Ch. 16: Depressive Disorders Flashcards
Depression intro
Transient symptoms are normal, healthy responses to everyday disappointments in life.
Pathological depression occurs when adaptation is…
- Ineffective
- Mood is also called affect (observable)
- Depression is an alteration in mood that is expressed by feelings of sadness, despair, and pessimism.
- There is also psychomotor retardation. Everything slows down. Usually at hospital for this.
Epidemiology
- During their lifetime, about 21% of women and 13% of men will become clinically depressed
- Major depresive disorder (MDD) is one of the leading causes of disability in the U.S.
- Depression is ranked by the World Health Organization as the single largest contributor to global disability and major contributor to suicide deaths, which is 800,000 per year worldwide.
More epidemiology
- Gender: depression is more prevalent in women than in men by about 2 to 1
- Age: Depression is more prevalent in young women than in young men. Less pronounced gap between 44 and 65
Race and culture
- Depression is more prevalent in white Americans than black Americans, but when diagnosed, is more severe and disabling in blacks.
- Blacks are less likely to receive treatment than are whites.
Marital status
Single and divorced people are more likely to experience depression than are married persons or persons with a close interpersonal relationship (differences occur in various age groups)
Seasonality
- Affective disorders are more prevalent in the spring and in the fall
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is not considered as a separate disorder. It is a type of depression displaying a recurring seasonal pattern. To be diagnosed with SAD, people must meet full criteria for major depression coinciding with specific seasons for at least 2 years.
major depressive disorder
- Symptoms present for at least 2 weeks
- No history of manic behavior
- Cannot be attributed to use of substances or another medical condition
Dysthymic disorder
- Sad or “down in the dumps”
- No evidence of psychotic symptoms
- Essential feature is a chronically depressed mood for:
- Most of the day
- More days than not
- At least 2 years
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Depressed mood, anxiety, mood swings, decreased interest in activities
- Symptoms begin during week prior to menses, start to improve within a few days after the onset of menses, and become minimal or absent in the week postmenses.
Substance induced depressive disorder
- Considered to be the direct result of physiological effects of a substance
Depressive disorder associated with another medical condition
Attributable to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition
Biological theories
- Genetics may be involved
- Deficiency or norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine has been implicated
- Excessive cholinergic transmission may also be a factor
Neuroendocrine disturbances
- Possible failure within the hypothalamic-pituatary adrenocorticol axis results in hypersecretion of cortisol.
- Possible diminished release of TSH…treat with hormone replacement instead of antidepressants
Physiological influences of depression
- medication side effects
- neurological disorders
- Electrolyte disturbances
- Hormonal disorders
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Other physiological conditions
Psychoanalytic theory (Freud)
A loss is internalized and becomes directed against the ego. Freud believed melancholia occured after the loss of a loved object and the individual then turns rage inward, which reduces self-esteem and makes one vulnerable to depression.
Psychosocial theories: Learning theory
Learned helplessness: the individual who experiences numerous failures learns to give up trying
Pt: Object loss
- Experiences loss of significant other during first 6 months of life
- feelings of helplessness and despair
- Early loss or trauma may predispose client to lifelong periods of depression
PT: Cognitive theory
- Views primary disturbance in depression as cognitive rather than affective
- Three cognitive distortions that serve as the basis for depression —>
1. Negative expectations of the environment
2. Negative expectations of the self.
3. and of the future
Childhood depression
- Symptoms:
- Under age 3: Feeding problems, tantrums, lack of playfullness and emotional expressiveness
- Ages 3 - 5: accident proneness, phobias, excessive self-reproach
- Ages 6 - 8: physical complaints, aggressive behavior, clinging behavior
- Ages 9 - 12: Morbid thoughts and excessive worrying
Childhood depression (Cont’d)
- Precipitated by a loss
- Focus of therapy: alleviate symptoms and strengthen coping skills
- Parental and family therapy
Adolescence
- Symptoms may include anger, social withdrawal, and apathy or even substance abuse.
- Best clue that differentiates normal adolescent behavior from depression is a visible manifestation of behavioral change that lasts for several weeks.
- Most common precipitant for adolescent suicide –>
- Perception of abandonment by parents or close peer relationship
Treatment of adolescent depression
- Supportive psychosocial intervention (most are outpatient but hospitalization for severe cases)
- Antidepressant medication
- All antidepressants carry a black box warning for increased risk of suicidality in children and adolescents
Senescence and depression
- Bereavement overload
- High percentage of suicides among elderly
- Symptoms of depression often confused with symptoms of neurocognitive disorder (pseudodementia)
- TX: antidepressants, ECT, therapies