depression

• depression - mental health disorder characterised by a low mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time
• behavioural characteristics of depression:

  • reduced energy levels
  • disruption in sleep
  • change in appetite
  • aggression and self harm
• emotional characteristics of depression:

  • low mood
  • feelings of sadness, worthlessness and emptiness
  • anger
  • low self-esteem
• cognitive characteristics of depression:

  • different ways of processing information
  • negative schema
  • poor concentration
  • “black and white” thinking
• reduced energy levels (lethargic) can cause withdrawal from social and work situations. In extreme cases the sufferer can't get out of bed
• change in appetite can be increased or decreased resulting in weight gain/loss
• reduced sleep can lead to insomnia
• Anger can lead to aggressive interactions and self harm
• Negative schema of the self, world and future lead to cognitive bias
• "black and white thinking" is when a sufferer dwells on the negatives and ignores the positives