4.1.4 BEHAVIOURAL, EMOTIONAL, COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPRESSION

Question 1

what is depression?

Answer 1

a mood disorder
- patients experience low mood and low energy levels

Question 2

what are depressive disorders characterised by?
and at what point?

Answer 2

all forms of depressive disorders are characterised by changes in mood or loss of interest in activities that were once found to be pleasurable

(must be for no less than 2 weeks)

Question 3

the DSM-5 recognise 5 categories of depressive disorders
what are these?

Answer 3

1) major depressive disorder
- severe but often short-term depression

2) disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
- childhood traumas

3) persistent depressive disorder
- long term, reoccurring depression, including sustained major depression

4) premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- disruption of mood before and/or during menstruation

Question 4

what are the four behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 4

1) the shift in activity levels
2) affected sleep
3) affected appetite
4) aggression and self-harm

Question 5

how does depression affect activity levels?
BEHAVIOURAL

Answer 5

this can be both:
- an increase in activity such as restlessness
- decrease, where the person withdraws from the daily life
eg) not being able to go to work

Question 6

how does depression affect sleep?
BEHAVIOURAL

Answer 6

• this can be an increase in the need to sleep and stay in bed
• or a decrease where they suffer from insomnia or premature waking

Question 7

how does depression affect appetite?
BEHAVIOURAL

Answer 7

• can be an increase where the person eats more and more to comfort eat
• or a decrease where the person cannot eat and struggles to eat meals

Question 8

how does depression affect aggression and self-harm?
BEHAVIOURAL

Answer 8

• depression can lead the individual to be aggressive with themselves and cause self-harm
  eg) cutting / suicide attempts

Question 9

what are the 4 emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 9

1) sadness
2) anger
3) loss of interests
4) lower self esteem

Question 10

how does depression affect sadness?
EMOTIONAL

Answer 10

• lowered mood is a key defining emotion of depression
• can lead to the person feeling hopeless

Question 11

how does depression affect anger?
EMOTIONAL

Answer 11

• people with depression often have angry outbursts
• can be directed at themselves or others

(this emotion comes under behavioural characteristics too as they can cause harm to themselves and others)

Question 12

how does depression affect loss of interests?
EMOTIONAL

Answer 12

• the patient may lose all interest in activities or hobbies that once bought them joy
• therefore giving them a lack of control

Question 13

how does depression affect lower self-esteem?
EMOTIONAL

Answer 13

• a person with depression is likely to have lower self-esteem
• some suffer from self-loathing
  eg) hating themselves / something in particular about themselves

Question 14

what are the 4 cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 14

1) negative views of the world
2) irrational thoughts
3) poor concentration
4) negative expectations of themselves

Question 15

how does depression affect negative views of the world?

Answer 15

the person suffering from depression is likely to think that everything will turn out badly and that there is no hope

Question 16

how does depression affect irrational thought?

Answer 16

their thoughts and beliefs aren’t rational and the person suffering from depression will see the world negatively
- their thoughts don’t accurately reflect reality

Question 17

how does depression affect concentration?

Answer 17

the person suffering from depression can have poor levels of concentration
- where they’re unable to stick with a specific task or they find it hard to make decisions

Question 18

how does depression affect negative expectations of themselves?

Answer 18

the person suffering holds unrealistic expectations about themselves and their relationships