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If you are given a diagnosis of depression, you might be told that you have mild, moderate or severe depression. This describes what sort of impact your symptoms are having on you currently, and what sort of treatment you are likely to be offered. That being said, you might move between different mild, moderate and severe depression during one episode of depression or across different episodes.

Basically, there are several forms of depressive disorders or some specific types of depression namely are:

1. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

– The type of depression that occurs at a particular time of year or during a particular season, which is characterized by the onset of a depressive illness during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This depression generally lifts during spring and summer. SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy, but nearly half of those with SAD do not respond to light therapy alone. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or in combination with light therapy.

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2. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

– The major depressive disorder, or also known as “clinical depression”, is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy any kinds of fun activities. A person who experiences fewer than five of the symptoms of major depression for two weeks or more is diagnosed with minor depression. However, when someone experiences five or more of these typical symptoms for at least two weeks, this is called a ‘major depressive episode’.

– For many people, their struggle with depression has persisted for weeks, months or even years before they visit a doctor or mental health care provider. It is not uncommon for people to try to cope on their own while feeling their mood ‘slipping’ or ‘dropping’ until it reaches a point that feels intolerable. People struggling with depression after all may also find themselves to be much more sensitive to comments from others, and they get little or no relief when loved ones and friends try to cheer them up or offer support.

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3. Postpartum Depression

– While all types of depression may have multiple causes, postpartum depression follows a specific event – e.g. ‘the birth of a child’. Its onset may be related to biochemical and hormonal changes, emotional issues and social circumstances. Upwards of 10 per cent of women will experience this type of depression, which is characterized by the major symptoms of depression that persist for four weeks or more and interfere with a mother’s social and emotional functioning.

– Postpartum depression differs from the more common and less severe postpartum blues, which many women experience after childbirth. For example, women who have had depressive episodes before pregnancy may be more vulnerable to developing a postpartum depression. Emotional issues, such as whether the baby was planned or unplanned, or whether the mother has support from the father and extended family may also contribute to the onset of a depression. The responsibility of a new infant combined with the symptoms of depression can make this a very difficult time socially. Family and friends may wonder how the mother of a new baby could not be feeling joy on such a happy occasion. This may make the new mother experiencing depression feels more isolated and uncomfortable in coming forward to ask for help.

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4. Dysthymic Disorder (Dysthymia)

– The dysthymic disorder, also known as ‘dysthymia’, describes a chronically low mood with some moderate symptoms of depression, such as poor appetite or overeating, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, low energy or fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration, difficulty making decisions and feelings of hopelessness. What’s more, this form of depression is characterized by long-term (two years or longer) but less severe symptoms that may not disable a person, yet, it can prevent one from functioning normally or feeling well.

– As an example, if two or more of these symptoms last for two or more years and a person does not experience a major depressive episode during this time, then a diagnosis of dysthymia may be made. While it is not as severe as major depression (clinical depression), dysthymia can interfere with a person’s functioning at work, at school or in important relationships. In any case, a person may have dysthymia and subsequently experience a major depressive episode, which is known as ‘double depression’.

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5. Bipolar Disorder

– Depression also occurs in bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depressive illness). Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, yet, it is characterized by episodes of mania as well as episodes of depression. A person with mania will typically have an inflated or grandiose perception of his or her own importance or power. This can result in excessive involvement in activities that can lead to painful consequences, such as ‘foolish business investments, shopping sprees, sexual indiscretions’.

– People with mania may also have less need for sleep, a pattern of very rapid speech and racing thoughts. During a manic episode, many people are unaware that their behavior is unusual. This is because prior to a manic episode, people generally experience a hypomanic phase where they exhibit some less severe symptoms of mania (e.g., sleep disruption, a racing feeling), and are aware that they may be heading toward a full manic episode. This insight eventually allows them to seek medical intervention and possibly avert a full-blown manic episode. While they share similar symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder and major depression are separate disorders requiring different treatment. Because of this, it is important for patients, family members and health care providers to watch for signs of mania or hypomania in people experiencing depression.

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6. Personality Disorder

– Sometimes, people with depression may also be told by a doctor or psychologist that they have a personality disorder. What does this mean and how does it affect the depression? Well, personality is what makes up the whole of the person including thoughts, feelings, actions and relationships with others. A personality trait refers to the identifiable patterns of individuals like their usual ways of thinking and feeling, their habitual behaviors and their characteristic ways of relating to others. A personality disorder is a statement about the person’s personality traits. It means that the person is seen to have patterns of thoughts and feelings, behaviors and relationship styles that differ in significant ways from the culture in which he or she lives. Not only do these patterns differ from the norm, however, they also lead the person to feel bad about him or herself and interfere with his or her ability to function well at work and in his or her personal life.

– A person will be diagnosed with a specific type of personality disorder. For example, a person diagnosed as having a paranoid personality disorder will have problems trusting others in most parts of his or her life, even when there is no basis for suspicions. This pervasive distrust complicates the treatment of depression because it interferes with the person’s ability to develop and maintain relationships with others who might be able to provide needed support, including a doctor or mental health care provider. Many people have some of these personality characteristics without any significant interference in their lives. For example, if someone is slow to trust, but is able to gain a belief in the goodwill of one or two friends or family members over time, we would think of this quality as being a personality trait, but not one that keeps the person from engaging in a satisfying life. This person would not be diagnosed as having a personality disorder.