Major Depression, which is characterized by sadness, Insomnia, and a depressed appetite. Often when an individual is in a state of major depression, the person feels a complete lack of motivation and drive and the sufferer lacks the desire to do anything in life. Some people are completely disabled by depression, and some even consider suicide.

Dysthymia: This is a less severe type of long term depression that generally does not completely disable a person. But it prevents the person from feeling motivated and functioning at optimum levels. Sometimes people who are suffering with Dysthymia also suffer from Major Depression, and when this occurs it is called double depression.

Manic Depression is also known as Bipolar Disorder. This type of depression is not as common as major depression or Dysthymia. It involves cycles of a manic state, alternated with a depressed state. This is often a long term recurring disorder. Sometimes the mood swings are very rapid. But more often they tend to be gradual.

There are a number of variations of depression; the types described here are only three of the most common.

Some symptoms of depression are:

Sadness; anxiety; pessimism; insomnia and sleep disorders; guilt; feelings of worthlessness; weight loss; fatigue; restlessness; headaches; pain; and thoughts of suicide.

Sources of Depression:

Some types of depression are hereditary. Living in a stressful environment can precipitate a depression. A trauma such as financial trouble, relationship problems, or a serious loss can also lead to depression.

Women are twice as likely to become depressed as men are, but scientists do not know why.

If you suffer from depression, you will want to seek the advice of your physician. He may prescribe medication for you. But keep in mind that every drug causes side effects.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could control and eliminate your depression just by having certain thoughts? I know that this sounds too good to be true, but quite frequently, various types of depression are caused by thinking negative thoughts.

Don't believe me? Then try it out! It's really quite simple and basic. Just use your imagination to think about something that you find very troubling or sad. Go ahead, think about it right now! Then come back to this article.

Alright, so what happened? If you really got into it and visualized the sad situation, you started to feel unhappy and a bit depressed. And the more you allow yourself to stay in that thought pattern, the sadder you will feel. As you keep having negative thoughts and keep feeling sadder, you lead yourself into a gradually intensifying depression.

The good news is that if you think about a happy memory, then you will displace that depression and sadness and replace it with happy feelings.

Listen closely now, because here are the keys to eliminating your depression: Our most pervasive thoughts spring forth from the unconscious mind. These are the thoughts that we find ourselves automatically thinking about during the day.

If the persistent thoughts that keep popping into your head are about your sad experiences or problems, then you raise your levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Now here is the 'Light at the end of the tunnel': Since hypnosis can be used to change our unconscious thoughts, NLP and self hypnosis stress management CDs will quickly alter the way that you feel, think, and behave. The good thing is that the same techniques that help relieve stress also work equally well for eliminating depression!

Listen to me now, because I will tell you exactly how and why it is going to happen. Hypnosis is a natural state of mind. Specifically, it is the Alpha state of consciousness. We pass through the Alpha state as we are falling asleep at night. And we pass through it again as we wake up in the morning. We also enter the Alpha state when we are imagining and daydreaming.

The unconscious mind is the seat of our emotions, and it is similar to a computer; the input controls the output! Hypnosis therapy is an excellent tool for reaching directly into the unconscious mind and reprogramming it to automatically divert you away from negative thought patterns, and promote positive thinking. It's a tool that allows you to bypass the consciousness to create positive expectations, which will then generate positive feelings. You can overcome depression by using hypnotherapy.