Type of psychology: Psychopathology
Psychopathology
Field of study: Depression
Depression
Clinical depression is an emotional disorder characterized by extreme sadness or a loss
of ability to experience pleasure. Its clinical features also include symptoms that are
cognitive (for example, low self-worth), behavioral (for example, decreased activity
level), and physical (for example, fatigue). Depression is a frequently diagnosed disorder
in both inpatient and outpatient mental health settings.
Key concepts
• anhedonia
• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
• Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI)
• cognitive therapy for depression
• dysphoria
• dysthymic disorder
• helplessness
• monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
• tricyclics
Clinical depression is a severe emotional disorder that is characterized by
four classes of symptoms: emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical.
The major emotional symptoms, at least one of which is necessary for the diagnosis
of depression, are dysphoria (extreme sadness or depressed mood)
and anhedonia (lack of capacity to experience pleasure). Depressed individuals
also experience cognitive symptoms. They may have feelings of worthlessness
or excessive or inappropriate guilt. Some may have recurrent
thoughts of death or suicidal ideation; others actually attempt suicide or create
a specific plan for doing so. Behavioral symptoms of depression may include
either restlessness or agitation, diminished ability to think or concentrate,
and indecisiveness. Depressed individuals also experience several
physical symptoms. They become easily fatigued, experience a loss or gain
in appetite, show significant weight loss or gain, and experience sleep disturbances,
such as insomnia (an inability to fall asleep) or hypersomnia (excessive
sleepiness).
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