RAKIDUAM - Knowledge

49 Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP) Depression is a universal phenomenon. It is a mental condition characterized by a low mood, loss of energy, low self-esteem and decreased interest in activities that are normally pleasurable. The high global prevalence of depression produces a great social impact, which manifests in high levels of disability and in the generation of significant costs at the individual, family, social and economic levels. In Chile, a nationwide study by the Ministry of Health (2011) revealed that 17.2% of the general population had experienced symptoms of depression the previous year, while 21.67% indicated that they had been diagnosed with depression at least once during their lives. The Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP) is a scientific center comprised of psychologists, psychiatrists and professionals in various areas of the social sciences and health, who seek to generate knowledge based on a multidimensional understanding of depression in interaction with personality, with the objective of maximizing the effectiveness of interventions by identifying the change agents and mechanisms involved in prevention, psychotherapy and rehabilitation. In order to obtain a deep understanding of the causes of depression and of the effectiveness of prevention and treatment, MIDAP works on the basis of a multidimensional approach that uses the skills of an experienced group of scientists in order to generate an empirical model of the etiology, prevention, intervention and rehabilitation from depression. This model studies the relationship between depression and personality, along with the various dimensions of human functioning that have been empirically associated with this illness. Principal Institution: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Associated Institutions: Universidad de Chile, Universidad de La Frontera,Universidad de Valparaíso and Universidad del Desarrollo. Lines of Research Basic bio-psycho-social structures and processes. Promotion of health and psychosocial prevention. Psychotherapeutic interventions and change processes. Rehabilitation and reintegration.