Depression is a mental health condition that can affect how you think, feel, and function in daily life. Types of depressive disorders include major depressive disorder (MDD), perinatal depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), and more.

Healthcare providers often diagnose depression based on symptoms, how long they last, their severity, and whether specific circumstances or medical conditions are involved. You can be diagnosed with one form of depression and later receive another diagnosis if your condition changes.

Read on to learn more about the various types of depression, who they tend to affect, and what symptoms they cause.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often what people mean when they use the term “clinical depression.”

MDD is one of the most common depressive disorders, and it can affect anyone at any age, from childhood to late adulthood. People who have experienced stressful life events, like chronic stress, loss, or major life changes, may be at a higher risk of developing MDD.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), MDD involves five or more symptoms that are present for at least two weeks and that significantly impair daily life.

Symptoms of MDD can include:

Major Depression With Psychotic Features

Major depressive disorder, if severe, can also occur with psychotic features. In this condition, depression occurs alongside a loss of contact with what’s real, also known as psychosis.

People with psychosis may experience hallucinations, in which they see or hear things that aren’t actually there. They may also experience delusions, or beliefs about themselves or the outside world that aren’t true.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Persistent depressive disorder (formerly known as dysthymia) is a chronic form of depression that involves a low mood that lasts at least two years and occurs alongside two or more depressive symptoms. Symptoms may change over time, but they don’t fully go away for longer than two months.

People with persistent depressive disorder may be able to continue working and meeting daily responsibilities while still experiencing ongoing symptoms such as:

However, these symptoms often cause significant distress or impairment. It’s also possible for someone with persistent depressive disorder to experience a major depressive episode, which used to be called a “double depression.”

Perinatal Depression

Perinatal depression refers to depression that develops during pregnancy (prenatal depression) or depression that develops in the weeks or months after childbirth (postpartum depression). Perinatal depression is more serious and longer lasting than the temporary emotional changes that are common in the early postpartum period — often called the “baby blues.”

Symptoms of perinatal depression may include:

Although perinatal depression most commonly affects the birthing parent, this type of depression can also occur in other parents, including adoptive parents and surrogates.

Postpartum depression is different from postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency that usually begins within days or weeks after childbirth and may involve hallucinations, delusions, mania, or confusion.

Postpartum psychosis is strongly associated with bipolar-spectrum disorders and requires immediate psychiatric evaluation, treatment, and often hospitalization.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Sometimes referred to as the “winter blues” or “winter depression,” seasonal affective disorder (SAD) describes depression that follows a recurring seasonal pattern. Seasonal depression is most common during the fall and winter months, when exposure to daylight decreases.

To meet the DSM’s diagnostic criteria for SAD, seasonal depressive episodes must happen for at least two years in a row, and the seasonal episodes must occur more often than nonseasonal episodes. Symptoms don’t have to occur during only one season throughout a person’s lifetime.

People with winter-pattern or winter-onset SAD may experience:

While less common, people may also experience spring or summer-onset SAD. This type of SAD often comes with symptoms such as poor appetite, weight loss, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and increased irritability.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe mood disorder linked to the menstrual cycle. It is more intense than premenstrual syndrome, or PMS.

Symptoms typically develop one to two weeks before menstruation and improve shortly after the period begins. Symptoms may include:

Like other types of depression, PMDD can significantly affect work, school, relationships, and daily activities.

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a mental health disorder diagnosed in children and adolescents. It’s characterized by severe, recurrent temper outbursts that are out of proportion to the situation, along with a persistently irritable or angry mood between outbursts.

DMDD was added to the fifth edition of the DSM (DSM-5-TR) to help distinguish chronic irritability from pediatric bipolar disorder, which is episodic. Symptoms of DMDD must begin before age 10. Healthcare providers diagnose the condition only in people between ages 6 and 18.

Other Specified or Unspecified Depressive Disorder

Not everyone with significant depressive symptoms meets the full criteria for a depressive disorder. In these situations, a mental healthcare provider may diagnose an other specified depressive disorder or unspecified depressive disorder.

These categories allow providers to recognize and treat depressive symptoms even when symptoms do not exactly fit another diagnosis.

Substance-Induced or Medication-Induced Depressive Disorder

Alcohol, recreational drugs, prescription medications, or withdrawal from certain substances can sometimes trigger depression symptoms. Doctors call this medication-induced or substance-induced depressive disorder.

Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition

Some medical conditions can directly contribute to depression symptoms. Examples include neurological disorders, endocrine disorders, or other illnesses that affect brain function. If you have a medical condition that’s causing depression symptoms, your provider may diagnose you with depressive disorder due to another medical condition.

Understanding the Different Kinds of Depression

There are many different depression types, and symptoms can vary widely from person to person. Understanding the various depression categories can help you recognize symptoms, seek evaluation, and find appropriate treatment.

If you’re living with major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, PMDD, or another mental health condition, help is available and recovery is possible.