Hello Internet!!
In my last post I began my
research on the types of depression. I found some very valuable information on
persistent depressive disorder and postpartum depression and today, I am going
to be looking at psychotic depression and seasonal affective disorder. These
are two more types of mental illnesses that fall into the depression category.
Psychotic Depression
Psychotic depression (also
known as major depression with psychotic features) happens when someone suffers
from both major depression and some form of psychosis such as delusions or
hallucinations. A patient cannot have psychotic depression if they don’t
already have some form of psychosis. The cause of psychotic depression is
unknown but it is more likely to occur in people who have a family history of
psychotic depression. Studies have shown that around 20 percent of people with
major depression also suffer some symptoms of psychosis.
People with psychotic
depression suffer from either mood-congruent psychotic features or
mood-incongruent psychotic features. Both symptoms involve hallucinations or
delusions and can be particularly dangerous. Mood congruent psychotic features
means that the hallucinations and delusions have to do with depressive themes
such as guilt, or worthlessness. Mood incongruent psychotic features do not
involve depression.
Some of the symptoms of
psychotic depression as listed on www.healthline.com include fatigue, irritability, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness,
worthlessness, or self-hate, social isolation, or talks or threats of suicide.
People with psychotic depression often are unable to connect with reality.
Hallucinations can be scary and it can be hard for the person experiencing them
to tell what’s real and what’s not.
Psychotic Depression is
especially difficult for people who have it because at this time, there are no
FDA-approved drugs to help with this mental illness. Mental health professionals
will most commonly prescribe a combination of antipsychotics and
antidepressants. Like other types of depression, not everyone’s treatment will
be the same and people all react to medications in different ways.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective
disorder (SAD) occurs when a person experiences serious mood changes during
winter, when there is less natural light. It usually goes away during the
spring and summer but can be a serious problem, especially for someone living
somewhere with harsh winters. For example, there are parts Alaska where the sun
doesn’t come up all winter because of how close they are to the earth’s axis.
People who live in these areas often have a vitamin D deficiency, and many have
seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal affective
disorder is not looked as at as a separate disorder. It is simply a type of
depression that shows a recurring pattern. Some of the symptoms that patients
experience if they have the winter pattern of SAD include hypersomnia,
overeating, weight gain, and social withdrawal. Some of the symptoms that
patients experience if they have the summer pattern of SAD include poor
appetite and weight loss, insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, or even episodes of
violent behavior. Summer seasonal affective disorder is less common than winter
seasonal affective disorder but it is still there and it is still an issue.
There are four treatments
that one can use to lessen the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder:
medication, light therapy, psychotherapy, and vitamin D. Common medications
that are used to treat SAD include serotonin, and bupropion. The purpose of
light therapy is to replace the lost sunshine in the winter months. The patient
is exposed daily to a bright artificial light. Psychotherapy is a type of
mental treatment that involves counseling to help the patient identify negative
thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts. Vitamin D supplements replace
the natural vitamin D that we can get from sunlight.
Some people who have
seasonal affective disorder consider relocating during winter months to
somewhere with warmer temperatures and more sunshine. Winter can be especially
hard in cities where tall buildings and cloudy weather both contribute to less
sunshine. New York City is one city that can be particularly hard to live in
during the winter for people with SAD.
Thanks again for reading!
I have used the following sources for the past two posts:
I have used the following sources for the past two posts:
