Depression is a mental illness, it may be described as feeling sad, persistent unhappiness  feelings of being miserable. Depression can also be called as a mood disorder which is caused by chemical changes in the brain.

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Preface
Do you feel low every now and then?
Do you feel exhausted and helpless?
Is pessimism ruling your mind?
Just because you are smiling every time doesn’t mean that you are happy from within.
Everybody feels sad or blue at some point in their life. But when this sadness becomes an
everyday feeling, chances are high that you might be falling in depression.
What is Depression?
It is a mental disorder which affects the thoughts, feelings, actions and physical health of the
depressed. It reflects sad or negative moods beyond the normal levels of sorrowfulness. It is a
common mental illness affecting millions of people every year. It is prevalent in all age groups.
Whether it is a child or an older adult, it can affect any anyone at any stage of his/her life.
Do not Confuse Depression with Sadness
People feel sad on numerous occasions – after breaking up with their partners, after quarrelling
with friends, after losing their jobs, when their closed one expires, when they fail in exams and
the like. But such sadness can be overcome with proper care and time. However, being
depressive is not a mere state of sadness. It is far more than that. It is a strong feeling that
involves physical, mental and social behavioral change in a person. When people are depressed,
they feel angry, lose pleasure in daily activities, feel hopeless, cry frequently, experience changes

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in diet and sleep, do self-criticism, etc. If not treated on time, it can even lead to dangerous
effects like committing suicide. Every year, more than 8 million depressed people commit
suicide. Like any other illness, it should be treated immediately.
Read more:
 Types
 Causes
 Symptoms
 Treatment
But remember, “Concern should drive us into action, and not into a depression.” We all have
worries and fears. We all go through hardships and failures. But this should not reach to a level
that it lets us fall into mental disorders. Yes, depression is a kind of mental disorder. And it
nourishes by ungrieved and unforgiven hurts. So if you have been experiencing frequent bad
moods and low feelings, then you might be falling into this disorder. In order to get a
confirmation, check from the below list of common depression symptoms.
Physical
 Change in appetite: You may experience sudden loss of appetite or might crave for
more food.
 Change in weight: You might gain excess kilos in a month’s time due to over eating or
suffer from extreme weight loss.
 Sleep disturbances: Insomnia or hypersomnia, but you are sure to experience one of
these. Don’t be surprised if you wake up in the middle of the sleep.
 Loss of energy: Some of you might feel fatigue and tired all the time. One of the biggest
signs of depression.
 Unexplained aches and pains: Body pain, headaches and stomach aches are very
common depression symptoms.
Mental
 Low self-esteem: You feel helpless, hopeless and worthless almost everyday.
 Depressed mood: You remain sad all the time without any valid reason. ‘Feeling blue’
becomes your favorite line.
 Self-loathing: You held yourself responsible for every blunder here and there. There is
also an extreme guilt that keeps flowing in your mind for past events.

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 Lack of concentration: You find difficulty in focusing on a particular task and become
dependent on others for decision-making.
 Crying: Do you find the reasons for your frequent crying? If yes, are they the same most
of the time? Your answer might be YES. Add it to the signs of depression.
 Sex: You lose interest in sex. You no longer enjoy the intimacy that you earlier used to
enjoy with your partner.
 Extreme pessimism: Your outlook to life is negative. Everything you see has a fault.
 Feel anxious: Because your approach to life has become negative, you constantly feel
anxious and worried.
 Thoughts of death: Getting suicidal thoughts is one of the biggest and dangerous
symptoms of depression
Social behavior
 Loss of interest: You seem disinterested in daily activities. Some of you might also go to
the extent of disliking your hobbies.
 Low tolerance levels: You tend to get irritated and angry on most occasions. One of the
very common depression symptoms.
 Careless behavior: Did you leave something on the gas stove on and completely forgot
about it? Such recklessness happens because you tend to remain lost in your own world.
 Low social involvement: You prefer to stay at home and alone all the time.
 Alcoholism: You tend to become alcoholic and drug addicted.
If you or your loved one exhibits some or all of the symptoms discussed above, get help right
away. See a doctor or a psychologist and try to find out what made or what is making you or
your closed one fall into depression. Is it a failure at something you tried aiming long or loss of
someone of importance in your life? Reason may be anything but symptoms of depression
should not be left unattended or else it will increase the severity.

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Types of Depression
Depression is a mental disorder that affects millions of people every year. It is a serious
condition since it interrupts with the daily social, professional and personal life of an individual.
In extreme cases, it can also lead to suicidal attempts. Hence, it is very crucial to diagnose and
take proper treatment. But diagnosis of depression may not always be an easy job given the
different types of depression that exists since ages. A medical practitioner has to perform various
tests and analyze changed behavior of an individual in order to arrive at one depression type. It is
only after that a doctor can recommend proper treatment for a particular depression. Let us
examine each of the depression types in detail.
Below is a list of different types of depression that vary according to their characteristics,
severity and duration. Knowing the exact kind of depression you have will help you get the right
treatment.
Atypical Depression (AD)
Psychotic Depression (Psychotic Major Depression, PMD)
Postpartum Depression (PPD, Postnatal Depression)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, Winter Depression, Seasonal Depression, Seasonal Mood
Disorder)
Anxiety Depression (Mixed Anxiety Depressive Disorder)
Double Depression
Endogenous Depression
Situational Depression (Reactive Depression)
Agitated Depression
Dysthymia (Chronic Depression, Dysthymic Disorder, Neurotic Depression)

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Melancholic Depression
Catatonic Depression
Clinical Depression (Major Depressive Disorder, Major Depression, Recurrent Depressive
Disorder, Unipolar Depression or Unipolar Disorder)
Cyclothymic Disorder (Cyclothmia)
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
Manic Depression (Bipolar Disorder, Manic Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Affective Disorder)
Non-melancholic depression
Recurrent Brief Depression (RBD)
Existential Depression
Substance Induced Depression (Drug Induced Depression, Substance Induced Mood Disorder)

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Depression in Men
As men, we often have to behave tough and strong hiding our true emotions. But when these
emotions start piling up inside, they take the form of depression. But we should not be ashamed of
ourselves even if we fall into depression. Because depression obviously doesn’t mean that you are
losing your masculinity. It’s just a mental disorder that affects millions of men from different background
at different ages. Unfortunately, we tend to deny their feelings and a lot of us feel shy in talking about this
to others, even to their closed ones.
What causes depression in men?
 Increasing stress at workplace or home
 Relationship problems
 Death of a closed or loved one
 Suffering from a disease for a long time
 Lack of support from friends or family
 Extreme feeling of loneliness
 Losing an existing job
 Constant financial crisis at home
 Being left out in old age
 Impotence or sexual dysfunction
 Early childhood trauma
What are the signs and symptoms of depression in men?
 They tend to blame others in every arguments
 They become irritable to the extent that they might start abusing or do physical torture to their
near ones.
 They feel restless all the time and might even get agitated
 They might get addicted to alcohol or drugs
 They feel suspicious and often create clashes
 Anger is always on the tip of their nose
How to treat depression in men?
The very first step towards treatment is talking openly to your doctor. You need to tell him about how you
feel and what physical changes you have been experiencing. Besides, you can also undergo therapy
sessions and take antidepressant medications as prescribed by the doctor. Bringing lifestyle changes can

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also help treat your depression. This includes exercising every morning, taking enough sleep, eating
properly and reducing your stress level by practicing breathing exercises and yoga.
Remember, every illness, whether mild or severe is curable. Only thing is that you need to be determined
to stand and fight against it consistently.
Bipolar Symptoms in Women
In general, women develop depression as twice as men. In bipolar disorder, they are more likely to fall
prey to bipolar 2. During bipolar, a woman experiences two episodes. They are called as manic episode
and depressed episode. In both of these episodes, a woman experiences different symptoms.
Below is the list of bipolar symptoms in women categorized according to these episodes.
During her Manic Episode
 High energy levels and excitement all the time
 High self-esteem
 Feels like constantly talking to someone, discussing her feelings in detail
 Excessive social outings
 Takes hasty decisions
 Hyperactivity – one of the common bipolar symptoms in women
During her Depressed Episode
 Feels like staying on bed all the time
 Ignores social outing
 Weight gain
 Goes through feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness
 Thinks that there is no control over her future and the things happening around
 Constantly worrying about the issues at hand
 Getting too much sleep or going through sleeplessness
 Loss of interest in daily activities
 Excessive eating
 Excessive grieving on the death of closed one
 Difficulty in focusing or concentrating
 hallucinations
 Suicidal thoughts or feelings of death
People who have seen bipolar symptoms in women should give them moral and emotional support. They
should be given proper care and attention so as to recover faster from their illness. In case, you see
suicidal tendencies in a woman, you should immediately report it to the doctor and make sure that she is
not kept alone even for a single minute.

8. For more Information Please Visit DrDepression.org
Bipolar Disorder in Children
Have you seen some odd behavior in your child recently?
Does your child over-react to something which he or she is not supposed to?
Does your child becomes over excited on something or remains sad all the time?
If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then your child might be suffering from
bipolar disorder.
How common is bipolar in children?
Reports have shown that as many as 7% of the children’s population every year fall prey to
bipolar disorder.
What are the causes of bipolar disorder in children?
 Family history of bipolar disorder
 Children suffering from anxiety disorder are more likely to develop bipolar disorder.
What illnesses co-exist with bipolar in children?
 ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
 High chances of getting alcoholic
 Clinical depression
 Anxiety disorders
What are the bipolar symptoms in children?
Click bipolar symptoms in children to read more.
How is bipolar disorder detected in children?
Doctors may perform various tests to diagnose any kind of problems in thinking, learning or
speech. They will also ask the parents about any kind of mood changes in the child and will also
take details about the sleeping patterns and the energy levels of the child.

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How to treat bipolar disorder in children?
Bipolar disorder in children can be treated in following ways:
 Antipsychotic medications and antidepressant drugs can prove to be effective for children
aged between 10 and 17. However, do consult your doctor about the same before giving
it to children.
 Lithium, one of the types of mood stabilizers is also considered in treating bipolar.
 Risperdal (risperidone) and Abilify (aripiprazole) are other FDA approved drugs for
treating bipolar in children.
 Psychotherapy can also help in curing bipolar.
Is suicide a risk?
Yes. Hence, it is extremely important on the parents’ part to resolve every negative thought that
comes into their children’s mind. Comments like ‘I shouldn’t have come to this world,’ or
‘nobody loves me’ should be taken seriously.

10. For more Information Please Visit DrDepression.org
Bipolar Symptoms in Women
In general, women develop depression as twice as men. In bipolar disorder, they are more likely to fall
prey to bipolar 2. During bipolar, a woman experiences two episodes. They are called as manic episode
and depressed episode. In both of these episodes, a woman experiences different symptoms.
Below is the list of bipolar symptoms in women categorized according to these episodes.
During her Manic Episode
 High energy levels and excitement all the time
 High self-esteem
 Feels like constantly talking to someone, discussing her feelings in detail
 Excessive social outings
 Takes hasty decisions
 Hyperactivity – one of the common bipolar symptoms in women
During her Depressed Episode
 Feels like staying on bed all the time
 Ignores social outing
 Weight gain
 Goes through feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness
 Thinks that there is no control over her future and the things happening around
 Constantly worrying about the issues at hand
 Getting too much sleep or going through sleeplessness
 Loss of interest in daily activities
 Excessive eating
 Excessive grieving on the death of closed one
 Difficulty in focusing or concentrating
 hallucinations
 Suicidal thoughts or feelings of death
People who have seen bipolar symptoms in women should give them moral and emotional support. They
should be given proper care and attention so as to recover faster from their illness. In case, you see
suicidal tendencies in a woman, you should immediately report it to the doctor and make sure that she is
not kept alone even for a single minute.