Characteristics Of Depression Flashcards
What does depression mean?
A mental disorder characters by low mood and energy levels
Behavioural characteristics of depression
• Low activity levels - typically, sufferers of depression have reduced levels of energy making them lethargic.
• High activity levels - sometimes psychomotor agitation can occur where individuals struggle to relax and may end up pacing up and down.
• Disruption to sleep - sufferers may experience reduced sleep (insomnia), particularly premature waking or an increased need for sleep (hypersomnia).
• Disruption to eating behaviour - appetite can increase or decrease, leading to weight loss or weight gain.
• Aggression and self-harm - sufferers are often irritable and can become verbally or physically aggressive. There can be physical aggression directed to the self in the form of cutting or suicide attempts.
Emotional characteristics of depression
• Lowered mood - this is a defining emotional element of depression and involves people feeling ‘worthless’ or ‘empty’.
• Anger - this can be directed at the self or others. It can lead to aggressive or self-harming behaviour.
• Lowered self-esteem - sufferers report liking themselves less than usual. It can be quite extreme with individuals becoming self-loathing.
Cognitive characteristics of depression
• Poor concentration - sufferers find themselves unable to stick with tasks that they usually would or might find it hard to make decisions that normally would have been made quickly. Work is likely to be interfered with as a result of poor concentration and decision making.
• Attending to and dwelling on negative aspects - they see the glass as half empty and have a bias towards recall unhappy events, rather than happy ones.
• Absolutist thinking - sufferers tend to see situations in black or white. When a situation is unfortunate, they would see it as an absolute disaster.
