PSYCH101 Lecture Notes - Major Depressive Disorder, Psychopathology, Divergent Thinking

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Richard Ennis

Document Summary

Clinical depression has been called the common cold of psychopathology. It affects at least 10% of the population at some point in their lives. Schizophrenia however is far less common, affecting 1. 7%. Disorders first diagnosed in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Unipolar depression: depressive episodes are common people have bad days, it is inevitable. We need to ensure that when depression is diagnosed, that it is actually abnormal and not a random occurrence: diagnostic criteria for major depressive episodes: At least 5 symptoms must be present within a two week period in order to deem a person clinically depressed . This personality must be opposite from who you normally are. Symptoms include: depressed most of the day, diminished interest or pleasure in activities, significant weight loss/gain when not dieting/decrease or increase in appetite. Insomnia/hypersomnia: psychomotor agitation/retardation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness/excessive guilt, difficulty concentrating, recurrent thoughts of death and suicide, without a specific plan/attempts at suicide.