12 Facts About Atypical depression

Atypical depression is defined in the DSM IV as depression that shares many of the typical symptoms of major depressive disorder or dysthymia but is characterized by improved mood in response to positive events.

In contrast to those with atypical depression, people with melancholic depression generally do not experience an improved mood in response to normally pleasurable events.

Atypical depression is four times more common in females than in males.

Atypical depression is more common in individuals with bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia or seasonal affective disorder.

Significant overlap between atypical and other forms of depression has been observed, though studies suggest that there are differentiating factors within the various pathophysiological models of depression.

Atypical depression can be differentiated from melancholic depression via verbal fluency tests and psychomotor speed tests.

Diagnosis of atypical depression is based on the criteria stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Research supports that atypical depression tends to have an earlier onset, with teenagers and young adults more likely to exhibit atypical depression than older patients.

Patients with atypical depression have shown to have higher rates of neglect and abuse in their childhood as well as alcohol and drug disorders in their family.

Atypical depression was first thought of as a disorder separate from typical depression in 1959, when doctors E D West and P J Dally were studying the effects of iproniazid, an MAOI, on patients with depression.

In general, atypical depression tends to cause greater functional impairment than other forms of depression.

Atypical depression is a chronic syndrome that tends to begin earlier in life than other forms of depression—usually beginning in the teenage years.