FREE Learn about depression-how it affects you, your family, your friends. All programs are open to all students, faculty, and staff. This program is in conjunction with National Depression Screening Day. Recently, research produced as a result of the last several National Depression Screening Days has revealed that some people may experience depression without necessarily suffering from significant or very troublesome changes in sleep and appetite. This is an intriguing finding because changes in sleep and appetite are usually considered to be hallmarks of depression.
Dysthymia is a milder form of depression that lasts two years or more.
It is the second most common type of depression but because people with dysthymia may only have two or three symptoms, may be overlooked and go undiagnosed and untreated. Bipolar depression is the is the depressive phase of manic-depressive illness, in which there are both extreme highs and extreme lows. Bipolar depression symptoms are similar to those of major depression, with certain variations such as excessive sleep and increase in appetite. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that follows seasonal rhythms, with symptoms occurring in the winter months and diminishing in spring and summer. Current research indicates that the absence of sunlight triggers a biochemical reaction that may cause symptoms such as loss of energy, decrease activity, sadness, excessive eating and sleeping.