Depression is a mental illness that is quite often characterized by protracted periods of sadness and melancholy, say the experts from the medical field of psychiatry.

But just because a person is moping around and generally hating the world around him or her, doesn’t mean that he/she is suffering from depression, but if this kind of behavior, the feeling of emptiness, loss of self-worth and absolutely no hope for happiness just goes on and on, then, that individual is probably, indeed, depressed. Still, there are various types of depression too.

Manic or Bipolar depression is characterized by sudden and extreme mood swings – one minute the person is euphoric while the next minute (day or week), the same person feels as if he or she is hell.

Postpartum depression is characterized by a prolonged sadness and a prolonged feeling of emptiness by a new mother where physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby are just some of the possible reasons why some new mothers suffer from this.

Dysthimia is characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this type has been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course as with any case, it should be seen to immediately.

Cyclothemia – characterized by only a nominal similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the sufferer of this mental disease has a problem with rapid mood swings.

Seasonal Affective Disorder – characterized by being depressed only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall). However, studies prove that more people actually become ill during the Winter and Fall seasons. Or they could suffer from mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in quite a short time.

‘Clinical depression’ or as some might call it, ‘major depression’, is the actual medical term for depression. Actually, clinical depression is more of a disorder than an illness, since it refers only to those who are suffering from symptoms that cause depression.

However, despite being a real disorder, clinical depression can be treated quite successfully. Doctors are usually highly optimistic that patients suffering from clinical depression will soon be well on their way to good mental health as long as they are treated as soon as they have been diagnosed. Patients who have sought treatment for clinical depression have proven to be quite successful in their hopes, since 80 percent of those treated have found relief from their illness.

If you are seeking answers to questions related to clinical depression, the depression section of the health centre is highly recommended, as well as books on psychiatry and the Internet, which offers a great deal of helpful information, although self treatment is highly frowned upon. Clinical depression may not pose as great of a threat as the other types of mental illness, but it is best to leave it in the hands of the professionals who can treat and cure this disorder.