omain, the authors report that the most striking symptom associated with the disorder is some sort of depressed or "down" mood. This depressed mood would include feelings of unhappiness, apathy, dejection, a loss of joy, and a sense of unworthiness.
Of the cognitive domain, Sue, Sue and Sue (1994) characterize clinical symptoms as follows:
Besides general feelings of futility, emptiness and hopelessness, certain thoughts and ideas are clearly related to depressive reactions...the person feels a profound pessimism about the future...Self accusation of incompetence and general self-denigration are common, as are thoughts of suicide. Other symptoms include differences in concentrating and in making decisions. (p.361)
As can be seen from the foregoing quote, the cognitive symptoms of depression are, in essence, associated with a loss of motivation, optimism and mental vitality.
Depression is also associated with a number of behavioral indicators. Commonly, these include excessive crying, an unkempt and sloppy appearance and slow movement. In some cases, the face can become so immobile that it takes on a dull mask-like appearance.
Other behavioral symptoms include slow and reduced speech, social withdrawal and lowered work productivity. There are, however, some instances where the retardation of motor movement are replaced by a sort of restless agitation.
Sue, Sue and Sue (1994) report that depression is also associated with disturbances in the physiological domain. These symptoms include either a loss or an increase in appetite, a loss or an increase in weight, constipation, poor sleep, body aches and pains, and a diminished sex drive. In women, there can sometimes be a disruption of the menstrual cycle in the form of decrease in the menstrual flow or the skipping of one or more periods.
According to Gotlib (1992), depression is the single most common complaint of people seeking mental heath care. In terms...