Depression

Unipolar Depression

Features

Also known as clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, unipolar depression is a mood disorder, characterised by varying degrees of sadness, disappointment, loneliness, hopelessness and guilt. It is a relatively common mental health disorder, with an estimated 3.5 million sufferers in the UK.

Unipolar disorder should be distinguished from bipolar disorder. Whereas unipolar depression is a mood disorder which is seen as a constant disturbance to mood, bipolar disorder involves fluctuations between moods of manic depression and mania, which is not the case with unipolar depression.

Features of unipolar depression include:

 Depression is twice more common in women than men, although men are more likely to commit suicide. However girls tend to rely more on social relationships as a source of self-definition and self-validation, and their friendships are also characterised by greater intimacy, self-disclosure, empathy and emotional support which helps to mitigate genetic vulnerability to depression (but not so in boys)

 Different people have different courses of the disorder; some are only affected once in others it is chronic.

 The peak time for depression is between 50 and 60yrs, although it typically occurs between 30 and 40yrs.

 People who suffer any form of depression usually live shorter lives, possibly due to a link between depression and heart disease and other stress-related illnesses.

Symptoms

• Individual has feelings of intense sadness most of the day, nearly every day as indicated by subjective report or observation by others –in children/teens this may be an irritable mood. They may find that feelings of intense lethargy and apathy tend to dominate.

  OR

• There is a lack of enjoyment or pleasure in activities which used to elicit such feelings nearly or all the time as indicated by subjective report or observation.

  AND 4 OF

• Significant weight loss or gain (5%+ per month without cause) or an increase/decrease in appetite daily- in children they may not meet expected weight gains.

• Sufferer finds it difficult to get off to sleep and difficult to wake up (hypersomnia/insomnia)

• Their levels of motivation are very low nearly every day as reported subjectively or observation.

• The sufferer may show recurrent thoughts of suicide (with or without plan) or of death.

• The sufferer may find it difficult to concentrate or be indecisive nearly every day

• Psychomotor agitation (i.e. self-harm or purposeless/unintentional repetitive behaviour) or psychomotor retardation (slowing down of thoughts and a reduction of physical movements as the simple seem impossible) present nearly every day reported by the subject or by other’s observations.

   

The symptoms must not meet the criteria for a mixed episode or bereavement (more than 2months and marked by functional impairment) or be due to the direct psychological effects of a substance or a general medical condition. The symptoms must have caused clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational etc functioning.

Explanations

The Cognitive Model of Depression, Beck (1976)

1. Faulty thought processes/schemata (learned through experiences and interactions), such as a generalised…