Chapter 5: Mood Disorders Flashcards
What are mood disorders?
disorders such as depressive disorders or mania, in which there are disabling disturbances in emotion
What are the two broad types of mood disorders recognized by the DSM-5?
- unipolar disorders
2. bipolar disorders
What are unipolar depressive disorders?
disorders that involve only depressive symptoms
What are bipolar disorders?
disorders that involve depressive and manic symptoms
What are the major features of Major depressive disorder?
five or more depressive symptoms, including sad mood or loss of pleasure, for 2 weeks
What are the major features of Persistent depressive disroder?
Low mood and at least two other symptoms of depression at least half of the time for 2 years
What are the features of Premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
mood symptoms in the week before menses; very little is known about it
What are the features of Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?
severe recurrent temper outbursts and persistent negative mood for at least 1 year beginning before age 10 (in children and adolescents)
What are the features of bipolar I disorder?
at least one lifetime manic episode
What are the features of bipolar II disorder?
at least one lifetime hypomanic episode and one major depressive episode
What are the features of cyclothymia?
recurrent mood changes from high to low for at least 2 years, without hypomanic or depressive episodes
What is psychomotor retardation?
a symptom commonly observed in major depressive disorder in which the person moves his or her limbs and body slowly
What is psychomotor agitation?
sometimes observed in MDD, a symptom characterized by pacing, restlessness, and inability to sit still
What must the symptoms of MDD include, according to the DSM-5?
MUST include either depressed mood or loss of interest and pleasure AND ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS (ex: changes in sleep, appetite, concentration, decision making, feelings of worthlessness, suicidality)
What is an episodic disorder?
a condition, such as MDD, whose symptoms dissipate but that tends to recur
What percentage of people who recovered from a first episode of MDD experienced at least one more episode across the 10 year follow up?
40-50%
What percentage of people reported experiencing depressive episodes that persisted for more than 2 years?
5%
What are some reasons that women are twice as likely to experience depression than men?
- hormone fluctuations
- twice as many girls as boys are exposed to childhood sexual abuse
- women are more likely to be exposed to chronic stressors (poverty, caretaker responsibilities)
- “the cost of caring”: women tend to provide more support to others facing stress
- body image
- social roles promote emotion focused coping among women
When does the gender difference in depression emerge?
adolescence
What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?
a subtype of mood disorders in which episodes consistently occur at the same time of year; in the most common form, major depressive episodes consistently occur in the winter
What is the relationship between fish consumption and depression?
countries w/ more fish consumption (e.g., Japan and Iceland) have much lower rates of MDD and bipolar disorder
What is the relationship between income disparity and depression?
higher rates of depression among poorer individuals
What are some things that can contribute to seasonal affective disorder?
- a slower metabolism in the winter
- changes in melatonin release
What is a common treatment for seasonal affective disorder?
light therapy
Where is seasonal affective disorder most common?
regions far from the equator
Which physical health disease is depression closely tied to?
cardiovascular disease - depression related to onset and more severe course of CVD
What are the three forms of bipolar disorders recognized by DSM-5?
- bipolar I disorder
- bipolar II disorder
- cyclothymic disorder
What is the defining feature of each type of bipolar disorder?
manic symptoms
Is an episode of depression required for diagnosis of bipolar I?
no
Is an episode of depression required for a diagnosis of bipolar II?
yes
What is mania?
intense elation or irritability, accompanied by symptoms such as excessive talkativeness, rapid thoughts, distractibility, grandiose plans, heightened activity, and insensitivity to the negative consequences of actions
What is a flight of ideas?
a symptom of mania that involves a rapid shift in conversation from one subject to another with only superficial associative connections
What is hypomania?
an extremely happy or irritable mood accompanied by symptoms such as increased energy and decreased need for sleep, but without the significant functional impairment associated with mania
What is bipolar 1 disorder?
a diagnosis defined on the basis of at least one lifetime episode of mania; most people with this disorder also experience episodes of major depression
What is bipolar II disorder?
a form of bipolar disorder, diagnosed in those who have experienced at least one major depressive disorder and at least one episode of hypomania (and no lifetime episode of mania)
What is cyclothymic disorder?
a form of bipolar disorder characterized by swings between elation and depression over at least a 2-year period, but w/ moods not so severe as manic or major depressive episodes
What do studies of etiology focus on?
why specific disorders unfold
What is the serotonin transporter gene?
a particular gene critical to the gene-environment interactions that apparently contributes to the development of depression
What are the three neurotransmitters most intensively studied in mood disorders?
norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin
How do tricyclic antidepressant drugs work at the neuron level?
they block the reuptake process so that more neurotransmitter reaches the receptor
Which neurotransmitter do the most common forms of antidepressant medications combat?
serotonin
Which neurotransmitter plays a major role in the sensitivity of the reward system in the brain?
dopamine
What is the reward system?
a system of brain structures involved in the motivation to pursue rewards - is believed to be involved in depression, mania, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders
Have scanning studies consistently identified differences in the function of serotonin or dopamine pathways among people with MDD as compared to controls?
no
What is the anterior cingulate?
anterior portion of the cingulate gyrus (stretching about the corpus callosum)
How do depression and mania affect activity levels in the prefrontal cortex?
diminished levels in both depression and mania
How do depression and mania affect activity levels in the hippocampus?
diminished levels in both depression and mania
What is the striatum?
a neural region involved in motor action and responses to reward
How do depression and mania affect activity levels in the anterior cingulate?
elevated activity levels in both depression and mania
How do depression and mania affect activity levels in the striatum?
elevated activity levels in mania, diminished activity levels in depression
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex?
a region of the prefrontal cortex involved in working memory, motor planning, organization, and regulation, which is implicated in many psychopathologies
What is the nucleus accumbens?
a central component of the reward system in the brain that plays a key role in the motivation to pursue rewards