Chapter 5 - Depressive disorders Flashcards
Major depressive disorder
Depressive disorder involving one or more major depressive episodes.
Anhedonia
Inability to experience pleasure from previously pleasurable activities.
Specifier
An extention to the diagnosis that further clarifies the course, severity or special features of the disorder.
Anorexia
Loss of appetite.
Major depressive episode
State characterised by at least five depressive symptoms, one of which must be either sad mood or a loss of pleasure/interest in usual activities. Additional depressive symptoms include an increase or decrease of appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or severe guilt, difficulty concentrating and suicidal ideation. These symptoms must be present for at least two weeks.
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
Anxiety disorder characterised by chronic worry in daily life accompanied by physical symptoms of tension.
Dysthymia (Dysthymic disorder)
Depressive disorder that is less severe than major depression but more chronic.
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
A depressive disorder characterised by severe and persistent irritability as evident in temper outbursts that are extremely out of proportion to the situation.
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
Type of psychological treatment that combines both cognitive and behavioural concepts and techniques
Longitudinal design
Type of research evaluating changes in the same group of people over time.
Conduct disorder
Disorder marked by chronic disregard for the rights of others, including specific behaviours such as stealing, lying and engaging in acts of violence.
Oppositional defiant disorder
Disorder of chronic misbehaviour in children marked by belligerence, irritability and defiance.
Neurotransmitters
Biochemicals released from a sending neuron to a receiving neuron so as to transmit messages in the brain and nervous system.
Monoamines
Neurotransmitters including Catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine) and serotonin that have been implicated in mood disorders.
Limbic system
Part of the brain that relays information from the primitive brain stem about changes in bodily functions to the cortex where the information is interpreted.
Synapse
Space between a sending and receiving neuron into which neurotransmitters are released.
Neuron
Nerve cell; activates or inhibits other neurons by releasing neurotransmitters.
Receptors
Molecules on the membrane of neurons to which neurotransmitters bind.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
Three components of the neuroendocrine system that work together in a feedback system interconnected with the brain’s limbic system and cerebral cortex.
Hormone
Chemical produced by the endocrine glands that carries messages throughout the body and potentially affects a wide array of functioning such as an individual’s mood, level of energy and reactions to stress.
Cortisol
Hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that helps the body respond to stressors, inducing the fight or flight response.
Pre-frontal cortex
Region at the front of the brain important in language, emotional expression, the planning and production of new ideas, and the mediation of social interactions.
Amygdala
Part of the brain’s limbic system that is thought to regulate emotions.
Negative cognitive trial
Perspective seen in depressed individuals in which they have negative views of themselves, the world and the future.
Expressed emotion (EE)
Family interaction style in which family members are overly protective and self-sacrificing towards the person with a psychological disorder while also expressing high levels of criticism and hostility; this may contribute to the person’s relapse.
Protective factors
Conditions or variables associated with a reduced risk or chance of developing a disorder.
Antidepressants
Drugs used to treat the symptoms of depression such as sad mood, negative thinking, and disturbances of sleep and appetite; three common types a monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
Class of antidepressant drugs such as imipramine and amitriptyline.
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Class of antidepressant drugs (such as fluoxetine) that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin.
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
Class of antidepressant drugs.
Antipsychotic medications
Drugs used to treat psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.
Psychotic symptoms
According to the narrow definition, delusions and hallucinations; according to the broader definition, also includes disorganised speech and disorganised or catatonic behaviour.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
Biological treatment that exposes patients to repeated, high-intensity magnetic pulses that are focused on particular brain structures in order to stimulate them.
Vagus nerve stimulation
Biological treatment in which the vagus nerve (part of the autonomic nervous system that carries information from the head, neck, thorax and abdomen to several areas of the brain) is stimulated by a small electronic device similar to a cardiac pacemaker, which is surgically implanted under a patient’s skin in the left chest wall.
Bright light therapy
Treatment that involves exposure to bright light; used particularly during the winter months for individuals with seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal affective disorder
Depressive disorder characterised by a two-year period in which the individual experiences major depression during winter months and then recovers during the summer.
Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT)
Treatment for mood disorders that involves the induction of a brain seizure by passing an electrical current through the patient’s brain while s/he is anaesthetised.
Pleasant activity scheduling
Behavioural technique entailing planning a gradual increase in the level of pleasant activities the client engages in as a way of improving his/her mood.
Meta-analysis
Statistical technique for summarising results across several studies.
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
Short-term psychological treatment originally developed by Gerald Klerman, Myrna Weissman and their colleagues for the treatment of depression; addresses the client’s interpersonal problems as a way of improving his/her psychological symptoms.
Psychodynamic therapies
Therapies focused on uncovering and resolving unconscious conflicts that drive psychological symptoms.
