Depression is characterized by a range of symptoms, including depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, change in appetite or weight, sleep dysregulation, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating or indecisiveness, and thoughts of death or suicide. In the United States, it is estimated that nearly 1 out of every 6 adults (16.6% of the population) will meet criteria for a major depressive disorder sometime in their lifetime (Kessler et al. 2005), whereas general population surveys in 18 countries estimated lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder to be 14.6% in high-income countries and 11.1% in low- to middle-income countries (Bromet et al. 2011). Therefore, many people are likely to have had personal experience with depression, having been depressed themselves or through having a relationship partner or family member with depression.
Theoretical Context for Concept
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Robustelli, B.L., Whisman, M.A. (2019). Depression in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_447
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