![]() ![]() 4 This high rate of recurrence suggests that there are specific factors that increase the likelihood that individuals will experience repeated depressive episodes. Depression is a highly recurrent disorder more than 75% of depressed individuals will relapse within two years of recovery from an episode. To meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 3 criteria for MDD, a subset of these symptoms must be present concurrently for at least a two-week period, referred to as a Major Depressive Episode. Other common symptoms of depression are psychomotor agitation or retardation, marked weight or appetite changes, insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue, extreme feelings of guilt or worthlessness, concentration difficulties, and suicidal ideation. 2 MDD comprises a range of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms, including the core features of persistent depressed mood and decreased interest or pleasure in usually enjoyable activities. 1 In fact, the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Study ranked depression as the single most burdensome disease worldwide with respect to total disability-adjusted years among midlife adults. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition that affects almost 20% of the American population at some point in their lifetime. Research examining cognitive aspects of depression not only enhances our understanding of this common and costly disorder, but also has implications for the treatment of depression and for future investigations of the biological foundations of this disorder. ![]() Results of these investigations converge on the formulation that depression is associated with increased elaboration of negative information, difficulties in cognitive control when processing this information, and difficulties disengaging from this information. These mechanisms include inhibitory processes and deficits in working memory, ruminative responses to negative mood states, and the inability to use positive and rewarding stimuli to regulate negative mood. In addition, researchers have attempted to identify and elucidate the cognitive mechanisms that may link these biases in information processing to emotion dysregulation in depression. For example, investigators have assessed the ways in which depression alters aspects of information processing, including attention and perception, interpretation, and memory processes this research has generated relatively consistent findings. Contemporary research has utilized experimental procedures to examine cognitive processes in depressed individuals as well as the nature of the relation of these processes to the emotion dysregulation that is central to the disorder. Cognitive theories of depression have long posited that various thought processes are involved in the development, maintenance, and recurrence of depressive episodes. Depression is a prevalent and impairing psychiatric disorder that affects how we feel and how we think about ourselves and the world around us. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |