Psychopathology - Depression

Question 1

types of depression

Answer 1

major depressive disorder
persistent depressive disorder
unipolar depression
bipolar depression

Question 2

major depressive disorder

Answer 2

Severe but often short-term depression

Question 3

Persistent depressive disorder

Answer 3

Long-term or recurring depression- also called
dysthymic depression

Question 4

Unipolar depression

Answer 4

Sufferers only experience depression and not
manic episodes. Clinical symptoms usually occur
in cycles.

Question 5

bipolar depression

Answer 5

Sufferers experience mixed episodes of mania
and depression.

Question 6

behavioural characteristics of depression

Answer 6

loss of energy
social impairment
weight changes
poor personal hygiene
sleep pattern disturbance

Question 7

loss of energy

Answer 7

• Depressed people can have reduced amounts of
  energy, resulting in fatigue, lethargy and high levels of inactivity. In
  severe cases this may mean not being able to get out of bed. In some
  cases, people with also experience the opposite effect- known as
  psychomotor agitation e.g. not being able to relax.

Question 8

social impairment

Answer 8

• There can be reduced levels of social interaction with friends and relations.

Question 9

weight changes

Answer 9

Significant decreases or increases in weight are often associated with depression.
Appetite and eating behaviour is disrupted by this disorder.

Question 10

poor personal hygiene

Answer 10

• Depressed people often have reduced incidence of washing, wearing clean
  clothes etc.

Question 11

sleep pattern disturbance

Answer 11

• Depression is often characterised by constant
  insomnia (inability to fall asleep or stay asleep) or hypersomnia
  (oversleeping).

Question 12

emotional characteristics of depression

Answer 12

loss of enthusiasm
constant lowered mood
worthlessness
anger

Question 13

loss of enthusiasm

Answer 13

• Depression is often characterised by a lessened concern with and/or lack of
  pleasure in daily activities.

Question 14

constant lowered mood

Answer 14

• A key characteristic is the ever present and overwhelming feelings of
  sadness/negativity, sometimes described as feelings of ‘emptiness’.

Question 15

wothlessness

Answer 15

Those suffering from depression often have constant feelings of reduced worth and/or
inappropriate feelings of guilt. It can also be accompanied by lowered self-esteem- liking themselves less than
usual. In extreme cases describing a sense of self-loathing (hating themselves).

Question 16

anger

Answer 16

Sufferers of depression also frequently experience anger, directed at the self or others. On occasion
these emotions can lead to aggressive or self-harming behaviour

Question 17

cognitive characteristics of depression

Answer 17

People suffering from depression tend to process information about several aspects of the world quite differently
from the ‘normal’ ways that people without depression think.

reduced concentration
attending to and dwelling on the negative
thoughts of death

Question 18

reduced concentration

Answer 18

There can be difficulty in paying/maintaining attention and/or slowed-down thinking
and indecisiveness. This is likely to interfere with an individual’s work or everyday functioning.

Question 19

attending to or dwelling on the negative

Answer 19

• When suffering an episode people with depression
  are inclined to pay more attention to negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives-> “glass half empty”. They also have negative schemas. They might also experience absolute
  thinking (black and white thinking), whereby they will see an unfortunate situation as an
  absolute disaster.

Question 20

thoughts of death

Answer 20

• Depressives can have constant thoughts of death and/or suicide.

Question 21

acronym to help you remember these characteristics

Answer 21

WASPS WALL ANT
Weight, Activeness, Sleep disturbance, Personal hygiene, Social impairment

Worthlessness, Anger, Lowered mood, Loss of enthusiasm

Attention problems, Negative schemas, Thoughts of suicide