depression Flashcards
Depression
a mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels.
Behavioural characteristics
ACTIVITY LEVELS- reduced energy levels, making them lethargic. This has a knock on effect as people tend to withdraw from work or school. in severe cases people can’t get out of bed. However depression can lead to the opposite effect- psychomotor agitation. Agitated individuals may start pacing.
DISRUPTION TO SLEEP AND EATING- a person may experience insomnia or hypersomnia. Appetite and eating may increase or decrease leading to weight gain or loss.
AGGRESSION AND SELF-HARM- often very irritated and in some cases verbally or physically aggressive. Someone experiencing depression might display verbal aggression by ending a relationship. It can also lead to physical aggression e.g. self harm in the form of cutting.
Emotional characteristics
LOWERED MOOD- Feeling sad. People experience feelings of lethargy and sadness. They describe themselves as worthless or empty.
ANGER- They often experience anger this can sometimes be extreme. It can be directed at themselves or others. This can lead to self-harming behaviour
LOWERED SELF ESTEEM- the emotional experience of how much we like ourselves. People with depression tend to report low self esteem. This can be quite extreme, as some describing a sense of self loathing- hating them selves
Cognitive characteristics
POOR CONCENTRATION- A person may find themselves unable to stick with a task or they might find it hard to make decisions. This can interfere with their work.
DWELLING ON THE NEGATIVE- People are more inclined to focusing on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore positives. i.e they see a glass as half empty rather than half full. They often have a bias towards recalling unhappy events rather than happy ones.
ABSOLUTIST THINKING- Most situations are not all good or all bad. when a person is depressed they tend to think like this black and white thinking”. when a situation is unfortunate they see it as an absolute disaster.
