Unipolar Depression - features, symptoms

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Unipolar/Major depression is a mood disorder and it is characterised by persistent feelings of sadness or lack of interest in outside stimuli.

/features

  • It is more likely to develop if you suffer from other disorders also e.g. substance misuse, borderline personality disorder. Suffering from other disorders also can adversely affect your recovery from depression.

  • Sufferers usually live shorter lives possibly due to a link between depression and heart disease and other stress-related illnesses.

  • Depression has a high prevalence rate with an estimate of 3.5 million of sufferers in the UK.

  • It is twice as common in women, but men are more likely to commit suicide (even though it is more likely to be attempted by women)

  • The peak time for depression is between 50 and 60, but it typically occurs between people of ages 30 and 40.

/symptoms

  • mood symptoms

Loss of interest and pleasure - reduced capacity in experiencing pleasure in activities that used to elicit such feelings. In most extreme forms is called anhedonia.

Abnormal sadness - persists continuously for at least 2 weeks and can cause disabling physical symptoms e.g. change in appetite, insomnia as well as disabling psychological

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