Hypericum in this book sometimes refers to the plant Hypericum perforatum, but most often it refers to the specific extract used in the majority of studies on the use of hypericum in treating depression. Not all hypericum extracts are alike, and only a few extracting methods and pharmaceutical forms have been subject to medical investigation. Because most of the medical research to date has focused on the most prevalent forms of depressionmild to moderate major depression and dysthymiawhen we use depression in this book, we refer to only these two. Medicine further describes the intensity of a major depression as either mild, moderate, or severe. A depression must be clearly debilitating to be termed severe.
Severe depression can include hallucinations and, in some cases, suicide attempts.
It may require hospitalization. Although even the most severe forms of depression can be successfully treated, often with rapid results, it is essential for seriously depressed people to receive proper medical supervision. If a depression is experienced most of the day, more days than not, and continues for more than two years, it's known as dysthymia. Dysthymia, then, is an imbalance, a negation, of the human mind and soul. It can start in childhood and continue well into adulthood.