The impact of depression on the human personality

Abstract

Depression is a common experience. We have all felt “depressed” about a friend's cold shoulder, misunderstandings in our marriage, tussles with teenage children, sometimes we feel “down” for no reason at all. However, depression can become an illness when:– the mood state is severe;– it lasts for 2 weeks or more and;– it interferes with our ability to function at home or at work.Signs of a depression includes:– lowered self-esteem (or self-worth);– change in sleep patterns, that is, insomnia or broken sleep;– changes in appetite or weight;– less ability to control emotions such as pessimism, anger, guilt, irritability and anxiety;– varying emotions throughout the day, for example, feeling worse in the morning and better as the day progresses;– reduces capacity to experience pleasure: you cannot enjoy what's happening now, nor look forward to anything with pleasure;– hobbies and interests drop off;– reduces pain tolerance: you are less able to tolerate aches and pains and may have a host of new ailments;– changes sex drive: absent or reduced;– poor concentration and memory: some people are so impaired that they think that they are becoming demented;– reduces motivation; it does not seem worth the effort to do anything, things seem meaningless;– lowers energy levels.At the Institute, we believe that personality and temperament contribute to depression, particularly non-melancholic depression. Certain personality types are more at risk of developing depression than others.Generally speaking, someone who is depressed would: have a low mood, be pessimistic, have lowered self-esteem and feel hopeless and helpless.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.