Depression is a mental health disorder that is characterized by having some well-defined stages. In general terms, there are five moments that define this clinical condition, which is always caused by some cause that gives rise to a series of emotional, behavioral and cognitive manifestations.
Depression affects the way of thinking that responds to feelings of sadness and general hopelessness. Consequently, symptoms derived from this clinical condition occur and, if sustained over time, they can cause serious problems in overcoming this mental health disorder. In this Psychology-Online article, we will explain what they are. the stages of depression and its characteristics.
triggering event
Depression originates from a event that in a person’s life. In general terms, there should be previous antecedents such as genetic and environmental factors that give rise to the disease for it to become visible. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the patient’s life history and the contingencies that arise at the specific moment that the triggering event appears.
As side effects, this situation leads to deep feelings of sadness, hopelessness and one marked lack of interest for carrying out activities of daily living.
Belief modification
The person who enters this phase usually change your beliefs about yourself, of the world and the future by a negative perspective of the facts. For this reason, the way of interpreting reality will vary considerably compared to the moments before the onset of depression.
During this stage, ideas of devaluation of oneself and others are accentuated, resulting in a pejorative view of the actions carried out. The modification of beliefs causes an increase in self-esteem and low self-esteem.
Depression itself
Depression itself corresponds to the detection of the typical symptoms that appear in a usual depressive condition. According to the DSM-V, depression as a clinical entity has a series of diagnostic criteria that allow for an accurate diagnosis. Next, we will locate the most relevant ones:
- Permanent feeling of emptiness.
- Lack of interest and pleasure in activities.
- Loss or gain in body weight.
- Loss or increase in appetite.
- Sleep deregulation.
- Slowing down.
- Fatigue.
- exacerbated.
- Lack of concentration and attention.
- Deterioration of social relationshipswork and family.
- The symptoms cannot be explained by the ingestion of toxic substances and/or psychiatric medications.
Disinterest in the world
On the other hand, depression leads to a loss of interest by the events of the world. In other words, this means that the mental energy that was previously available and located in different areas of daily life is withdrawn from one’s own person. For this reason, this disorder takes a large part of the person’s vitality.
As a result of this stage, there arise marked inhibitions to carry out specific actions in various areas such as work, study and hobbies. Likewise, there is a distancing from the outside world and a need to isolate oneself arises.
Factors underlying depression
Depression can be sustained over time due to certain factors that contribute to the persistence of the most characteristic symptoms. In this section, we will develop the main ones:
- Stress: The excessive duration of high levels of stress is associated with the maintenance of depression. For this reason, it is pertinent to emphasize evaluating the clinical conditions of each person.
- Difficulties interpersonal: as we have pointed out, depression has the effect of distancing the person from their closest environment. In some cases, this signal is determined by interpersonal conflicts that make the remission of symptoms difficult.
- Dysfunctional beliefs: Negative thoughts play a fundamental role in temporarily maintaining depression. When this occurs, the person who suffers from this condition usually puts up some resistance to positive changes since they cannot see an optimal future for the development of their life.
In this article, we explain to you.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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References
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (5th edition). Arlington: Panamericana Medical Publishing.
Bibliography
- Arrarás, JI, Manrique, E. (2019). The perception of depression and its treatment. Annals of the Navarra Health System Magazine, 42 (1), 5-8.
- Botto, A., Acuña, J., Jiménez, JP (2014). Depression as a complex diagnosis. Implications for the development of clinical recommendations. Chilean Medicine Magazine, 142 (10), 1279-1305.