Depression: 3 Common Types and Treatments According to the Experts

What is Major Depressive Disorder?

Depression, a rather commonly diagnosed mental disorder, affects nearly 21 million adults just in the United States alone. This implies that about 8.4% of the United States adult population suffers from depression at some point in their life.^[C1]

Labeled as a mood disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), depression causes persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, as well as experience a loss of interest in activities that they once found enjoyment in.^[C2]

Aside from the symptoms listed above, here are some of the criteria for diagnosis as stated in the DSM 5: significant unintentional weight loss/gain, sleep disturbance, observable psychomotor changes, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, recurrent thoughts of death, and symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social/occupational/other areas of life.^[C3]

How do you treat Major Depressive Disorder?

There are three common types of treatment for Major Depressive Disorder that can be used separately or combined.^[C4]

Therapy is one treatment modality. Therapists and mental health professionals often utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or interpersonal therapy. CBT is based on the belief that psychological problems are partially caused by faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking, learned patterns of unhelpful behavior, and that these individuals can always learn new ways to cope with psychological disorders.^[C4]

Medicine is another standard treatment often used in combination with therapy. Antidepressants are prescribed to those with depression because they have the ability to increase neurotransmitters (brain chemicals), specifically serotonin and noradrenaline, which can elevate mood. Although these medications can take a month or more to begin working, it is important to listen to your doctor's instructions.^[C5]

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment that uses an electrical current to trigger a small seizure in order to treat the most severe cases of depression when medications and other options do not work. Somehow the triggering of a seizure resets brain chemicals and patterns to reduce symptoms.^[C4]

What is Bipolar Depression?

This disorder used to be known as manic depression, however, it has since been changed to a more inclusive name: bipolar disorder. Bipolar is identified by the changes in mood and energy levels that can impair one’s ability to do daily living activities.^[C6]

Bipolar disorder is classified into three different groups.^[C7] This first is Bipolar I disorder, characterized by manic episodes lasting no less than 7 days and depressive episodes that last 2 weeks. The second type is Bipolar II disorder, characterized by a less severe pattern of hypomanic and depressive episodes. The third category is Cyclothymic disorder, which is characterized by reoccurring depressive and hypomanic symptoms that do not become severe enough to classify them as episodes.^[C7]

Generally, those with bipolar tend to experience common symptoms such as feeling very elated, irritable, rapid speech, flighty or racing thoughts, able to accomplish many tasks, increased appetite, and feeling powerful or in power when experiencing a manic episode. When in a depressive episode, one might experience feeling very sad or depressed, sleeping issues, slowed speech, trouble concentrating, lack of interest, and feeling hopeless or have suicidal ideation.^[C7]

How do you treat Bipolar Depression?

To be able to better control mood swings and other symptoms of bipolar disorder, it is first and foremost, important to seek professional guidance and support. It is also important to receive treatment early on as the disorder could worsen and lead to more adverse symptoms. However, below will be four common ways professionals suggest treating bipolar disorder.^[C8]

Psychotherapy is one way professionals suggest treating bipolar disorder due to its ability to educate individuals about the disorder as well as provide various coping skills to manage symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is commonly used to help individuals acknowledge unhelpful thoughts and to change them.^[C9]

Medication is also an option, however, not all medications work for each person or for each type of bipolar disorder. Side effects of the medications can also be limiting. Common medications used are lithium, anticonvulsants, second-generation antipsychotics, and antidepressants.^[C10]

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be used to treat bipolar disorder. Although normally only used in the most severe cases when other treatments don’t work, ECT can be used to help with severe depressive or manic episodes.^[C11]

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Kind of an ironic acronym, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that is connected to the seasons.^[C12] Each year, as the seasons change, SAD begins and ends around the same dates. These symptoms usually start in the fall season when it begins to get colder and drearier. It tends to affect individuals well into winter and through early spring when the cold and snow may still be present.

When spring truly arrives and summer begins, symptoms of SAD begin to lessen until they are either nonexistent or rather manageable. During the fall and winter, symptoms can make a person feel fatigued and emotionally drained, or unstable.^[C12]

Symptoms of SAD include depressed mood, anxiety, increased appetite/weight gain, feeling hopeless, increased agitation, withdrawal from social life, sleeping problems, and suicidal ideation.^[C13]

Unfortunately, research cannot pinpoint exactly what causes SAD, but they do have speculations and indications of potential reasons. Some research has shown that those with SAD might have reduced serotonin activity in the brain so they are not able to regulate their mood as well.^[C14] This is an issue in the fall/winter months as sunshine correlates with serotonin levels, so with less sunlight, there is less control over molecules maintaining serotonin plus the reduced serotonin activity, leading to SAD symptoms.

How do you treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Treatment for SAD might look a little different. This is due to the implementation of light therapy (phototherapy). Light therapy is when individuals are exposed to a bright light box during the first hour after they wake up each morning. This is proposed to ‘mimic’ the natural sunshine that occurs more often in the spring/summer months. Light therapy has been found to be rather effective.^[C12]

Psychotherapy is also another treatment for SAD. CBT is often implemented to help individuals challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and learn more healthy coping mechanisms for symptoms of SAD.

Medications are also utilized when the first two options prove to be not as effective or are used in combination with light therapy and psychotherapy when severe symptoms are present. Antidepressants are typically used. It does take around a month for the medication to be noticeable, so if prescribed, it should be taken before symptoms begin to better help manage their onset.