Depression

Question 1

What is depression?

Answer 1

An affective mood disorder involving lengthy disturbance of emotions.

Question 2

What percentage of people will suffer from some form of depression?

Answer 2

About 20%.

Question 3

Is their a gender difference in depression incidence?

Answer 3

Women are twice as vulnerable as men.

Question 4

When are women most vulnerable to depression? Why?

Answer 4

Mid to late adolescence.

This may be because it is a time where many experience body dysfunction, low self-esteem, and resistance to achieving.

Question 5

Can depression occur in cycles? How long do they last?

Answer 5

Depression can occur in cycles.

Symptoms come and go over time, with an episode of depression generally lasting 2 and 6 months.

Question 6

When is depression most like to be onset? What is the average onset age?

Answer 6

Any time from adolescence onwards.

Average age of onset being late 20s.

Question 7

Has depression onset age increased or decreased in the past 50 years? Has the number of people with the disorder increased or decreased?

Answer 7

The age of onset has decreased over the past 50 years.

The number of people with this disorder has increased.

Question 8

How is depression diagnosed?

Answer 8

At least 5 symptoms to be apparent every day for 2 weeks for depression to be diagnosed by a doctor, with an impairment to general functioning also evident that is not accountable for by other medical conditions or events.

E.g. mourning a loved one.

Question 9

How is major depression diagnosed?

Answer 9

One of the 5 symptoms must be constant depressed mood or lessened interest in daily activities.

Question 10

What is unipolar depression also referred to as?

(Unipolar Depression)

Answer 10

Major depression.

Question 11

What is unipolar depression?

(Unipolar Depression)

Answer 11

A form of depression occurring without mania.

Question 12

What percentage of women suffer from unipolar depression? What about men?

(Unipolar Depression)

Answer 12

25% of women.

12% of men.

Question 13

How is unipolar depression characterised?

(Unipolar Depression)

Answer 13

Clinical symptoms, usually occurring in cycles.

Question 14

Outline severe unipolar depression.

(Unipolar Depression)

Answer 14

Where sufferers also experience more social impairment and episodes of depression occur more frequently.

Question 15

Severe unipolar depressives don’t respond well to what? What is used instead?

(Unipolar Depression)

Answer 15

Anti-depressants.

They respond well to a combination of anti-depressants/ psychotics.

Question 16

What is mania?

Answer 16

An emotional state characterised by intense, but more often inappropriate elation, resulting in hyperactivity, distractibility, excessive talking, and disrupted thought processes.

Question 17

What are the two types of bipolar depression?

(Bipolar Depression)

Answer 17

Endogenous Depression.

Exogenous Depression.

Question 18

Outline endogenous depression.

(Bipolar Depression)

Answer 18

Depression that revolves around biochemistry and hormonal factors.

Question 19

Outline exogenous depression.

(Bipolar Depression)

Answer 19

Depression due to stressful life experiences.

Question 20

What percentage of people suffer from bipolar depression? What is the gender split?

(Bipolar Depression)

Answer 20

2% of people.

This is equally divided between the sexes.

Question 21

When does bipolar depression usually occur?

(Bipolar Depression)

Answer 21

In a person’s 20s and before the age of 50.

Question 22

What characterises bipolar depression?

(Bipolar Depression)

Answer 22

Mixed episodes of mania and depression being more common than mania alone.

Question 23

State 3 emotional symptoms of unipolar depression.

Answer 23

Loss of enthusiasm.

Worthlessness.

Poor memory.

A constant depressed mood.

Question 24

State 3 behavioural symptoms of unipolar depression.

Answer 24

Loss of energy.

Sleep pattern disturbance.

Weight changes.

Poor personal hygiene.

Social impairment.

Question 25

State 3 cognitive symptoms of unipolar depression.

Answer 25

Delusions.

Thoughts of death.

Reduced concentration.

Question 26

State 3 emotional symptoms of bipolar depression.

Answer 26

Irritability.

Elevated mood states.

Lack of guilt.

Question 27

State 3 behavioural symptoms of bipolar depression.

Answer 27

High energy levels.

Talkative.

Reckless behaviour.

Question 28

State 3 cognitive symptoms of bipolar depression.

Answer 28

Delusions.

Irrational thought processes.