What are the different types of depression?

You might have heard a number of terms used to describe depression. In this section, we explain what some of these terms mean.

Clinical depression

Clinical depression is a very common term but it is not a diagnosis. It just means that a doctor has given you a diagnosis.

Depressive episode

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

Recurrent depressive disorder

If you have had a number of ‘depressive episodes’, your doctor might say that you have ‘recurrent depressive disorder’. Again, they may say that your current ‘episode’ is ‘mild’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’.

Reactive depression

If your doctor thinks that your depression was caused by stressful events in your life, they may say that it is ‘reactive’.

Dysthymia

Your doctor might diagnose you with dysthymia if you have felt low for several years but have never had symptoms that would be enough to diagnose depression.

Manic depression

Manic depression is a different illness to depression. It is also known as ‘bipolar disorder’. People with this illness have severe highs (mania) and lows (depression).

Psychotic depression

If you are severely depressed, you may start to hallucinate or believe things that aren’t true. This is called ‘psychosis’. For example, you might start to hear voices that say that you are worthless and that things will never improve, or you may start to believe that someone is poisoning your food.

Post-natal depression

Postnatal depression is a common illness which affects between 10 to 15 in every 100 women who have had a baby. You may get symptoms that are similar to those in other types of depression.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

This type of depression affects you at the same time of year, usually in the winter. The symptoms are similar to depression but you may sleep more rather than less. You might also eat more carbohydrates like chocolate, cakes and bread.