DEPRESSIVE NEUROSIS: what it is, symptoms and treatment

Depressive disorders are one of the most prevalent groups of disorders, that is, they are most affected in the population. According to the World Health Organization, they affect more than three hundred million people in the world and are the main global cause of disability.

The severity of depression can even extend to suicidal behavior, which is why it is a particularly important problem. Fortunately, there are treatments that have been shown to be effective for depressive disorders.

One of these depressive disorders is depressive neurosis, a term that, although it has become obsolete, encompasses a pathological picture that continues to appear in our society. In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the depressive neurosis: what is it, symptoms and treatmentor.

Index

1. What is neurosis
2. What is depressive neurosis
3. Symptoms of depressive neurosis
4. Causes of depressive neurosis
5. Treatment of depressive neurosis

William Cullen, a Scottish physician, used the term neurosis to refer to the affectations that seemed to have a cause in neurological system problems even if they had no organic cause.

On the other hand, the American Psychiatric Association defines neurosis as the set of mental disorders that are characterized by the presence of significant anxiety or other emotional symptoms of distress such as following:

• Persistent and irrational fears.
• Compulsive acts.
• Dissociative states.
• Somatic and depressive reactions.

The same organization indicates that in psychoanalysis neurosis generally refers to exaggerated methods and unconscious of the individual to cope with internal conflicts and anxiety that derives from they. Next, we focus on one type of neurosis, the depressive neurosis. We will see what it is, its symptoms and how to treat it.

The definitions of neurosis set out above, together with the label "depressive", lead us to think that depressive neurosis refers to the appearance of depressive symptoms without an organic cause.

The term depressive neurosis has been replaced by dysthymia, or persistent or persistent depressive disorder. recurrent, in the latest versions of the main DSM-5 diagnostic manuals (American Association of Psychiatry)^[1] and ICD-11 (World Health Organization)^[2].

Dysthymia can be referred, according to the American Psychiatric Association, to a low mood whose severity is medium or moderate. It can also refer to dysthymic disorder in which the symptoms are longer lasting, but less severe than in major depressive disorder.

The symptoms of depressive neurosis, currently called dysthymia, or persistent depressive disorder would be the following:

• Depressed mood: this sadness must be present for a minimum of two years in adults and one year in children and adolescents to be able to make the diagnosis. Keep in mind that the sadness it can manifest as irritability in the child and adolescent population.
• Eating disorders: this would be affected by excess (overeating) or by defect (poor appetite).
• Sleep disturbance: it can be altered by excess (hypersomnia) or by defect (insomnia). If it happens to you, do not miss this article with sleep hygiene guidelines.
• Fatigue: the person experiences fatigue or low energy.
• Low self-esteem. In this article, we tell you how to improve self esteem.
• Difficulties in concentration it is another of the characteristics of depressive neurosis. Discover strategies to improve concentration.
• Difficulties in making decisions: another of the symptoms of a person with depressive neurosis is the inability to decide.
• Are present feelings of hopelessness.
• Cognitive slowing: slowness in thinking and speaking.
• Apathy: an alteration of the motivation that produces disinterest and indifference. In the following article, you will find more information about what is apathy.
• Abulia: lack of will and initiative to carry out an action or an activity. Here you can see more about what is abulia.
• Low self-esteem: a negative image of himself or herself. Here you can read the Characteristics of people with low self-esteem.

Although the traditional psychological and biological hypotheses are cited below, the truth is that the causality of the depression should be viewed from a biopsychosocial perspective and consider that there is no single cause behind its appearance. The main causes of depressive neurosis are:

• Biological hypotheses: they seek the origin fundamentally in genetic causes, abnormalities in neurotransmission systems and endocrine problems. Discover what neurotransmitters are involved in depression.
• Psychological hypotheses: the cause explained through the psychodynamic perspective, the behavioral explanation focused on aspects such as decrease in positive reinforcement and the cognitive explanations where we find Beck's theory and the theory of learned helplessness.

Since the cause of depressive neurosis, dysthymia, or persistent depressive disorder is multifactorial, treatment must also address all of these areas. Following Carrobles, J.A.^[3]Here are the treatments used in the treatment of depression.

Medical and / or psychiatric therapies

One of the treatments for depressive neurosis are medical and / or psychiatric therapies. Let's see what they are:

• Drug therapy: especially antidepressants that act on the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
• Brain stimulation with electroconvulsive therapy: consisting of the administration of small electric shocks. In the following article, you will find more information about electroconvulsive therapy.
• New brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or magnetoconvulsive therapy.
• Lithium administration.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be effective in treating depression. This therapy groups a series of techniques that the therapist will choose based on each case and individually. Among them we find:

• Behavioral activation-pleasant activities program.
• Social skills training.
• Self-management therapy for depression.
• Problem solving therapy.
• Couples behavioral therapy.
• Beck's Depression Cognitive Therapy.
• Depression Coping Program (Lewinsohn).

In this article, you will find more information about the cognitive behavioral therapy to treat depression.

Interpersonal therapy

Interpersonal therapy also has sufficient evidence on its efficacy in the treatment of depressive neurosis. It is a therapy structured by phases and objectives and, specifically, it is based on psychosocial aspects.

Psychodynamic therapy and systemic therapy

Regarding psychodynamic therapy and systemic therapy, it should be noted that these are in the experimental phase. This does not mean that they are not effective, their effects in depressive neurosis simply have not yet been experimentally demonstrated.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Depressive neurosis: what it is, symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

1. American Psychiatric Association (2014). DSM-5. Reference guide to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5-Breviary. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana.
2. World Health Organization (WHO) (2018) International Classification of Diseases, 11th revision. Recovered from https://icd.who.int/es
3. Carrobles, J.A. (2014) Depressive Disorders. In Caballo, V.E., Salazar, I.C. And Carrobles, J.A. (2014) Manual of Psychopathology and Psychological Disorders. Madrid. Pyramid.

• Gomez, G. (2008). Freud: nervous diseases, anguish and stress. Or the status of the body involved in the ailments of the subject. Affectio Societatis. 5 (9) Recovered from https://revistas.udea.edu.co/index.php/affectiosocietatis/article/view/5330
• World Health Organization (2020) Depression. Data and numbers. Recovered from https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
• Rivera Salazar, J.L., Murillo Villa, J.A. and Sierra Rubio, M.A. (2007). William Cullen's concept of neurosis as a scientific revolution. Teaching and Research in Psychology. 12 (1), 157-178.