VERIFIED CONTENTConsultation: lek. Tomasz Nęcki

Basically any type of depression can be considered a serious problem. One of the most dangerous types of depressive disorders is depression with melancholic features. There are several reasons for this - what are they and what to do to help a person with melancholic depression?

Currently, various types of depression are distinguished - in basic terms, it is distinguished, among others, single depressive episodes, recurrent depressive disorders or typical and atypical depression. The course of depressive disorders is also different in patients of different ages. Depression in a child may manifest itself in the appearance of increased irritability in the patient. Senior depression may, in turn, be associated with complete isolation from close ones and severe cognitive impairment.

A fairly common question - both of patients and their relatives - is what is the severity of depressive disorders. It is difficult to judge unequivocally whether a given patient's depression is more serious than another. Overall, however, it is mentioned that some important threats are related to the so-called depression with features of melancholy.

What are the symptoms of depression with features of melancholy?

Nowadays, the term melancholy is rarely used anymore, but in the past it was very popular. It derives from the Greek language and was used by Hippocrates, who, as melancholics, defined people struggling with, inter alia, intense depression.

Melancholic depressionis also a term that is hard to see in modern psychiatric textbooks, but it was used as a term for severely severe depressive disorders, in the course of which there were clearly marked depressive symptoms. These include :

  • anhedonia (complete inability to feel happy, due to the fact that the activities that the patient once loved, completely stopped enjoying him),
  • significant sleep disorders (such as very frequent, early awakening from sleep with the inability to go back to sleep),
  • a strong decrease in appetite (leading to a significant decrease in body weight).

Potential symptoms of depression with features of melancholy also include a significant depressed mood (withthe tendency to occur its greatest decreases in the early hours of the day), psychomotor slowing down or indifference.

Read also: Depression - causes, symptoms, types and treatment. Take the test and see if you are depressed

Why is melancholic depression dangerous?

If left untreated, any type of depression is life-threatening, depression with features of melancholy considered the greatest threat in several aspects.

One of them is that quite often it is an endogenous depression, i.e. one that can be caused by abnormalities in the functioning of the patient's body (e.g. inappropriate concentrations of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system). Its opposite is exogenous depression, which is caused by various events, such as abandonment by a partner or loss of job.

Exogenous depression is sometimes considered a lower risk than endogenous depression because in its case, after the patient has de alt with a difficult event, the depressive symptoms may subside.

A significant problem associated with melancholic depression is that its symptoms can become very intense. Due to this, it can be difficult to get the person struggling with him to take the necessary treatment. A depressed patient with features of melancholy may not have the strength to leave home and go to a specialist, and may also feel that there is absolutely nothing that can help him.

How to help a person with melancholic depression

Depression with features of melancholy, like other types of depression, not only can but also must be treated. The patient's condition can be improved by taking antidepressants or attending psychotherapy. On the other hand, as mentioned above, it can be very difficult to motivate the patient to make a decision at all to reach for the necessary help.

If you want to support a person who has melancholic depression, first of all, you should assure him that it is a he alth problem like many others that can be cured. Even theoretically simple activities can be helpful, such as making an appointment with a psychiatrist or taking him to a specialist.

Just as a severely depressed patient may often appear reluctant to maintain any kind of relationship, his environment should definitely not avoid contact with him. A depressed patient, left on his own, may collapse even further, which may result in, in the worst case, even taking his own life.

Category:

Psychiatry