The aim of this paper was to review the epidemiology, symptomatology and classification of depressive disorders according to the modern systems diagnosis and research. This study had also the objective to describe, throughout the psychoanalysis theory, the depressive disorders main aspects, specially the melancholic and the atipic features. All along the text it has been emphasized the importance of an early diagnosis combined to a psychoanalytical comprehension of the patient's condition.
Atypical depression; Melancholic depression; Psychoanalysis