What Are The Stages Of Depression?

We all know that depression is a mental illness. Statements like ‘learn to deal with it’ or ‘stay strong’ does not help. It takes depression treatment to help a patient suffering from this illness. It is a disease that can be treated with therapeutic interventions. In recent years, innovative treatments like TMS have been very effective in treating depression. There are different types of depression including:

• Major Depression
• Bipolar Disorder
• Persistent Depressive Disorder
• Psychotic Depression
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
• ‘Situational’ Depression
• Peripartum (Postpartum) Depression
• Atypical Depression

So, the kind of treatment a patient needs also depends on the type of depression. If a patient is suffering from bipolar disorder, he needs to visit a bipolar rehab center.

Now the question is, many other diseases come in different stages. When detected in the early stages, it is easy to treat a disease without any complications and side-effects. Does depression also come in a series of stages? This is not true in the case of depression.

It is also important for the patient to be aware of the difference between sadness and depression. A number of individuals feel sad and unhappy due to some life events. Sadness is temporary. However, depression starts affecting both personal and professional aspects of his life. Depression does not need any trigger to strike. The life of the patient looks normal from outside. However, from inside, he feels empty.

The patient feels that everything is less important, interesting and fun. Feeling impatient and easily overwhelmed is normal in this disorder. He gets angry and gives up quickly. When it comes to symptoms and diagnosis, psychologists have not identified or defined stages of the disorder. Symptoms of the disease often accumulate gradually.

However, there can be some early signs of this disorder. The patient might be plagued by angry thoughts or sadness. This often comes with assumptions that people think badly of the patient. He might scold himself.

The patient feels angry and despair about his own problems and the problems he sees around himself. This leads to loss of appetite or binge or overeat. Depression starts affecting the sleep patterns. The patient stays up worrying or fuming. Some patients sleep late and then spend the entire day in bed.

They don’t understand that some situations are difficult to control. Usually, they see it as a failure. This often leads to thoughts of suicide. Some even think about making suicide attempts. For anyone going through tough times, it is important to be aware of the symptoms of the disorder for diagnosis and treatment. If the patient can notice five of the following eight symptoms, he should see a therapist for depression treatment:

• Being irritable or down most of the time
• Lacking interest in activities that he had always enjoyed
• Changes in appetite, weight loss or weight gain
• Feeling restless or slowed down
• Feeling sluggish or tired
• Feeling guilty or worthless
• Finding it difficult to make decisions
• Having trouble concentrating
• Suicidal thoughts

Getting depression treatment on time is extremely important as there can be consequences of untreated depression. This can lead to serious (additional) health issues, relationship troubles, lack of productivity, alcoholism or drug dependency, or even suicide. So, if you are suffering from depression, get the treatment now!