Sunday, November 13, 2011

Clinical Depression? What is That?

By Owen Jones


Depression is a mental illness that is usually characterized by protracted periods of sadness and melancholy, say the experts from the medical field of psychiatry.

However, just because someone slopes around and hates the world in general, it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she is suffering from depression, but if this kind of behaviour, that feeling of emptiness, loss of self-worth and absolute lack of hope for happiness goes on , then, that person could be, indeed, depressed. However, there are several types of depression too.

Manic or Bipolar depression is notable for sudden and extreme mood swings - one minute he or she is in an elevated state while the next minute (day or week), the same person feels as if he or she is hades.

Postpartum depression is characterized by a prolonged sadness and a prolonged feeling of emptiness by a new mother where physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible reasons why some new mothers go through this.

Dysthimia - characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it's been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case of illness, should be seen to immediately.

Cyclothemia is characterized by a nominal similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the sufferer of this mental illness has a problem with severe changes in mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder - characterized by being depressed only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn). However, studies prove that more people actually become ill during the Winter and Autumn seasons. Or they could suffer from mood swings, wherein a person's mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in quite a short time.

'Clinical depression' or 'major depression', as some call it, is the actual medical term for depression. Actually, clinical depression is more a disorder than an illness, because it refers to those who suffer from the symptoms that cause depression.

However, in spite of being a real disorder, clinical depression can be treated. Doctors are usually highly optimistic that patients suffering from clinical depression will soon be well on their way to good mental health as long as they are treated as soon as they have been diagnosed. Patients who have sought treatment for clinical depression have proven to be quite successful in their quest, given that 80 percent of those treated have found relief from their disorder.

For those who may be seeking answers to questions related to clinical depression, the depression section of the health center is highly recommended, as well as books on psychiatry and the Internet - which can offer a lot of helpful information, although self treatment is highly frowned upon. Clinical depression may not pose as much of a threat as the other types of mental illness, but it is best to leave it in the hands of professionals who can safely attend to and cure this disorder.




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