Psych no 2 question - amateurdoctor

[ArchivalUser]

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, and 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.

Treatment ........: antidepressants, electroconvulsant therapy, and supportive psychotherapy, as deeper psychotherapy can not be tolerated.

Roughly 10% of people with depression suffer from Melancholic Depression.

[ArchivalUser]

Atypical depression

.......is a subtype of dysthymia and major depression, sharing many of the symptoms of both, but also being characterized by mood reactivity ” being able to experience improved mood in response to positive events.

In contrast, sufferers of "melancholic" depression generally cannot experience positive moods, even when good things happen.

Additionally, atypical depression is characterized by reversed vegetative symptoms, namely over-eating and over-sleeping, and separately by interpersonal rejection sensitivity.

[ArchivalUser]

Dysthymia

.... a chronic long-lasting form of depression sharing many characteristic symptoms of major depressive disorder (in the form of the melancholic depression subtype).

These symptoms tend to be less severe but do fluctuate in intensity. To be diagnosed, an adult must experience 2 or more of the following symptoms for at least two years.
Feelings of hopelessness
Insomnia or hypersomnia
Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
Low energy or fatigue
Low self-esteem
Poor appetite or overeating.
Irritability

[ArchivalUser]

How you make the difference between double depression and bipolar syndrome