Unipolar Depression

What is depression?

• a mood disorder characterised by low moods and energy levels, feelings of despondency and hopelessness

• unipolar depression (major depression) occurs without mania

• 25% of women and 12% men suffer from this form

Symptoms of unipolar depression

• clinical symptoms which usually occur in cycles

• in a more severe case, sufferer can experience delusions and social impairment

• unipolar depression is a complex disorder affecting a person mentally, emotionally and physically - suffer from low moods and unable to function normally

Behavioural characteristics

• loss of energy

• psychomotor agitation

• social impairment

• weight changes

• poor personal hygiene

• sleep pattern disturbance

• aggression and self-harm

Loss of energy

• depressed people have reduced amounts of energy - results in fatigue, lethargy and inactivity

• tends to lead to social withdrawal from work, education or social lives, and sometimes refuse to get out of bed

Psychomotor agitation

• agitated individuals struggle to relax and may end up pacing up and down a room

• due to anxiety and fluctuating energy

Social impairment

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

• depression is associated with withdrawal from social and work life

Weight changes

• appetite and eating may increase or decrease due to over-eating or under-eating

• this leads to significant weight changes and a possible eating disorder

Poor personal hygiene

• depressed people ften have reduced incidents of washing, wearing clean clothes etc.

Sleep pattern disturbance

• depression is associated with changes in sleep patterns - can lead to reduced sleep (insomnia), premature waking or oversleeping (hypersomnia)

Aggression and self-harm

• sufferers are often irritable and sometimes physically and verbally aggressive

• sometimes tend to cause harm to themselves

Cognitive characteristics

• depression causes maladaptive thoughts that tend to increase low mood

• these cognitive thoughts include:

  • cognitive delusions

  • reduced concentration

  • dwelling on the negative

  • absolutist thinking

  • thoughts of death

Hallucinations and delusions

• some experience delusions, generally concerning guilt, punishment, personal inadequacy or disease

• some also experience hallucinations: auditory, visual, olfactory (smell) or haptic (touch)

Reduced concentration

• sufferer may find themselves unable to stick with tasks or make decisions that should be relatively straightforward

• poor concentration and decision-making may interfere with sufferer’s ability to do work

Dwelling on the negative

• depressed people are more likely to dwell on the negative aspects of a situation

• they will recall unhappy events instead of happy ones

Absolutist thinking

• most situations are not all good and bad, but depressed people tend to have a ‘black and white’ thought process

• therefore, when an unfortunate situations occurs, they see it as a disaster

Thoughts of death

• depressed people tend to have frequent thoughts of death and self-harm

• this can lead to suicide, if left untreated

Emotional characteristics

• depressed people tend to experience low moods and negative emotional symptoms that can trigger maladaptive thoughts

• these characteristics include:

  • loss of enthusiasm

  • constant depressed mood

  • worthlessness

  • lowered self-esteem

  • anger

Loss of enthusiasm

• depression is often characterised by a lessened concern with daily activities - they stop trying and working

• depressed people also tend to feel a lack of pleasure in all aspects of life

Constant depressed mood

• the ever-present and overwhelming feelings of sadness/hopelessness experienced by depressed people

Worthlessness

• those suffering from depression often have constant feelings of reduced worth

• they also have inappropriate feelings of guilt or emptiness

Lowered self-esteem

• depressed people tend to report reduced self-esteem and like themselves less than usual

• this can be quite extreme - some feel self-loathing and turn towards self-harm

Anger

• sufferers frequently experience anger - this can be directed at themselves or others

• sometimes leads to aggressive and self-harming behaviours