It affects the way the individual eats, sleeps, feels about themselves, and thinks about things.
Depressive disorders come in different forms.
The three most common types are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder. The symptoms of major depression interfere with the ability to work, sleep, eat and enjoy once pleasurable activities. These disabling spans of depression can occur once, twice or several times in a lifetime. Sometimes people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes. Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness, is not as common as the other forms.