Defining and diagnosing depression
Constance Hammen, Edward Watkins in Depression, 2018
This chapter describes depression, a constellation of debilitating affective, cognitive, behavioural and physical symptoms commonly marked by sadness, loss of interest and motivation, negative thoughts about the self and the future and impairment of typical functioning. Depression is one of several disorders generically called affective disorders, referring to the manifestations of abnormal affect or mood, as a defining feature. Thus, depressed mood, sadness, feeling low, down in the dumps or empty are typical. Depression has many manifestations, and use of diagnostic criteria for such syndromes as major depression and persistent depressive disorder ensures reliability, but heterogeneity between individuals is common. The chapter discusses some of the efforts to define subtypes of depression and course features. Depression is also highly likely to co-occur with other clinical problems such as anxiety and substance use disorders. The chapter also discusses some of the most common assessment instruments used in research and clinics to define and diagnose depression.
Social aspects of depression
Constance Hammen, Edward Watkins in Depression, 2018
This chapter elaborates an important theme in depression: interpersonal relationship issues as a cause and consequence of recurrent depression, especially conflict in close relationships that appears to be more than a temporary result of a depressive state. Most forms of psychological disorder affect individuals’ interpersonal lives, with symptoms that alter social behaviours, perceptions of others and the quality of interacting and relating with others. For those who are married, unfortunately, depression and poor marital quality have a powerful, reciprocal effect on each other. At the most basic level, the symptoms of depression may contribute to difficulties in close relationships. Depression affects the family. Not only are the symptoms of depression difficult for other family members to cope with, but also depression takes a toll on marital relationships and parent–child relationships. Parental depression is a major risk factor for depression in their offspring, operating through a complex mix of biological and psychosocial factors.
Foundations for Conceptualizing and Treating Depression in Girls and Women
Laura H. Choate in Depression in Girls and Women Across the Lifespan, 2019
This chapter provides a review of guidelines for effective mental health practice for girls and women, followed by specific evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of depression. Providing effective, gender-informed, evidence-based assessment and treatment for depression is important because of its level of potential lifetime impairment. Women with depression are at significantly higher risk of developing other chronic diseases, and 9 out of 10 women with depression have one or more risk factors that increase their vulnerability to chronic disease or chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity. Effective treatment is also essential because of the chronic nature of depression. As 20% of adolescent girls have already experienced an episode of depression by age 17, they are also highly likely to experience recurrent episodes throughout adolescence and adulthood. It is clear that depression is a mental disorder that is particularly relevant for therapists who work with girls and women due to the two-fold gender difference in prevalence rates.
Psychosocial stressors, physical illness and the spectrum of depression in elderly inpatients
Published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 1996
Objectives: To describe all elderly patients hospitalised with principal and secondary diagnoses of depression, and to determine whether a relationship can be demonstrated between psychosocial stressors, physical illness and type of depression. Method: A retrospective chart review of elderly patients admitted to a general hospital psychiatry ward over a 7-year period with principal or secondary diagnoses of depression was undertaken. Four broad diagnostic categories of depression were used: major depression, psychotic depression, minor depression, and organic depression. Chief outcome measures were: number of medical diagnostic categories, presence of psychosocial stressors, global clinical improvement, and length of stay. Results: Of 228 patients admitted with depression (194 principal diagnoses and 34 secondary diagnoses), 100 had major depression, 47 psychotic depression, 48 minor depression and 33 organic depression. Psychiatric comorbidi-ty occurred in 70%, about half of which was due to organic brain syndrome. Patients with psychotic depression had the fewest medical problems and those with organic depression the most, while patients with minor depression had the highest rate of family and marital problems, comorbid personality dysfunction and suicide attempts. Patients with psychotic depression had the longest admissions, while those with minor depression had the shortest. Overall, 89% showed significant clinical improvement. Conclusions: Elderly inpatients have a wide spectrum of depressive disorders with different psychosocial, medical and treatment profiles. Future studies of depression in old age should include all patients with clinical depression.
Depression in adolescence: Its relationship to assertion and various aspects of self‐image
Published in Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 1982
Despite numerous reports of adolescent depression, little empirical research exists. The study investigated the nature of adolescent depression by administering the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and a series of self‐report measures to 568 high school students. Findings consistent with the adult depression literature included significant positive relationships between depression and all measures of maladjustment. Subjects who reported more depression reported more overall maladjustment. A positive relationship between depression and assertion was also obtained which is consistent with the adult depression literature. Those reporting more depression reported more assertion. The most important predictor of depression was body and self‐image. These results are discussed as supporting the theory that depression exists in adolescence and while possessing certain unique characteristics it is highly similar to depression in adults.
Gender Differences in Classes of Married Men’s and Women’s Depression
Published in Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 2021
Preston C. Morgan, Richard Dell’Isola, M. Hunter Stanfield, Jared A. Durtschi
Depression is a common presenting problem for couples and family therapy, but it is unclear at what degree close relationships are impaired when testing depression classes. Using a family systems framework, we used 847 married men and 1,690 married women from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2016 data. Latent class analyses revealed four classes of married women’s depression (high-depression, high-suicide; high-depression, low-suicide; mixed-depression, high-suicide; and mixed-depression, low-suicide classes) and two classes of married men’s depression (high-depression, moderate-suicide; and moderate-depression, lower-suicide classes). We found that the more severe depression classes were linked with only moderate impairment of close relationships.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Bipolar Disorder
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Melancholia
- Insomnia