Depression is the consistent and persistent low mood or sadness which negatively affects the normal activities and abilities to perform daily roles at work, school and/or community. it can be referred to as a feeling of despair or unworthiness, and/or hopelessness that one is unable to stop. Based on the world's most disease burden, depression is said to be the 2nd worst abnormality by the year 2020. It is further estimated that depression , being the world's most prevailing abnormality has 15% lifetime prevalence. Depression has very serious effects on the its victims; it affects their intellectual and physical abilities. Depression as an illness can be approached from several different perspectives attempting to explain its causes. This study seeks to explain the term depression in three different perspectives; Cognitive. Behaviorist and Humanistic, and critically examine this three models on how they are used to explain depression.

1. Depression
From 3 different perspectives

2. Depression
• DSM IV states that in order for a person to be
diagnosed depressed they must fill a certain
criteria. This includes a depressed mood or
being irritable most of the day, a change in
sleep pattern whether it be insomnia or
hypersomnia. Guilt or an excessive feel of
worthlessness and thoughts of death or
suicide.

3. Depression
• In addition, depression develops such feeling
as feeling exhausted, helpless, hopeless and
valueless/devalued. These feelings affects a
person’s life negatively, they underperform at
work, lose concentration, lack of interest in
social and family activities among others.

4. Behaviourist
• The behaviourist theory is one that
emphasizes the importance of ones
environment in shaping behaviour. This
theory focuses on observable behaviour and
the way individuals learn behaviour. This
means that according to a behaviourist
depression is a result of a persons interaction
with their environment.

5. Behaviorist
• The behaviourist approach heavily relies on
the assumption that most indicative signs of
behavioural abnormalities in humans with
neuroses specifically like depressions and
phobias can be considered as behaviours that
have been learned over long periods of time
and developed into habituated responses.

6. Behaviorist
• The behaviourist theory asserts that such
abnormalities as anxiety attacks and
depressions are as a result of consistent or
continued exposure to situations that are
frightening or humiliating and can cause the
affected person to learn to avoid the situation.
The efforts to avoid such situations becomes a
behavioural response that has been learnt
over time.

7. Cognitive
• The cognitive approach focuses on peoples
beliefs rather than their behaviour. Negative
thinking is the main cause according to this
theory. Emotional behavioural symptoms
result from cognitive abnormality, meaning
depressed people think differently to clinically
normal people.

8. Cognitive
• Due to these irrational beliefs, people who are
depressed start making some abnormal
demands from others fully convinced that
their needs are more overwhelming than
those of other people and thus have to be
fulfilled.

9. Cognitive
• These negative thoughts and beliefs that form
part of depression may lead the depressed
persons to want to give up and even think of
committing suicide.
• The cognitive theory asserts that these
negative feelings and thoughts affect and alter
a person’s general behavior. It emphasizes
more on the dysfunctionals of the internal
mental process.

10. Humanistic
• The most important point of this approach is
the need for self actualization. This is a need
that is unique to the human species. As a
child this could mean parents imposing
conditions of worth on their children rather
than giving unconditional love. They may give
love on the conditions of a child doing well at
school which can lead to the child feeling
depressed if they fail to meet these standards.

11. Humanistic
• As adults self actualization can be undermined
by unhappy relationships and/or unfulfilling
jobs. This could mean a marriage or
relationship in which they do not receive
proper love from their partner. A work
environment they dread going in to, not liking
their work and not being able to express
themselves in their role.