Don't forget the drugs to counteract the effects of other drugs, and the diagnoses that go with them. I had a major "atypical" depression in 1994. I had a paradoxical reaction to an antidepressant and was then diagnosed as type II bipolar. They had me convinced that if I didn't take the mood stabilizers (totally debilitating for me) that I would end up being a full-blown manic depressive with psychotic episodes. I went to a bipolar meeting once, and wondered what I was doing there. My life was nothing like theirs'. Finally I got off the mood stabilizers. No hypomanic episodes, just like I never had a hypomanic episode, except for that one time on Desipramine.
In 2003 I had another major "atypical" depression, and after six months of I don't know how many drug therapies, discovered that I had pernicious anemia. The depression that comes with anemia is "atypical" and can be fixed right up in two weeks with high doses of iron and vitamin C. It's hard not to be bitter about the decade I spent straight-jacketed pharmaceutically and convinced I was at risk of becoming manic depressive. I have to wonder how much of the degeneration I've suffered is due to the prescriptions I've been given.
If I can spare anyone that pain, by convincing an anemic person to have their blood tested before seeing a shrinky-dink, it will have been worth it. Look for brittle nails, lots of loose hair, a blood-less feeling, feelings of worthlessness, not being able to remember ever having done anything right, not being able to recall words for things---I could not for the life of me think of the word "table". I just stared at it. Sleeping a lot. And not having any physical energy, which can also include not having the energy to generate a will to live or die.
This might explain one reason why women suffer depression so much more than men, and post-par tum depression after a difficult delivery. It doesn't explain all things called "depression", but I bet it's not uncommon.
Being in such a weakened physical state makes it very difficult to cope with the burdens of PTSD.  |