Five Different Types of Depression

All too commonly the different types of depression get lumped together into one medium-sized word: Depression. However, there are many types of depression. This article seeks to clarify five types of depression and how counseling or lifestyle changes can help alleviate the all-encompassing depressions.

Five Types of Depression

These five types of depression are lack of purpose and meaning, physiological hypo-arousal, neurotransmitter deficiency, isolation, and heartbreak and grief.

Lack of Purpose and Meaning

The first type of depression is a lack of purpose and/or meaning. When one is simply going through the motions of waking up, eating, going to school or work, driving, or getting a ride home, eating, watching TV, then going to sleep, life can feel monotonous and void of any sort of lasting joy.

As Christians, our primary purpose is to love God. Then, of course, it is to love others. But as it says in 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.” We cannot execute our purpose of loving God and our neighbor without accepting and being loved by God. This can be the vertical reception of love from God through prayer or it can be a horizontal reception of love from the body of Christ and our peers. Either way, we must let ourselves be loved in order to love.

And how we love looks different for each person. In Matthew 7:12, Jesus says, “…do to others what you would have them do to you…” Every person has a different idea of what they would like done to themselves. For example, I greatly enjoy and experience love when strangers talk to me at grocery stores.

Because of this, if I am to obey Jesus’ command, I am compelled to go out of my way to engage and talk with strangers while shopping. It is in this way, that I know I am operating out of intentional love. Others may experience love through the receiving of gifts; then, if that person is to show love, it is through the giving of gifts to others. Regardless, it is about treating others how we desire to be treated.

There is another way to discover purpose and that is through the analysis of one’s personal history and a pressing into of desire. First, in our earthly bodies, who we are is a combination of what we have chosen in the past up until this point. Because of this, there are signs in our past that can reveal to us where we are headed. If someone’s needs and feelings were not affirmed or allowed growing up, that person can learn to focus on and emphasize other’s feelings and thus become a great listener.

Because of this, that person may look back at their life and notice that friends and/or strangers would come to them and share their problems with them. They might think about this and decide that God and their life has been shaped in such a way to become a therapist or life coach and learn to use what God has shaped them to be.

Another way to discover purpose is through the engagement of desire. In Psalm 37:4, the psalmist says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” As Christians, we have been given a new heart as Ezekiel 36:26 says when speaking of the prophetic pouring out the Spirit.

Since we have been given a new heart, we can trust that God has planted righteous desires within us that are in line with the Spirit of God. When we take delight in God, we can receive the goal of our desire. Taking time to lean into desire allows us to find meaning and a purpose in working toward God’s personalized plan for us.

Neurotransmitter Deficiency

In the scientific community, the most common explanation for depression is the neurotransmitter deficiency of dopamine and/or serotonin. When a patient comes to a doctor with complaints of depression, they consider prescribing medication.

In many cases, these medications have been proven to be remarkably effective in relieving the symptoms of depression. They do this by increasing the availability of dopamine or serotonin within the synapse; the space between two neuron cells. With the increase in these neurotransmitters, the symptoms of depression decrease.

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter concerned with the regulation of mood, sleep, and food consumption. If a person’s serotonin is out of whack, their mood may be deflated or manic, sleeping may be difficult or they might sleep too much, and your appetite may be restricted or ravenous.

The main medications prescribed for serotonin imbalance are SSRI’s or Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors. They have been proven to be remarkably effective in alleviating the symptoms of depression though they do come with the possibility of fairly uncomfortable side effects.

Dopamine, on the other hand, is involved with pleasure, reward-seeking, and motivation, and learning. If there is a dopamine deficiency, activities that would normally bring pleasure, no longer do. A medication commonly prescribed for dopamine abnormalities is called Wellbutrin/Bupropion. It works by increasing the amount of dopamine released by the neuron cell.

In the neurotransmitter deficiency model, medication is the primary source of treating depression. Although, you can alter your neurotransmitters through the eating of certain foods. However, I am not well versed in this area and would recommend going to see a Naturopath if you seek help in this way.

Physiological Hypo-arousal

This category of depression is difficult to describe. It can occur when the body is not producing enough nor-epinephrine (adrenaline) and is high in acetylcholine, a relaxing neurotransmitter. There are times in conversation and therapy when a client is sharing a traumatic story with a counselor and the client’s body begins to deflate and dissociate. When this happens, it becomes difficult to express oneself and the felt experience is of physiological depression.

When this state is extended, it becomes extremely difficult to motivate one’s self and to get one’s self to get up, move about, and exercise. An easy and straightforward way to increase feelings of energy is to read Scripture in the mornings.

As you focus and read Scripture, believing that the words in the poems, letters, stories, and teachings are bread for your soul, like it says in Matthew 4:4, when Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” then your spirit will be enlivened, and you will feel more energy to face the day.

Isolation

Prolonged isolation can lead to depression. It is possible to feel isolated and alone even when people surround you. An aspect of isolation is its mental state of disconnection. The cure to isolation is connection. And connection is possible only through vulnerability.

Many people do not want to be vulnerable with another person without trust. However, there are times where we must take hold of faith toward God and trust that regardless of how the other person responds, being vulnerable is what is being called for at that moment.

And hopefully, that person responds with curiosity, care, and affirmation. When they do so, there can be a felt sense of being known, heard, and connected. It is in that connection where isolation flees and, in its place, there is a sense of both well-being and energy.

We are made for relationship. Because we are made in the image of God, and our God is a relational being always pouring into each of the three persons of the Trinity, we too are made for relationship. When we are in relationship that we embody our relational image of God. It is in this image that we feel connected to ourselves, God, and others.

Heartbreak & Grief

This type of depression is usually out of our control. When someone close to us dies or moves away or stops being our friend there can be a deep sadness that consumes much of our days. This sadness, when kept to ourselves can fester and lead to a deep depression. Grief is a normal part of life and as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10: “…godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Grief without hope and faith is worldly grief. As Christians, our grief can be godly and can produce repentance and a striving for salvation. But worldly grief is a bottomless pit that leads to despair and hopelessness. However, even then, the Psalmist writes of God in Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope.” As followers of Jesus, we can partner with God and help those who are in despair and hopelessness.

Heartbreak and grief reveal our desire and the amount with which we cared. Without caring and desire, we would never feel grief. But as we are made in the image of God, we care and are passionate about both people and things, desiring their well-being and favor.

As a therapist, Christian counseling can help someone experiencing the depression of heartbreak and grief by walking with them through it, staying with the client’s emotional state, and progressing together as they work through the myriad of emotions that correspond with grief.

Christian Counseling for Depression

In many ways, Christian counseling can help alleviate these five types of depression. When faced with a lack of purpose or meaning, the counselor can help the client explore their past and help them through the use of questions to discover what brings the client life in their day-to-day existence.

Although many counselors cannot prescribe medication, they can bring up the idea and recommend and refer their clients to psychiatrists who have been trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses.

During a counseling session, the counselor attunes to the client’s physiological state and can help create a safe space in which to explore the difficult material which can arise. With this attunement, the counselor can help the client stay in the Goldilocks’ zone of well-being, neither hypo-aroused nor hyper-aroused.

Treating isolation depression is possible through the therapeutic relationship. It is the counselor’s job to be present to, be present with, and to affirm and believe the client. When this happens, the client’s isolated self is brought into relationship where they are heard, known, and seen and connection is enacted. It is this connection that alleviates the felt sense of isolation and loneliness.

Heartbreak and grief can be helped through counseling as well. These things take time to heal and having another person be present with you through them can help the client feel less alone and gain the strength to persevere through terribly difficult emotions and feelings.

With Christian counseling, it is possible to alleviate the debilitating experience of depression. As your counselor, I will help you discover which of the types of depression you may be struggling with, develop a treatment plan, and help you recover a sense of well-being and joy. I look forward to meeting with you.