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The most likely type of depression a patient may experience following the onset of disability is situational depression. This form of depression, also referred to as adjustment disorder with depressed mood, arises in response to identifiable stressors such as significant life changes, like the onset of a disability. When individuals suddenly face limitations imposed by a disability, it can lead to feelings of sadness, helplessness, and grief over lost abilities or changes in lifestyle.

In contrast, the other types of depression have different characteristics: psychotic depression involves symptoms of psychosis in addition to depressive symptoms, chronic depression refers to a persistent depressive disorder that lasts for years, and major depressive disorder is characterized by a severe depressive episode that can occur without an obvious external cause. Since situational depression directly ties into the changes experienced due to the onset of disability, it aptly characterizes the initial emotional response many patients have under such circumstances.