What is Clinical Depression?
What you'll learn
- Learn the distinction between depression and "the blues."
- Learn the "Floating Diamond" model of depression symptoms.
- Learn how symptoms feed forward, including the concepts of snowballs and reverberations.
- Learn how depression is diagnosed - the symptoms examined and their intensity and duration.
- Learn about other symptoms that are not a part of the diagnostic criteria, but which are a part of the depressive experience.
- Learn about other mood-related problems, including dysthymia, mania, hypomania, cyclothymia, and bipolar disorder.
Requirements
- An interest in mood and mental health.
- Willingness to spend a bit more time than the quick "symptom list" types of online resources usually provide.
- A desire to learn about some of the controversies in the field.
- And that's it: You don't need any particular educational background, or any special supplies. We'll provide you with a complete set of course notes that you can print out and use to follow along with the lectures.
Description
Join our community of over 1700 students learning about the nature of depression!
Depression, by some estimates, is the leading cause of disability in the developed world. Millions of people experience it each year. Yet many people who have depression have never been told much about it.
This course describes the nature of the most common mood disorders - including major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder. We review the symptoms used in making the diagnosis, and the challenges in properly diagnosing a problem for which there is no simple blood test.
The course provides a model - the Floating Diamond - for breaking down and understanding the various elements of the depressive experience. Using it, we discover that depression is not, in fact, a mood disorder. It is a disorder of virtually everything: physiology, thoughts, behaviour, and, yes, emotion.
We explore a central problem in depression: the fact that symptoms (such as sleep disruption) tend to feed back and intensify the disorder. Depression is not simply a vicious circle - it is a COLLECTION of vicious circles, all working at once.
We move beyond the diagnostic criteria to discuss the additional symptoms and aspects of the depressive experience, exploring factors such as brain fog, memory disruption, sexual problems, and more.
CAUTIONS: Depression is an enormous topic, and in this course we are mainly focussed on the experience of the problem. We do not go into detail about either causes or treatment approaches - these will be covered in other courses. As well, this course is not a substitute for treatment, which should be carried out with the help of a qualified healthcare professional. We also caution against any attempt at self-diagnosis.
30 Day Guarantee: Not sure? You don't have to be. We have a 30-day complete money back guarantee, no questions asked. Some of the lectures are also available as free previews, so you can get a sense of the course before you buy.
Who this course is for:
- Anyone interested in learning more about the nature and symptoms of clinical depression and related disorders.
- This includes people directly affected by depression, and their family and friends.
- And others who deal with depression, including employers, human resources staff, and healthcare personnel.
Course content
- Preview07:01
- 22 pagesCourse Notes for "What Is Depression?"
- 07:07The Floating Diamond Model - Depression Is More Than a Mood Disorder
- 10:45Major Depressive Episode - Mood-Related Criteria
- 16:33Major Depressive Episode - Other Diagnostic Criteria
- 11:40Major Depressive Disorder
Instructor
![Randy Paterson](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 260 Reviews
- 9,336 Students
- 6 Courses
Randy Paterson is a psychologist and author in Vancouver Canada. His most recent book is the popular How to be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use. He is the Director of Changeways Clinic and writes a blog called PsychologySalon. His work emphasizes the treatment of problems related to stress, anxiety, depression, and significant life change. His previous books include The Assertiveness Workbook, Private Practice Made Simple, and Your Depression Map, as well as a variety of resources and protocols for mental health practitioners. He conducts workshops on mental health issues for the public and for mental health professionals within Canada and internationally.