🧠 Common Types of Depression

Depression is a multifaceted disorder of mental health which involves multiple clinical disorders with particular patterns of symptoms, periods, and degrees of severity. Instead of being one emotional state, depression is a complex of problems, which influence mood, thinking, physical health and behavior.

📌 Major Types of Depression

1. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): Continuous sad, empty, or hopeless moods that take at least two weeks and affect daily living (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
2. Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD): Chronic depressive symptoms lasting at least two years in adults, also known as dysthymia.
3. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Depression occurring during fall and winter seasons when natural sunlight is limited.
4. Postpartum Depression: Occurs after giving birth, accompanied by strong emotional outbursts, fatigue, and lack of attachment to the newborn.

📊 Symptom Categories

Table 1: Four Categories of Depressive Symptoms

Category	Description	Common Examples
Emotional	Affecting mood and feelings	Continuous sadness, irritability, anxiety, hopelessness, emotional detachment
Cognitive	Affecting thinking patterns	Inability to focus, memory loss, self-criticism, negative thoughts (Beck and Alford, 2009)
Physical	Affecting body and health	Chronic fatigue, headache, digestive disturbances, sleep pattern changes
Behavioral	Affecting daily actions	Social withdrawal, avoidance of responsibilities, decreased engagement

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🎓 Depression in College Students

• Falling academic performance and inability to meet assignment deadlines
• Lack of motivation and high rate of absenteeism
• No interest in campus life and social activities
• Emotional exhaustion caused by academic, financial, and social strains (Auerbach et al., 2018)

📖 View Student-Specific Symptoms above | View Full References

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