What is atypical depression

In contrast to atypical depression , people with melancholic depression generally do not experience an improved mood in response to normally pleasurable events. What does atypical depression feel like? What medicines are used to treat atypical depression? How do atypical antipsychotics treat Delusional disorder?

What are the subtypes of depression?

However, atypical depression — also called depression with atypical features — means that your depressed mood can brighten in response to positive events. Depression with atypical features or more commonly, atypical depression, refers to a depressive state where individuals experience improved mood when encountering pleasurable events. This type of major depression, or dysthymia , is atypical of melancholic depression, where mood improvements from positive situations do not typically manifest in affected individuals 1. Some experts believe that atypical depression is actually a subgroup of depression that occurs in response to negative life events, which is known as reactive depression.

Some doctors feel atypical depression is underdiagnose as it may not be as severe as the typical major depressive disorders. Criteria for atypical depression. According to the DSM-IV,.

The American Psychiatric Association no longer recognizes atypical depression as a separate disorder. Instea the condition is now called major depression with atypical features. All atypical means here is that some of its symptoms are the opposite of what doctors had come to expect with depression.

Types of medications for atypical depression can include: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). MAOIs are the oldest class of antidepressant medications, but they can have serious side effects. However, some experts feel that MAOIs, especially phenelzine (Nardil), can be effective for atypical depression.

Similarly, patients with atypical depression are more likely to suffer from personality disorders and anxiety disorders such as borderline personality disorder,. Two things set atypical depression apart: its symptoms and the treatments that tend to be most effective. The symptoms of atypical depression run counter to what most people think of as depression. Pleasurable moments could result from compliments, from the receipt of sympathy, or from good news. Causes of atypical depression are not known.

Research has identified several possible factors which may trigger depression. Genes may play a role because depression tends to run in families. Problems with the neurotransmitters in the brain may cause depression but so can early trauma, emotional events (divorce, for example), and substance abuse. In general, people with atypical experience similar symptoms as those with major depressive disorder (MMD) but with one crucial difference: mood reactivity.

The prevalence of atypical depression based on DSM-IV criteria among samples of subjects with major depressive disorder or dysthymia has been reported to be around percent.

Most of the studies have shown the prevalence of atypical depression to be around four times more common in female patients. One symptom specific to atypical depression is a temporary mood improvement in response to actual or potential positive events. A form of depression in which overeating and oversleeping are commonly observe often but not exclusively in association with leaden paralysis, extreme sensitivity to interpersonal rejection, and highly reactive moods.

Having depression as a child or teenager puts you at higher risk for atypical depression as do the general risk factors for depression. In addition to the typical depression symptoms like extreme sadness, loss of pleasure, fatigue and difficulty concentrating, atypical depression symptoms include mood reactivity. In other words, when something positive or negative happens, the. Atypical Depression Symptoms. It also tends to keep unwanted company.

People with atypical depression are more likely to have anxiety , personality and somatization disorder (physical symptoms with no physical cause) than those with other types of depression. The good news is that atypical depression is also very treatable. It occurs more often in women than in men and is characterized by the presence of a specific set of symptoms.

Prevalence and clinical features of atypical depression in depressed outpatients: a 467-case study.