Atypical Depression: Define and Defeat the Hidden Parasite Atypical Depression – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Atypical depression can make you feel so exhausted that you do not want to get out of bed. It is a form of depression that is not easy to be treated, has such common symptoms as weight loss or gain, sleepiness and the feeling of anxiety. In this article, you will learn everything that you need to know about symptoms, causes, and treatment of depression with atypical features.

What is atypical depression?

It is a type of depression that has its own particular characteristics. A person, who suffers from clinic depression or major depression, experiences 5 or more of the following symptoms:

• Sadness
• Loss of energy
• Feeling of hopelessness
• Inability to enjoy life
• Difficulty in concentration
• Uncontrolled tearfulness
• Difficulty to make decisions
• Irritability
• Insomnia or sleepiness
• Dental pain or digestive disorder
• Loss of interest in sex
• Headaches
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Attempts to commit suicide

Unlike clinic or major depression, fewer symptoms take place when you have atypical depression. By the way, atypical depression occurs when there was earlier an episode of major depression.

Atypical depression symptoms

The main characteristic of this depression is the constant emotional response to a situation. In other words, the person feels much better after positive and pleasant experience in his life. This feature is not typical for major depression or melancholy or any other types. In addition other 2 symptoms mentioned below are taken into consideration:

• Sleepiness
• Overeating causing weight gain
• Increased sensibility to refusal, that has a great impact on the ability to function properly in the society and at work
• Feeling of burdensome, paralysis and heaviness in the limbs

Atypical depression causes

It is believed that depression develops as a result of the violation of the brain chemistry. These chemical elements – for instance, neurotransmitters that ensure communication between brain cells – include serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. However, the exact causes of depression are not clear, but the risk factors of depression include:

• Genetic factor
• Loss, resulting from death, separation, divorce, that leads to grief
• Interpersonal conflicts and feeling of guilt
• Physical, sexual or emotional violence
• Crucial life event, such as transfer, change or loss of a job, graduation of school or university, retirement
• A serious disease such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, HIV, AIDS
• Alcohol or drug addiction
• Withdrawal or expulsion from the family or other social groups

Treatment of atypical depression

It is more than likely that the doctor will prescribe antidepressants. One of the specific features of atypical depression is that the treatment with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is rather effective. Unlike major depression, the atypical one is not treated with the oldest antidepressants like the tricyclic ones.

MAOIs are the most effective in treating atypical depression; however, the doctors do not hurry to prescribe them. These drugs can interfere with the food that you eat. The people taking these meds must keep a special diet. The patients must not consume carbohydrates and fats too much as well as products rich in tyramine. These are the drinks and products that contain tyramine:

• Aged cheeses; cottage cheese and cream cheese are considered safe
• Smoked meat: sausages such as salami, pepperoni, mortadella, and basturma
• Products that have been in your fridge for more than 2 weeks
• Any combination of different products – like pizza – that can include products rich in tyramine
• Sauerkraut
• Draught beer
• Fermented soy products, including soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, bean pate, and miso soup
• Brewer’s yeast and yeast extracts (ordinary Baker’s yeast are safe)
• Fodder beans and pods of forage beans
• Banana peel
• The use of alcohol must also be limited – 100 grams of wine, 340 grams of bottled or canned beer and 28 grams of liquor –  or excluded

In addition, these antidepressants interact with meds that can be obtained without prescription like:

• for weight loss and weight control
• for cold and fever
• sprays and drops for nose
• inhalators or pills for asthma
• for cough
• natural doping, such as ephedra and ginseng

It is advisable to minimize or exclude the dose of caffeine.

Antidepressants of this type require separation of substances and products mentioned above during the use and for three-four weeks after the end of the use. High level of tyramine can cause a dangerous interaction, for instance:

• conscience confusion
• headache
• heart pain
• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• nausea and vomiting
• vision problems

Such antidepressants include the following drugs: selegiline, isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnat).

Alternative methods of treatment

People with atypical depression and the hyperfunction of the thyroid gland or growth hormone deficit understand that the treatment with hormones has a beneficial effect. In addition, the combination of antidepressants and anxiety syndrome drugs like benzodiazepines may be designated for the treatment of depression, and depression accompanied by anxiety syndrome. Benzodiazepine must be used carefully, as it has a high risk of addiction.

Because of the restrictions concerning the type of monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants, doctors often use antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The purpose of these products is to increase serotonin levels in the brain. More new drugs work on a basis of norepinephrine and serotonin. These drugs include:

• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro)
• Citalopram (Celexa)

People who after taking antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, must take antidepressants of the monoamine oxidase Inhibitors type have to wait five weeks before taking the medication. It is necessary to take into account the side effects of both drugs. Side effects of serotonin antidepressant drugs include:

• Abstinence syndrome
• Increased sensitivity to sunlight
• Reduced level of sugar in blood
• Rash
• Somnolence and lethargy
• Dysfunction of the kidneys and liver.

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