Depression is one of the most important psychiatric
disorders. It does not only affect the patients themselves
but also influences their family members, friends, and
society as a whole. The primary purpose of this paper is to
discuss the general characteristics of depression in terms
of the explanations provided by four major theoretical
approaches.
First, the biological approach considers the
contributions to depression arising from distinct neural
systems and their associated neurotransmitters. Second, the
behavioral approach emphasizes learning processes, such as
reinforcement and helplessness as causal to depressive
behaviors. Third, the cognitive approach focuses on the
causal role of distinctive patterns of cognition possessed
by depressed patients. Finally, the sociological
perspective considers the contributions arising from general
forces within society, such as unemployment, social status,
sex, and age.
All of these approaches are very useful for
understanding depression. However, depression is too
complex to be fully explained by a single theory or two. It
is necessary to integrate all the different approaches to
understand and treat the illness in a better way. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34988 |
| Date | 07 May 1996 |
| Creators | Choi, Junghee |
| Contributors | Derryberry, Douglas |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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