What Is Stress Reactive Depression

Depression is a fairly well used term in everyday life so most people have some kind of understanding of what the word means. In simplistic terms, it is a feeling of lowliness or unhappiness. However there are different types of depression which are classified by the source of the depression. These classifications are reactive depression and endogenous depression. This article will look a what is stress reactive depression and show how it differs from endogenous depression. It will suggest common treatments and ways to deal with it.

Reactive depression is characterized by the cause of the feeling of depression and is sometimes known as an adjustment disorder. The cause is some external event to the individual suffering from the depression. The common example is the death of a loved one. This will cause suffering, unhappiness and a host of other feelings that might be termed depressed. These feelings are a natural response to the event and take time to come to terms with. These feelings are reactive depression.

The general consensus is that this depression is a natural response and there would be something wrong with a person if they did not have these feelings. As the source of depression is known by the sufferer it is often easier to heal the depression. In many respects a bit of time from the stressful or traumatic event is all that is needed. Other things like talking to people about your feelings can help or doing things to take your mind off the source of the depression will also work. In severe cases cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might be useful. This is a form of counseling that helps the person to change their perceptions of negative thoughts and sentiments. The CBT gives the person ways to turn around negative thoughts by giving alternative ways to looking at a situation.

Reactive depression must have an end point. The natural healing process to the traumatic event must be seen to be making progress. The mood of the person is changing, even if only slowly, for the better. If, for example, they isolated themselves from other people, over time they should start to become more sociable. If progress is not apparent over a length of time the depression might not be reactive but endogenous depression.

Endogenous depression or clinical depression has no external source as the cause of the depression. As the term suggests it is internal to the person. They feel depressed because they feel depressed. This is often a mental health problem that may stem from some external event but the suffering, heart and depression has been internalized to such an extent that the sufferer has no awareness of it. This is the most severe type of depression a person can suffer from. CBT is often used to help people in these cases, in conjunction with some form of anti-depressant drug.

Reactive Depression is a natural response to a traumatic event or stressful situation. Provided that the person is dealing with the depression in some way then it should dissipate with time. If it does not seem to be going them it might be advisable to see a doctor as the depression might be becoming more deep seated and require professional help.

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