Unipolar depression - 3 Flashcards
Unipolar depression
- the type of depression that most people are familiar with where people suffer from periods of feeling down.
- It is called unipolar because it refers to someone’s mood being pulled in one direction
- This is different to bipolar depression where patients have ‘mood swings’ from very low to very high
- People often lack motivation to do everyday activities
Unipolar depression as a Mental Health problem
- According to the ICD, unipolar depression is also known as depressive episodes
- These are a type of mental health problem characterised by mood disorders
- Mood disorders affect how people feel; unipolar depression makes people feel very low.
- These episodes of depression are the periods of time where the symptoms whether mild, moderate, or severe are present in the patients
Mental Health Problem
a form of psychological problem characterised by symptoms affecting your mind and behaviour. They can affect how you think, feel, behave, or relate to other people
ICD
International Classification of Diseases
a ‘book’ that includes all symptoms
Symptoms of Unipolar depression
- Concentration decrease
- Guilt
- Appetite changes
- Sleep changes
- Psychomotor changes
- Death (Suicidal thoughts)
- Interest loss
- Energy decrease
Features of unipolar depression
1 in 15 people suffer from depression every year
Affects twice as many females and affects women for longer
Mild symptoms of unipolar depression
- 4 symptoms displayed
2. Patient may find their symptoms upsetting but they will probably be able to carry on with most day-to-day activities
Moderate symptoms of unipolar depression
- 5 or 6 symptoms displayed
2. Patient might have serious problems doing day-to-day activities such as going to work or to school
Severe symptoms of unipolar depression
- 7 or more symptoms plus general feeling of worthlessness
2. A patient may have suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm to cope with their feelings
Incidence of depression over time
- There is a feeling that more people are diagnosed with depression nowadays than in the past
- This could be because people are more aware of the symptoms of depression or as Brandon Hidaka (2012) suggests, that ‘modern living’ is more stressful and includes many risk factors for depression, such as sleep, deprivation, poor diet, and increased social isolation
- One age group where a large increase in diagnosis has been seen is in teenagers and young adults. This could suggest that modern life for this age group is particularly stressful
How depression affects individuals
Increasing the risk of suicide. The feelings of worthlessness and sadness in depression can make people feel as if they nee d a ‘way out’ If they think that other people will not care if they are around, then suicide might feel like their only option. 10-15% of patients with severe depression will commit suicide
How depression affects society
- Patients may miss a large amount of time from work. in 2014 to 2015, 9.9 million days of work were missed because of stress, depression, or anxiety associated with work in the UK
- People with depression lack motivation, which may make getting up and going to work very difficult. They may also find a day of work demanding if they are tired from lack of sleep. This may lead to them getting behind on their work leading to guilt, which may add to their depression - cost implications for the company
- Cost of treatment to patients. More people are being diagnosed with depression, meaning that more people will require treatment. Antidepressant drugs can be expensive to prescribe as well as therapy can also be expensive. This could put a strain on services provided by Government health boards
Psychomotor
A symptoms of depression, were thoughts relate to bodily feelings e.g. shaking limbs or feeling lethargic
Requirements diagnosis of depression
At least one symptom for most of the time for two weeks and at least one other symptom.
