Features and Symptoms of unipolar depression Flashcards
Features of depression
- Unipolar depression is the most common mental health disorder. 2.6 in 100 people reported in UK statistics 2009.
- It affects 3.5 million people in the UK.
- According to the BPS: Nearly a fifth (19%) of British adults have reported an episode of depression.
- Depression is more prevalent among women (12%) than men (8%) – lifetime rate.
- Depression is reported by 27% of divorced or separated people, compared to 20% of people who are single and 16% of people in stable relationships.
- People in lower-income households are more likely to report depression compared to wealthier households. The most at-risk age group is 50-54.
Features - duration & type
- Mild depression has a limited negative effect on your daily life.
- Major depression interferes with daily life - with eating, sleeping and other everyday activities.
-Some people may experience only one episode of major depression but others experience several episodes in a lifetime.
Depression can last for several months. It is usual to recover from depression, but it is also common for the depression to return. It can lead to hospital admission, if the person is at risk of harm to themselves.
What categories does symptoms of depression fall into?
Emotional, somatic, motivational and cognitive.
What is emotional symptoms
Affective symptoms
Depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, pessimism about the future and a lack of interest in things that used to be enjoyable are all reported by people with depression. This is known as negative affect.
What is somatic symptoms
Physical symptoms
People with depression often experience loss of appetite along with unexplained aches and pains; they move and speak slowly and there are changes in their sleep patterns (some sleep all the time, some can’t sleep at all).
What is motivational symptoms
Social symptoms
People with depression often abandon hobbies and pastimes, work and study; they withdraw from relationships with friends and family.
What is cognitive symptoms
Cognitive symptoms
Changes in the way a person processes information; symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating and indecisiveness (these are mental symptoms but they’re not to do with emotion).
Symptoms in the DSM-5
DSM-5 requires at least 5 of the symptoms evident for at least two weeks to diagnose a Major Depressive Disorder. There are two key symptoms in DSM: depressed mood and loss of interest. At least one must be in evidence to make a diagnosis, but the severity of the diagnosis is based on the number of extra symptoms and the degree of dysfunction they create.
Symptoms in th ICD-10
ICD-10 requires 4 symptoms for mild depression, 6 for moderate depression and 8 for severe depression. There are three key symptoms in ICD-10: depressed mood, loss of interest, and decreased energy. For mild or moderate depression two of the three must be in evidence and for severe depression all three must be evident.
