Characteristics of Depression

• DSM-5 categories of depression: a mental disorder characterised by low mood and low energy levels.

  • major depressive disorder - severe but often short-term depression.
  • persistent depressive disorder - long term or recurring depression
  • disruptive mood dysregulation disorder - childhood temper tantrums.
  • pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder -disruption to mood prior to and or during menstruation.
• BEHAVIOURAL CHARACTERISTICS - ACT 1/2

  • Activity levels : reduced levels of energy, lethargy. This leads to people tending to withdraw from work, education and social life. It can be so severe the person doesn't want to get out of bed. It may have an opposite effect-psychomotor agitation; struggle to relax.
  • Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour : reduced sleep (insomnia) / increased need for steep (hypersomnia). Appetite may increase or decrease, leading to weight gain or loss.
• BEHAVIOURAL CHARACTERISTICS - ACT 2/2

  • Aggression / Self harm : irritable and verbally or physically aggressive. It leads to physical aggression directed by / against the self.
• EMOTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS - FEEL

  • Lowered mood : a defining emotional element of depression but its more pronounced than the daily kind of experience of feeling lethargic and sad.
  • Anger : Although people with depression tend to experience more negative emotions and fewer positive ones, its not limited to sadness, can lead to aggressive or self-harming behaviour.
  • Lowered self esteem : people with depression tend to represent reduced self esteem, they like themselves less then normal. This can be quite extreme, with some people with depression experiencing self-loathing.
• COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS - THINK 1/2

  • Poor concentration: the person may find themselves unable to stick to a task they usually would, or they might find it hard to make decisions that they would normally find straightforward. Poor concentration and poor decision making is likely to interfere with the individual’s work.
  • Attending to & dwelling on the negative : people are inclined to pay more attention to negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positives. Glass half empty > glass half full approach. They also have a bias towards recalling unhappy events rather than happy ones.
• COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS - THINK 2/2

  • Absolutist thinking : believe situations are all good or all bad-no middle ground. They have black and white thinking; when a situation is unfortunate, they see it as an absolute disaster.