Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Depression - Essay Example More detailed definitions of the term give a little more sense of the depth of emotion the term indicates. Another Merriam-Webster definition goes deeper by describing depression as â€Å"a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies† (2009). The tendency to define the condition based on how it makes a person feels is echoed in Medline but Medline adds that these feelings must be experienced for an extended period of time. But everyone has a tendency to feel some or even all of these feelings at some point during their day or week, so what makes the depressed person different from everyone else? Trying to understand what is really meant by the term depression becomes more confusing when it is understood that there are several different types of depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are at least five different types of depression. Major depressive disorder, or major depression, is what is commonly defined in the dictionary in terms of the symptoms a person might experience. More than just sadness, though, â€Å"major depression is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally† (NIMH, 2009). The other kinds of depression all fall under the heading of dysthymic disorder which is not considered to be disabling, but is considered long-term, which NIMH defines as two years or more. These include psychotic depression, postpartum depression and seasonal affective disorder. Psychotic depression is like regular depression but includes the person developing hallucinations, delusions or breaking from reality. Postpartum depression ha ppens within the first month after giving birth and seasonal affective disorder occurs during the winter months when there is less