[3] Depressive Disorder Flashcards
What is depressive disorder?
An affective mood disorder characterise dby persistent low mood, loss of plaeasure, and/or a lack of energy, accompanied by emotional, cognitive, and biological symptoms
What model is used when considering the development of depression?
Biopsychosocial model
What is the heritability of depression?
40-50%
It is likely that multiple genes are involved
What psychosocial factors increase the likelihood of developing depression?
- Personality type
- Stressful life events
- Failure of effective stress control mechanisms
What does the monoamine theory of depression state?
A deficiency of monoamines (noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine) cause depression
What evidence is there for the monoamine theory of depression?
Antidepressants which increase the concentration of the monoamines in the synaptic cleft improve the symptoms of depression
What can the risk factors in depression be categorised into?
Biological, psychological, and social, or predisposing, precipitating, or perpetuating
What are the biological predisposing risk factors for depression?
- Female gender
- Postnatal period
Family history - Physical co-morbidities
- Past history of depression
What are the biological precipitating risk factors for depression?
- Poor compliance with medication
- Corticosteroids
What are the biological perpetuating risk factors for depression?
Chronic health problems, e.g. diabetes, COPD, chronic pain syndromes
What are the psychological predisposing risk factors for depression?
- Personality type
- Failure of effective stres control mechanisms
- Poor coping strategies
- Other mental health conditions
What are the psychological precipitating risk factors for depression?
Acute stressful life events
What are the psychological perpetuating risk factors for depression?
- Poor insight
- Negative thoughts about self
What are the social predisposing risk factors of depression?
- Stressful life events
- Lack of social support
- Member of the asylum seeker/refugee population
What are the social precipitating risk factors for depression?
- Unemployment
- Poverty
- Divorce
What are the social perpetuating risk factors for depression?
- Alcohol or substance misuse
- Poor social support
- Low social status
What are the core symptoms of depression?
- Anhedonia
- Low mood, present for at least two weeks
- Lack of energy
What are the cognitive symptoms of depression?
- Lack of concentration
- Negative thoughts - negative views of oneself, negative views of the world, or negative views of the future
- Excessive guilt
- Suicidal ideation - recurrent thoughts of death or suicide without a specific plan
What are the biological symptoms of depression?
- Diurnal variation in mood
- Early morning wakening
- Loss of libido
- Psychomotor retardation
- Weight loss and loss of appetite
What is diurnal variation in mood?
When the patients low mood is more pronounced during certain times of day, usually morning
What is early morning wakening?
Waking up more than 2 hours earlier than they usually would
What is psychomotor retardation?
Slow speech and slow movement
What are the psychotic symptoms of depression?
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
What kind of hallucinations are usually present in depression?
Second person auditory hallucinations