Depression biotypes

Medical and behavioral studies reveal that there are particular personality types known as biotypes that in times of stress break down in specific and expected ways. Each biotype can be recognized by certain experiences, traits and patterns of behaviors. Recent studies indicate that certain personality traits predispose to people to certain illness in general.

Depression biotypes tend to suppress their distress with obsessive compulsive behaviors to the point that they are often too good for their own advantage. Their inner turmoil due to various suppressed thoughts due to stressful events in their early childhood often resurfaces in the wake of one or more especially traumatic events later in their life.

Types of Depression

Depression can be severe for some people and occur for short periods. For others, depression is not so intense but can hang around at a low level for years.

Researchers claim there are mainly two types of depression. The more intense, short-period type major depression and the long-term but less severe form (dysthymia)

A third form of depression called adjustment disorder with depressed mood (reactive depressives) which refers to a depressive reaction to a particular life event (such as a death of loved ones, unemployment, or any other personal failure). Some people get over it relatively soon, while others fluctuate through a number of stages before they begin to feel better.

Bipolar disorder (also sometimes called manic depressive illness) is another depressive condition that creates a temporary psychosis. They have a strong genetic basis. Persons subject to this kind of depression are often subject to pathological highs or manias as well.

Reactive depressives

Reactive depressives tend to react to adversity the way they do because of certain childhood experiences. Due to certain personal failures they have the feeling of condemnation of everything in life. They try to repress the hurt, but doing so they aggravate the things in the long run. Their activities would hit an all time low.

Their general personality traits

• Low self-esteem
• A sense of inadequacy
• Helplessness
• General pessimism
• Guiltiness or feelings of rejection
• Aches and pains with no physical cause

Recent behavioral studies indicate that generally all of the reactive depressives have fathers who are strict disciplinarians and had controlling and intrusive mothers in their childhood. This may develop into involutional depression which strikes in middle ages. The hallmarks of involution depressives are compulsive thoughts, lack of sense of humor, tendency to self-punishment, narrow interests and stereotyped habits.

Obsessive compulsive thoughts and behaviors lead to serious depression because the person with such traits is too stiff to get used to stressful events in life. The involutional depressives are obsessive-compulsives because their feeling of inadequacy which has crept during their childhood has to be compensated in such a way.

Bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness)

Their general personality traits

• Loneliness and general unhappiness
• Lack of liveliness and feeling fatigued all the time
• Inability to enjoy pleasurable things
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Hostile and suspicious

Studies show that people with bipolar disorder inherit genes that make them more prone to get depressed. The genetic makeup alone is not responsible, though. Recent research specifies that manic depressive illness results from the operation of multiple genes acting together with other external factors like parental loss at an early age or parents with psychiatric problems.

Dependency needs is a marked characteristic especially evident in maniac depressives. They need emotional support and are 'hungry for love'. They tend to indulge in obsessive compulsive thoughts to counter their unmet dependency needs. The preoccupation to obsessive compulsive thoughts and behaviors may also be inherited.

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