Symptoms and Features of Uni-Polar Depression Flashcards
what do affective symptoms refer to ?
changes to mood, such as depressed mood or loss in interest/pleasure
what is anhedonia and what type of symptom is ?
anhedonia is the lack of enjoyment or pleasure found in previously enjoyed activities, events or places - it is an affective symptom
what are bodily symptoms ?
changes physical behaviour, such as reduced energy levels/fatigue
what is a knock-on effect of depression ?
depressed people tend to withdraw from work, education and social life
what can happen to appetite when you have unipolar depression ?
decrease/increase of appetite leading to significant weight loss/gain (it is classified as a symptom if the person loses or gain >5% of their body weight in a month)
how can unipolar depression affect sleep patterns ?
sleep has to be disrupted nearly every day - insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or hypersomnia (excessive sleep)
what do cognitive symptoms involve ?
- thought
- people with unipolar depression experience negative thoughts - blame themselves for events outside of their control (feel guilty/unworthy)
what are examples of cognitive symptoms ?
- have a lack self-confidence, feel incompetent/incapable, pessimistic
- may feel recurrent thoughts of death or thoughts or suicide (but without specific plan)
what are the behavioural symptoms ?
- fatigue and loss of pleasure and enjoyment can lead to social withdrawal and diminished activity
- some people show signs of psychomotor retardation or agitation (must be observational by others)
what are four features of unipolar depression ?
1) prevalence in Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in 2014 was 3.3 people per 100 population
2) highly prevalent partly because it is co-morbid with many other mental disorders, e.g. anorexia nervosa
3) linked to many physical illnesses, e.g. found in 23% of women undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer (watts et al. (2015))
4) more prevalent in women
