Melancholic depression

Melancholic depression


Melancholic depression, or 'depression with melancholic features' is a subtype of major depression characterized by major depressive disorder with the following specific features: anhedonia (the inability to find pleasure in positive things), severe weight loss, psychomotor agitation or retardation, insomnia with early morning awakenings, guilt. Another feature is diurnal variation, typically with worse symptoms in the morning and improvement at night. Melancholic depression is a particularly severe form of depression. Depression is twice as common in women than it is in men. Major depression is most often genetic. Treatment involves: antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy, and supportive psychotherapy, as deeper psychotherapy can not be tolerated. The incidence of melancholic depression has been found to increase when the temperature and/or sunlight are low.[1] Roughly 10% of people with depression suffer from melancholic depression.[citation needed] According to DSM-IV the Melancholic features specifier may be applied to the following only:

  1. Major depressive episode, single episode
  2. Major depressive episode, recurrent episode
  3. Bipolar I disorder, most recent episode depressed
  4. Bipolar II disorder, most recent episode depressed

Causes

The causes of Melancholia are believed mostly due to biological factors, some may have inherited the disorder from their parents. Stressful situations can trigger episodes of Melancholia depression but it is not caused by life changing events. It has also been found that Melancholia is common in people who suffer from bipolar depression I and can also be present in oneself who suffers bipolar depression II. People with psychotic features are also thought to be more susceptible to this disorder. It is common in old age and is usually missed by physicians and the symptoms they show are considered just part of dementia. Yet, it may also be contemporaneous along with dementia in the elderly.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Radua, Joaquim; Pertusa, Alberto; Cardoner, Narcis (28 February 2010). "Climatic relationships with specific clinical subtypes of depression". Psychiatry Research 175 (3): 217–220. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2008.10.025. PMID 20045197. 
  2. ^ Pekker, Michael. [Melancholic depression has a short spontaneous reduction rate. It is treated best with physical treatments (for example antidepressant drugs) and only slightly (at best) to non-physical treatments such as counseling or psychotherapy "Clinical Depression: Symptoms and Treatments"]. Melancholic depression has a short spontaneous reduction rate. It is treated best with physical treatments (for example antidepressant drugs) and only slightly (at best) to non-physical treatments such as counseling or psychotherapy. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 

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