Depression Paper

Psy/270
4/3/2011

Depression Paper

Unipolar and Bipolar Disorder Many people go through a normal day and have their emotions fluctuate due to some sort of stimuli. It is quite normal for people to feel emotions like depression or elation because of certain situations or circumstances. It is when moods like depression or mania that affect people for a longer than normal period of time or when they constantly fluctuate between depression and mania that one may suffer from something called a mood disorder. Depression is a state of overwhelming sadness and a person’s outlook on general life is dark and foreboding as if nothing is right or will ever be right. Normally people can suffer from just depression which is called unipolar depression. Other people, however, suffer from mania as well. One moment or day they feel the effects of depression the next they feel as if they have loads of energy and are in a constant state of energized motion or activity. People who suffer the effects of both depression and mania have something called bipolar disorder.
Unipolar Depression Symptoms The symptoms of unipolar depression span five different aspects of human functioning these are: emotional, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, and physical. Emotional symptoms of depression leave people feeling overwhelmingly sad this may also be accompanied by thoughts of worthlessness, misery, and that they are empty or void of other emotions. People will often lose any pleasure gained from their normal activities and life and they may also lose their sense of humor. Depression can also sometimes be accompanied by anxiety, anger, and agitation (Comer, R. J. 2010). The fact that people with depression lose interest in their usual daily activities is one motivational symptom. Other motivational symptoms include a lack of drive and initiative