PSYCHOLOGY

Unipolar depression; very serious and common mood

disorder. It is the type of Mental Health Problem in which
Individuals are affected by this form of depression experience
continuous feelings of sadness, or lack of interest in interacting
with the world around them.
Mental Health Problem; difficult experiences that make it harder
for us to get on with our lives

Some Of The Symptoms;

♣ Suicidal or self-harming thoughts

♣ Difficulty falling asleep, or wanting to sleep more than before
♣ Change in appetite, or sudden weight loss/gain
The main symptoms are;
♣ Lowering of mood – feeling very sad or upset
♣ Lack of energy even after relaxing for a long time
♣ Lack of motivation to do things

How depression affects individuals and society;

 Increasing the risk of suicide. The feelings of sadness in depression

can make people think that they need to escape from life by suicide
or self-harming. If they think that other people will not care if they are
around , then suicide might feel like their only option is becoming
suicide. It has been suggested that 10%-15% of patients with severe
depression will become suicide.
 Depression also has an effect on society generally. One example is
the amount of missed time on work. People with depression has lack
of motivation , which can make people hard to get up and go to work.
Also people with lack of sleeping can find a work day really difficult
due to their sleeping time. As a result , they can lose their jobs ,
leading to feelings of shame , which may add to their depression.
 Another effect is cost of treatment to patient. More people are
diagnosed with depression , meaning that more people need
treatment. Antidepressant drugs are used to treat depression ,but
they can be expensive to buy.
 Genetic explanation of unipolar depression

Twin Studies; Twin studies are useful for looking at the influence of
genes. Identical twins (monozygotic) share 100% of the same genes,
meanwhile non-identical twins(dizygotic) share only 50%-the same as other
siblings share. If one monozygotic twin becomes depressed , there is 46%
that other becomes depressed. In dizygotic twins, there is 20% chance that
other twin also becomes depressed. Genes play a role in depression , as
monozygotic twins(with more shared genes) show a higher risk of
depression if one is diagnosed compared to dizygotic twins.
Twin studies; study that checks if behaviour is similar among twin pairs
in groups.
Monozygotic Twins; when a zygote, splits and divides into two.

Dizygotic twins; When two eggs are fertilized during the same
pregnancy
Strengths & Weaknesses