What is Depression?
People experience depression in many different ways, but perhaps the most prominent feature is a low or sad mood. Other typical signs of depression include lethargy, trouble with sleeping or early wakening, feeling constantly tired, pessimistic negative thoughts, difficulty thinking straight or making decisions, change in appetite and loss of interest.
There are different types of depressive reaction ranging from mild mood fluctuations or ‘the blues’ to severe clinical depression. At the severe end of the scale people often experience more marked physical symptoms and it seems likely that this is related to biochemical changes in the brain. For most people a depressive reaction is triggered by a set of life events which they are finding difficult to cope with.
Vulnerability to depression
Some people are more vulnerable to depression than others. Vulnerability factors include:
- Low self-esteem
- Negative thinking habits
- Low assertiveness
- Lack of social support
- Excessive stress
The depressive spiral – thoughts, mood, behaviour
Depressed people are prone to continuous, automatic, negative thoughts. Their thinking tends to be distorted, e.g. all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, personalizing, focusing on the negative, and jumping to conclusions. These patterns of thinking initiate or worsen a low mood state which results in reduced activity. Reduced activity produces less rewarding experiences, which produces further negative thoughts and low mood. A vicious spiral of thoughts, feelings and behaviour is created. To stop this downward spiral, the following is recommended:
- Recognize that the way you think influences the way you feel.
- Recognize negative thinking habits.
- Try to challenge and replace these negative thoughts.
- Try to increase activity levels.
- Try to do more of the activities you enjoy.
Challenges to Upsetting Thoughts
Evidence
What evidence do I have to support my negative thoughts?
What evidence do I have against them?
Alternative views
How would someone else view this situation?
How would I have viewed this situation in the past?
Distorted thoughts
1. Am I thinking in all-or-nothing terms, ignoring the middle ground?
2. Am I catastrophizing, overestimating the chances of disaster?
3. Am I personalizing, blaming myself for something which is not my fault?
4. Am I focusing on the negative, looking on the dark side; ignoring my strengths?
5. Am I jumping to conclusions, predicting the future and mind-reading?
6. Am I living by fixed rules, fretting about how things ought to be; overusing the words should, must and can’t?
Action
What can I do to change my situation?
Am I overlooking solutions to problems on the assumption they won’t work?
Aspects of Mind 