Psychological theory of depression

Depression, also known as major depressive disorder or clinical depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. Depressive disorders often start at a young age; they reduce people’s functioning and often are recurring. For these reasons, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide in terms of total years lost due to disability.

Depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, psychological, social and environmental factors. People who have a family history of depression, and people with serious chronic diseases such as heart disease or cancer, are at an increased risk of depression.

Depression is presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, and poor concentration. Moreover, depression often comes with symptoms of anxiety.

Seligman an American psychologist in 1975 speculated that depression arises when people perceive that important life events are beyond their control.

Abramson, Seligman, and Teasdale in 1978 subsequently modified the theory to include the attributions people make for these events. According to this reformulated learned helplessness model, depression results when people
* perceive that important life events are beyond their control, and
* attribute these events to causes that are internal (it’s something about me rather than something about the situation), stable (it will last forever rather than be temporary), and global (it will affect all areas of my life rather than just this one area).
Psychological theory of depression