General Article Types of depression

Topic Selected: Depression Book Volume: 404

There are many different types of depression

Clinical depression

Clinical depression means that a doctor has given you a diagnosis of depression.

Depressive episode

This is the formal name that doctors give depression when they make a diagnosis. They may say that you’re going through a ‘mild’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’ episode.

Recurrent depressive disorder

If you’ve had at least 2 depressive episodes, your doctor might say that you have a recurrent depressive disorder. They may say that your current ‘episode’ is ‘mild’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’.

Reactive depression

If your doctor thinks that your depression was triggered by difficult events in your life, such as divorce or money worries, they may say that it is reactive.

Dysthymia

This is when you are experiencing continuous mild depression that lasts for over 2 years. Also sometimes called persistent depressive disorder or chronic depression.

Cyclothymia

You may be diagnosed with cyclothymia if you experience persistent and unstable mo...

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