The hardest type of depression to treat isn't a single diagnosis but rather Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), where standard therapies fail, often due to severe symptoms like anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure) or co-occurring conditions, but also Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) or dysthymia, which is chronic and deeply entrenched, and complex presentations like anxious depression, are incredibly challenging. TRD involves cases where antidepressants and psychotherapy don't provide relief, making it harder to manage and leading to longer episodes, while PDD's long-term, low-grade nature can be as debilitating as major depression.
Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder. It isn't the same as depression caused by a loss, such as the death of a loved one, or a medical condition, such as a thyroid disorder.
Differences found between major and minor depression included greater psychiatric distress and poorer psychosocial functioning in patients who met criteria for major depression.
The Danakil Depression is a large valley of approximately 200 by 50 km (124 by 31 mi), across the north of the Afar Region of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is about 125 m (410 ft) below sea level and is bordered to the west by the Ethiopian Plateau and to the east by the Danakil Alps, beyond which is the Red Sea.
Here are the five key stages of depression.
Severe depression is often characterized by symptoms of hopelessness, increased irritability, loss of pleasure, trouble concentrating or sleeping, or thoughts of death or suicide. 1 Technically, severe depression isn't a formal mental health diagnosis. Instead, it refers to more debilitating depression.
Understanding the 3 C's—Cognitive symptoms, Concentration difficulties, and Crying spells—helps both individuals experiencing depression and their loved ones identify when professional support may be needed.
Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is often just called “depression.” It's the most severe type of depression. Without treatment, depression can get worse and last longer. In severe cases, it can lead to self-harm or death by suicide.
If you have 5 or more of these symptoms for at least 2 weeks, call your healthcare provider:
For many people, psychotherapy combined with medication works best. It can help identify underlying concerns that may be adding to your depression. In working with your therapist, you can also learn specific behaviors and strategies to overcome your depression.
It's thought that your chance of getting severe depression may be partly affected by the genes you inherit from your parents.
Here are 10 things that are often mistaken for depression, starting with one we see all the time in trauma work.
Conclusions: Across the entire lifetime, every new episode of depression brings a new risk for mania; more than half of our severe mood disorder cases became bipolars. The risk of depression developing into bipolar disorder remains constant lifelong.
Immediate hospitalization is essential for those who express suicidal ideation or have attempted self-harm. Severe Functional Impairment: Moreover, patients unable to care for themselves, including neglecting personal hygiene, nutrition, or medications, often require hospital-based treatment.
New evidence shows that people who maintain a range of healthy habits, from good sleep to physical activity to strong social connections, are significantly less likely to experience depression.
If you think depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder are the mental illnesses most commonly linked to an early death, you're wrong. Eating disorders—including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating— are the most lethal mental health conditions, according to research in Current Psychiatry Reports.
The symptoms vary from person to person and may depend upon the underlying cause. If you feel you are having a nervous breakdown you may: have anxiety or depression that you can't manage. withdraw from your usual daily activities, miss appointments or social activities.
Clinical depression is considered a disability under the ADA, but not everyone who suffers from it is protected. In general, the ADA is used on a case-by-case basis. Because no two people are the same, no two disabilities are either. There are many misconceptions about what depression is and how it affects people.
Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
Among the SSRIs paroxetine seems to be the worst offender and fluoxetine the least while sertraline and fluvoxamine tend to be intermediate. However, the most serious discontinuation reactions came from the SNRI venlafaxine.
The most effective antidepressant compared to placebo was the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline, which increased the chances of treatment response more than two-fold (odds ratio [OR] 2.13, 95% credible interval [CrI] 1.89 to 2.41).
It is diagnosed when an individual has a persistently low or depressed mood, anhedonia or decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, psychomotor retardation or agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include: Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness. Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters.
One small but powerful CBT strategy is the Five-Minute Rule, designed to combat procrastination and avoidance. The idea is simple: set a timer for five minutes and commit to a task you've been avoiding. When the timer ends, you can stop—guilt-free. Ironically, once you start, you often find the momentum to continue.
Research indicates that information is processed more negatively in people with depression than in those without, and depression is often accompanied by decreased energy, fatigue, poor concentration and slowed thinking.