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What is Depression? |
Doctors
use the word in two different ways. They can use
it to describe the symptom of a 'low mood', or to
refer to a specific illness i.e. a 'depressive
illness'........................
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Classification of
Depression |
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The classification of
depression (what types of depression exist) is a
controversial topic that has caused much debate
between psychiatrists.......
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Symptoms of
Depression |
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Stress can lead to you
to feeling down and miserable. What is different
about a depressive illness is that these feelings
last for weeks or months, rather than
days............... |
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Anxiety Disorder |
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Anxiety is a normal
response to stress or danger. At times it is
helpful because it can help prepare the body for
action, and it can improve performance in a range
of ................ |
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Generalized Anxiety
Disorder (GAD) |
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What is generalised anxiety disorder?
Psychologists find it hard to define GAD because
it is the same as ordinary worry and anxiety, but
on a huge and abnormal scale...... . |
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PMS |
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Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a mood
disorder that occurs at certain times in the
menstrual cycle. Many women experience
premenstrual syndrome........................... |
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Postnatal
Depression |
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Postnatal
depression (PND) is a depressive illness that
occurs after having a baby. It is common for women
following childbirth to experience a period of
'low' mood.................. |
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Depression and
Physical Illness |
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Mood changes and depressive
illnesses are more common in people suffering
from physical illnesses than in people who are
well. Although a person can develop
depression....... |
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Depression in
Elderly |
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It is the
most common mental illness found in old people and
the second commonest single underlying cause for
all GP consultations for people over 70 years of
age.................. |
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Depressive Disorder
in Childhood |
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The
symptoms of depression, such as occasionally
feeling sad and tearful, are common in young
people and are temporary. Depressive illness is
different in scale..................... |
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Drugs and
Depression |
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People
who use recreational drugs such as cannabis,
ecstasy and heroin often notice changes in their
mood. At times these changes may be so severe that
they are frightening..... |
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Alcohol Abuse |
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Up to 40
per cent of people who drink heavily have symptoms
that resemble a depressive illness. However, when
these same people are not drinking heavily, only 5
percent.... |
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Narcotics Abuse |
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Opioid drugs, also called opiates
or narcotics, have been used since the beginning
of recorded history. Opium is derived from a white
liquid produced by the poppy plant, first
cultivated in... |
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Phobias |
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A
phobia is an anxiety disorder in which the
affected person experiences an excessive or
irrational fear of a specific situation, object or
activity that disrupts their ability to function
in......
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Schizophrenia |
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Schizophrenia is probably the most
debilitating and unforgiving of all the mental
disorders. It keeps people from functioning at
school, at work, in relationships, and in
society..... |
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Suicide
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There are
around 4000 recorded suicides per year in the UK,
but it is estimated that it is under-reported by
30 to 50 per cent........... |
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Anhedonia |
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Anhedonia, the inability to
gain pleasure from normally pleasurable
experiences - a concept first identified in the
1890s - is throwing new light on depression in
ground breaking research at the Institute of
Psychiatry, London.................. |
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Manic Depression |
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Bipolar
affective disorder (manic depression) is a mood
disorder that is characterised by: Episodes of
depression, in which someone's mood is abnormally
low............... |
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Treating Depression |
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Throughout this factsheet, 'depression' means
depressive illness. This is very different to the
normal, brief periods of feeling down that all
people occasionally have in response to
circumstances in their day-to-day
lives.................... |
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