Depression takes on many forms, which is one of the reasons it is so hard to diagnosis someone with this condition. One form of depression is called atypical depression. If you have this condition you may find yourself wanting to sleep all the time and overeating is a big problem. Many people become overweight with this condition because of these two symptoms combined. Your body may feel numb all over and many say they feel paralyzed and have no desire to do anything. Atypical depression is a major type of depression that can interfere and even ruin a person’s life.
This type of depression normally starts to affect a person very early in life when they are young. It is hard to know someone has atypical depression because of what is called mood reactivity. This means that they can feel good sometimes and very sad at others. For example, when something good happens they seem normal and happy just like everyone else around them. However, later they are depressed, sad and lonely again very quickly. Another symptom of this condition is when a person’s arms and legs feel too heavy for their body and they hurt and feel tired all over.
It is believed that if left untreated atypical depression can cause more future problems than any other form of depression. Since all you want to do is sleep and eat its hard to gain any self respect or have any relationships professionally or personally. You tend to avoid people at all cost for fear of being rejected or humiliated. Atypical depression affects women more than men. Seventy percent of the people that have been diagnosed with this condition are women. If left untreated it can lead to other medical conditions that include panic attacks, avoidant personality disorders and social phobias.
It is very important that you tell your doctor exactly how you feel. It is the only way that he can diagnose you correctly. If you leave out anything such as wanting to sleep a lot, then you may be diagnosed with the typical type of depression instead of atypical depression. Even though the same treatment can be used for both types of depression it is important to know for sure which type you have to get the right combination of medications. If you think you may be suffering from atypical depression see your doctor as soon as possible. You can live a happy normal life once you realize why you feel the way you do and you get the right kind of help for this condition.