Depression

Question 1

What is depression?

Answer 1

A mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy level

Question 2

What is behavioural?

Answer 2

Ways in which people act

Question 3

What is emotional?

Answer 3

Ways in which people feel

Question 4

What is cognitive?

Answer 4

Refers to the processes of thinking - knowing, receiving and believing

Question 5

What are four of the DSM-5 categories of depression?

Answer 5

Major depression, Persistent depressive disorder, Disruptive and dysregulation disorder, Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Question 6

What is major depression?

Answer 6

Severe but often short-term depression

Question 7

What is Persistent depressive disorder?

Answer 7

Refers to all recurring depression, including sustained major depression and what it used to be called - dysthymia

Question 8

What is Disruptive and dysregulation disorder?

Answer 8

`Childhood temper tantrums

Question 9

What is Premenstrual dysphoric disorder?

Answer 9

Disruption to low mood prior to and/or during menstruation

Question 10

What are some of the behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 10

Activity levels

Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour

Question 11

What affect does it have on activity levels?

Answer 11

Typically sufferers have reduced levels of energy making them lethargic often causing them to withdraw from work, education and social life - sometimes can’t get out of bed.
In some cases can lead to opposite effect- known as psychomotor agitation - struggle to relax

Question 12

What affect does it have on sleep and eating behaviour?

Answer 12

Sufferers may experience insomnia or an increased need for sleep
Similarly appetite and eating may increase or decrease leading to weight gain or loss

Question 13

Aggression and self-harm?

Answer 13

Sufferers are often irritable and could become physically and verbally aggressive and can be physical aggression directed to ones self which can include self harm, cutting and suicide attempts.

Question 14

What are the emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 14

Lowered mood
Anger
Lowered self-esteem

Question 15

What are lowered mood, anger and lowered self-esteem?

Answer 15

Lowered mood - sadness often accompanied by feelings of worthlessness
Anger- can be directed at self or others often leading to aggression
Lowered self-esteem- can be extreme, some describing self-loathing

Question 16

What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 16

Poor concentration
Dwelling on the negative
Absolutist thinking

Question 17

What is different cognitively with people with depression?

Answer 17

They tend to process information about several aspects of the world quite differently from the way people without depression think

Question 18

What is meant by poor concentration, dwelling on the negative, absolutist thinking?

Answer 18

Poor concentration- sufferers may find themselves unable to stick with tasks they normally can or find it hard to make straight-forward decisions
Dwelling on the negative - often ignore the positives and also have a bias to recalling unhappy events over happy ones
Absolutist thinking - (black and white thinking) - when the situation is unfortunate they may see it as a disaster