13) Depression Flashcards
What’s Major Depression?
- Major depression is the most commonly diagnosed mood disorder.
- females are 2x as likely to suffer from depression than males are
When does Major Depression emerge?
At any age, but it’s most common around puberty
Typical age of onset:
- 20-30 years old
- 10% of those diagnosed are 55+ years old when they have their first episode.
- 25% 18-29 have already experiences major depressive disorder, an increase
What’s the length of a depressive episode?
It can vary between 2 weeks - 2 years minimum. However, the residual symptoms strongly predict the later relapse
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Anhedonia
The loss of interest in activities that you previously enjoyed doing.
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Psychomotor Retardation
An Individuals difficulty to perform tasks - it becomes something that take up an enormous amount of time and energy
(ie. getting out of bed)
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Decreased Cognitive Abilities
Many find it hard to concentrate & Make decisions.
When this symptoms appear in the elderly it is mistakes sometimes with pseudodementia
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Change In Appetite
It can either increase or decrease food consumption. Those who tend to eat more generally eats more carbohydrate based foods.
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Sleep Disturbances
it can either increase or decrease like sleep.
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Feeling of Worthlessness or Guilt
People find that everyday occurrences as evidence of personal defects
Phenomenology & Diagnostic Features:
Thoughts of Death, Suicidal Ideation, or Suicide Attempts
May have transient thoughts of suicide with or without specific plan, or thoughts of just not waking up in the morning.
Exogenous Depression
Natural reaction to bad things happening, and it is normal, perfectly healthy.
Endogenous Depression
exaggerated reaction to bad events, or negative reaction to non harmful, non offensive events.
“Comes from within”.
They feel as though they lives are worse than it actually is
Based on the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), What is the key element of Major depression?
That is should cause clinically significant distress or impairment.
Monoamine Hypothesis
Depression is the results form the dysfunction to the monoamine neurotransmitter system. That there is not enough monoamine neurotransmitters in the body
Glucocorticoid Hypothesis
Depression is the result from over-activity of the HPA axis (Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis)
Cytokine hypothesis
Depression results form over activity of cytokines & other immune signallers
Monoamine Neurotransmitters
1) Serotonin
2) Dopamine
3) Epinephrine
4) Norepinephrine
Tricyclic Antidepressants
&
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MOAIs)
The first drugs to specifically target the symptoms of depression.
Tricyclics
the mechanism is still unknown, but it does inhibit the monoamine reuptake neurotransmitters
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
work by inhibiting monoamine oxidase from breaking down monoamine neurotransmitters like serotonin in the synaptic cleft
What’s the overall affect of Tyicyclics and MAOIs in the body?
They both increase the amount of monoamine neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft
Side Effects of Tricyclics
Drowsiness, Blurry vision, digestive troubles
Side Effects of MAOI’s
They interfere with digestive metabolism of teaming (amino acid). The excess of tryzmine in the body causes hypertensive crisis.
“Cheese Effect”
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
They selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake transporters, & by inhibiting monoamine oxidase form breaking it down. This ultimately leads to an increase in serotonin levels in the synapse
