Depression Flashcards
What is depression?
A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels.
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
Activity levels,
Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour,
Aggression and self-harm.
What does the behavioural characteristic activity levels mean?
Sufferers typically have reduced levels of energy, making them lethargic.
This has a knock-on effect sometimes causing sufferers to withdraw from work, education and their social life
What does the behavioural characteristic disruption to sleep and eating behaviour mean?
Depression is associated with changes to sleeping behaviour. Sufferers may experienced reduced sleep (insomnia) or an increased need for sleep (hypersomnia).
Appetite and eating may increase or decrease, leading to weight gain or loss.
Both behaviours are disrupted by depression.
What does the behavioural characteristic aggression and self-harm mean?
Sufferers are often irritable and can become physically or verbally aggressive.
Depression can lead to physical aggression directed against ones self. This includes self-harm.
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
Lowered mood,
Anger,
Lowered self-esteem.
What does the emotional characteristic lowered mood mean?
Sufferers experience a lowered mood and often describe themselves as being ‘worthless’ and ‘empty’.
What does the emotional characteristic anger mean?
Sufferers often experience feelings of anger that can be directed at ones self or others. Anger can be extreme. On occasion such emotions lead to aggressive or self-harming behaviour.
What does the emotional characteristic lowered self-esteem mean?
Sufferers of depression tend to report reduced self-esteem - they like themselves less than usual.
Can be extreme with some sufferers being self-loathing.
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
Poor concentration,
Attending to and dwelling on the negative,
Absolutist thinking.
What does the cognitive characteristic poor concentration mean?
Sufferer may find themselves unable to stick with a task as they usually would or they may find it difficult to make decisions that they would normally find straightforward.
Both of these things are likely to interfere with the sufferers work.
What does the cognitive characteristic attending to and dwelling on the negative mean?
Sufferers are more inclined to focus on the negatives and ignore the positives.
Glass half empty.
Sufferers also have ….. finish
