2. Translate the following words and word combinations into Russian. Make up 5 sentences using these words:

psychological factors, personality traits, social support, to deal with stressful situations, to serve as the basis for research, to draw illogical conclusions, minor failure, to learn to believe that, biological explanation of depression, faulty brain structure, causes of depression.

3. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What do psychological factors underlying mood disorders include?

2. Whose cognitive theories have often served as the basis for research on depression?

3. What does the depressed person learns to believe?

4. What causes mood disorders?

5. How do the researches explain mood disorders?

4. Group discussion: Recall the last time you failed or did not do well at something. How did it affect your mood or feelings? Did you fell depressed? Describe your feelings.

5. Make a summary of the text using the following phrases:

I wonder about…..

In connection with….. I’d like to say that…..

I’d like to add that…..

I have doubts about….. because…..

As far as I know…..

I’d like to add in connection with…..

I am puzzled by…..

I’d like to stress the fact that…..

The following conclusions are…..

Without going into details I should say that…..

Text Suicide and depression, Understanding Psychology, 2003, p. 472-473

1. Read the text using the vocabulary and express the main idea of the text in Russian:

to commit – совершать

terminal – смертельный, предсмертный

torment – мука, мучение

to punish – наказывать

to attempt – предпринимать

to rank – ценить, расценивать; располагать по рангу

trial run – пробный «шаг»

Suicide and Depression

Not all people who commit suicide are depressed, and not all depressed people attempt suicide. Many depressives, though, do think about suicide, and some of them translate these thoughts into action.

People may take their lives for any number of reasons. It may be to escape from physical or emotional pain—perhaps a terminal illness or the loneliness of old age. It might be an effort to end the torment of unacceptable feelings, to punish themselves for wrongs they think they have committed, or to punish others who have not perceived their needs (Mintz, 1968). In many cases we simply do not know why the suicide occurred. Statistics show, however, that every year more than 30,000 Americans end their lives—about 1 every 20 minutes. More women than men attempt suicide, but more men than women succeed.

Suicide is most common among the elderly but also ranks as the second most common cause of death among college students. Contrary to popular belief, people who threaten suicide or make an unsuccessful attempt usually are serious. Studies show that about 70 percent of people who kill themselves had threatened to do so within the three months preceding the suicide, and an unsuccessful attempt is often a trial run (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 1999).