughts or feelings as “bad” parts of themselves or “wrong” parts of themselves. Major depressive disorder can worsen throughout adulthood.

Persistent Depressive Disorder: Also called Dysthymia, this experience of depression is the atypical pervasive sadness, pessimism, hopelessness, and despair, with little or no change. Professionals who develop dysthymia are in a chronic low mood or sad state.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD is thought to only happen when summer changes to winter, however, many people experience SAD the opposite way around, when winter changes into summer. Researchers have a greater understanding of the struggle with winter as melatonin production and circadian rhythms change. For some professionals, work is much harder in the winter month with less sunlight or sun bearing hours.

Depression Caused By Other Conditions: Medical conditions can lead to the development of depression. If Professionals become ill, have disabling surgery, or experience other medical conditions which greatly change their abilities in life long term or short term, depression can result.

Depression Caused By Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, just as depression is a mood disorder. Bipolar is not a kind of depression, but depression is part of bipolar. The depression experienced in bipolar is markedly different from other depressive disorders in multiple ways. Typically, depression in bipolar is experienced after a manic phase of high energy.

Depression Caused By Hormone Changes: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and Postpartum depression are exclusively experienced by women. However, many men are coming forward about their experiences with postpartum depression as well. Before a woman’s menstrual cycle, she can experience extreme depression, including suicidal thoughts. After a woman gives birth, she may experience intrusive, disturbing thoughts about her child or herself as a mother.

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