Symptoms of Atypical Depression
October 26th, 2007This 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 considered a chronic syndrome and can begin when a person reaches their teenage years. It is also believed that it can cause more functional impairment than you will find in people with other types of depression. Atypical depression can completely interfere with a person’s social and professional life. It makes them feel useless and they avoid interacting with others because they are afraid of saying or doing something wrong that will get them negative attention. This condition tends to affect more women than it does men with about seventy percent of all cases reported being women. A person that suffers from atypical depression is more likely to have other disorders such as avoidant personality disorders, social phobias and panic attacks.
