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About Depression – Symptoms and Types

Depression is a common mental health condition, with intense symptoms that can affect one’s life. Approximately one million adults and 100,000 young people in Australian live with depression each year. Depression can affect people of any age or gender. On average, one in four females and one in six males are diagnosed with this mental health condition.

Although many people may feel down or blue at certain times of their life, clinically diagnosed depression is a serious and distressing mental health condition which impacts on a person’s mental and physical well-being. Signs that the condition may be becoming more serious include an intense or severely low mood, continued symptoms for more than two weeks, and an interference with a person’s everyday life.

The types and symptoms of depression are described below. For information about the causes and treatment of depression, visit the Causes and Treatments page.

Symptoms of depression

Depression symptoms can include, but are not limited to:

  • Lack of concentration and /or indecisiveness
  • Low mood which may include feelings of overwhelming sadness or emptiness
  • Reduced ability to control emotions
  • Diminished interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
  • Guilt or feelings of worthlessness and negative thoughts
  • Tiredness, loss of energy
  • Loss or change in appetite (weight loss or weight gain)
  • Sleep problems such as insomnia or hypersomnia (sleeping too much)
  • Feeling sluggish, body aches, or slow movement
  • Recurrent thoughts of death and suicide. If you are feeling suicidal, it is very important to seek immediate help - call Lifeline’s 24 hour telephone counselling line on 13 11 14 to talk to someone now.

For a diagnosis to be made by a mental health practitioner, five or more of the above mentioned depression symptoms will have to be present during the same two-week period and must represent a significant change from the person’s previous mood and functioning.

Types of depression

The main types of depression are:

  • Combined anxiety and depression
  • Major depressive disorder
  • Postnatal depression
  • Bipolar mood disorder
  • Adjustment disorder with depressed mood

Different types of depression often have slightly different symptoms and may require different treatments.

Combined anxiety and depression
Anxiety disorders often accompany depression. In this case, an individual will experience the symptoms of both anxiety and depression.

Major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression or clinical depression, is the most common diagnosed type of depression. It is characterised by a depressed mood which lasts longer than two weeks, which prevents a person’s life from functioning normally. It can develop without apparent cause or can be triggered by a stressful and unpleasant event. It is common for an individual to experience an episode of major depression more than once during their life.

Postnatal depression (PND)
Postnatal depression is a common illness occurring in women between one month and up to one year following the birth of a baby. Around 16 percent of all mothers in Australia currently develop postnatal depression. With PND, women will experience the general symptoms of depression, which may come about suddenly, or may develop gradually over time.

Bipolar mood disorder
Bipolar mood disorder, also known as manic depression, is a form of depressive disorder. People with bipolar mood disorder experience extreme mood swings, which involves periods of feeling high (manic), as well as periods of felling low (depressed). The mood swings tend to reoccur and can be mild or severe. Bipolar mood disorder affects around one percent of Australians.

Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood is a reactive form of depression which usually lasts only a few months. The symptoms are generally the same as those experienced with other clinical depressions. The difference, however, is that adjustment disorder with depressed mood usually occurs due to a specific stressful situation or event. Furthermore, the symptoms of the disorder only last a short time after the stressful situation ends.

How Life Resolutions can help

Life Resolutions has a network of qualified psychologists who are experienced in diagnosing and treating depression. We can provide depression help to people of all ages, including adults, adolescents and children.

Visit the Contact Us page to make an appointment.