16: Psychological Disorders - Mood (Affective) Disorders

Question 1

Mood (Affective) Disorders

Answer 1

Mood disorders – psychological disorders whose core conditions involve maladaptive mood states

Question 2

Depression

Answer 2

• Major depression – mood disorder characterized by intense depression that interferes markedly with functioning
• Dysthymia – a depressive mood disorder of moderate intensity that occurs over a long period of time but does not disrupt functioning as a major depression does
• Depression involves cognitive symptoms, motivational symptoms, and somatic (physical) symptoms

Question 3

Bipolar Disorder

Answer 3

depression alternates with periods of mania

• Mania – state of highly excited mood and behaviour that is quite the opposite of depression
• Norepinephrine drops during depression, increases during mania

Question 4

Prevalence and Course of Mood Disorders

Answer 4

• People born after 1960 are ten times more likely to experience depression than are their grandparents
• Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression
• After depression, one of three patterns may follow:
  
  • Half of all cases, depression will never recur
  • Many people show recovery with recurrence some years later (recurring episode is shorter)
  • About ten percent will not recover

Question 5

Causal Factors in Mood Disorders

Biological Factors

Answer 5

• Genetic and neurochemical factors are linked to depression
• Manic disorders may stem from overproduction of neurotransmitters that are underactive in depression

Question 6

Causal Factors in Mood Disorders

Psychological Factors

Personality-based Vulnerability

Answer 6

• Psychoanalysts believe that early traumatic experiences create vulnerability for depression
• Lewinsohn claims a loss of rewards leads to mood disorders
• Martin Seligman suggested that overemphasis on individual attainment and lesser commitment to traditional values are likely to react strongly to failure and cause depression
  
  • Learned helplessness theory – depression occurs when people expect that bad events will occur and that nothing can be done to prevent or cope

Question 7

Causal factors in Mood Disorders

Psychological Factors

Cognitive Processes

Answer 7

• Depressive cognitive triad (Beck) – triad of negative thoughts that depressed people cannot control or suppress
  
  • Triad includes the world, oneself, and the future
• Depressive attributional pattern – tendency of depressed people to attribute negative outcomes to their own inadequacies and positive ones to factors outside of themselves

Question 8

Causal Factors in Mood Disorders

Psychological Factors

Learning and Environmental Factors

Question 9

Causal Factors in Mood Disorders

Sociocultural Factors

Answer 9

Cultural factors affect ways in which depression is manifested

• Depression more commonly reported in western nations
• Feelings of guilt and personal inadequacy in western nations, physical symptoms in African nations

Question 10

Applications

Understanding and Preventing Suicide