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Don't be fooled. Atypical depression is actually the most common subtype of depression in outpatients, according to Andrew Nierenberg MD, Associate Director of the Depression and Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, affecting anywhere from 25 to 42 percent of the depressed population.
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Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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I was originally diagnosed with atypical depression in the mid '80s. An on-call doc who evaluated me during a hospitalization in 2004 gave me a dx of borderline personality disorder which was abhorrent to me, but I didn't have the umph to get it stricken from the medical chart. I was on Parnate in the 80s and several other drugs that didn't work for many years. Since 2006, I've been back on Parnate, a foreign word to many young pharamcists and psychiatrists. I used to only be able to tolerate 20 mg. Now I take 40. (I've also been diagnosed with ADD.) Problem is now I can't get to sleep without taking trazodone and clonazepam. So many drugs. Any comments. BTW, I'm more or less in recovery, but definitely have good days and bad days often depending on how socially isolated I am. I'm single, have one daughter, no other family, which, I think creates a very challenging situation for a person with severe depression. Comments on drugs/sleep? Anything would be helpful. Deb
ReplyDeleteSome people describe depression as “living in a black hole” or having a feeling of impending doom. However, some depressed people don't feel sad at all—instead, they feel lifeless, empty, and apathetic.
ReplyDeleteWhatever the symptoms, depression is different from normal sadness in that it engulfs your day-to-day life, interfering with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep, and have fun. The feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness are intense and unrelenting, with little, if any, relief.
I have been working in Mental health since 1993, and have seen the struggles people have had with the "atypical depression" as well as experiencing it myself. I have been screened for adult ADHD and found Concerta had a greater impact on my depression than any previous combination of antidepressants. Natural lighting was helpful, as was the sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. I have found over the past yar, screening "atypical depressed" clients for ADHD has shown over 75% of them to screen positive for ADHD.
ReplyDeletePeople who suffer from atypical depression also exhibit other symptoms that aren't normally associated with "normal" depression The Ups And Downs Of Atypical Depression
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