Chapter 8 Flashcards
Mood disorders
Psychological disorders characterized by usually severe or prolonged disturbances of mood.
The 2 major forms of mood disorder
1) depressive disorders (unipolar) more in one direction
2) bipolar disorders and related disorders (mood swing disorders).
2 major types of depressive disorders
- major depressive disorder is the more severe type
- persistent depressive disorder (aka dysthymia) is the milder type
2 major types of bipolar disorders
- bipolar disorder is the more severe type
- cyclothymic disorder (aka cyclothymia) is the milder type
Major depressive disorder
A severe mood disorder characterized by major depressive episodes in the absence of mania or hypomania, most prevalent disorder
Mania
A state of unusual elation, energy, and activity
Hypomania
A relatively mild state of mania
Why do more Women than Men have major depressive disorder?
- Unknown
- Maybe women report more
- Maybe women’s hormones
- Maybe because it is found that more men depressive disorder is due to drugs but main cause for females is unknown
Signs of major depression
- loss of interest in most of their usual activities and pursuits
- difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- have pressing thoughts of death, and attempt suicide
- impaired driving skills in driving simulation tests.
Risk factors for major depression
Age (initial onset is most common among young adults) Socioeconomic status (people lower down the socioeconomic ladder are at greater risk than those who are better off) Marital status (people who are separated or divorced have higher rates than married or never-married people).
seasonal affective (mood) disorder (SAD)
a subcategory of a mood disorder involving major depression due to the changing of the seasons
Dysthymia
also called persistent depressive disorder
A chronic but milder form of depression, lasting two or more years and an individual is never without symptoms for more than two months
Leads to severe outcomes (social isolation, high suicide risk, and mislabeled as moody or difficult)
Usually some recognition on their part that something is wrong
Double depression
applies to those who have a major depressive episode superimposed on a longer-standing dysthymic disorder.
More severe depressive episodes than just major depression alone
Postpartum depression (PPD)
Persistent and severe mood changes that occur after childbirth.
PPD is often accompanied by disturbances in appetite and sleep, low self-esteem, and difficulties in maintaining concentration or attention.
Prevalence of PPD
As many as 70% of women experience mood swings and feelings up depression up to two weeks after childbirth
10-15% of new mothers have mood swings severe enough to meet PPD
Bipolar disorder
A psychological disorder characterized by mood swings between states of extreme elation and depression.
People with bipolar disorder ride an emotional roller coaster, swinging from the heights of elation to the depths of depression without external cause.
Bipolar I Disorder
– applies to people who have had at least one full manic episode at some point in their lives.
Typically involves extreme mood swings between manic episodes and major depression.
Possible for bipolar I disorder to apply to those who have only experienced mania without ever having a major depressive episode but a more dysthymic level of depression.
Bipolar II Disorder
– applies to people who have had hypomanic episodes AND at least one major depressive episode (without ever having a full-blown manic episode).
Hypomanic episode
– episodes that are less severe than manic episodes and are not accompanied by the social or occupational problems associated with full-blown mania.
During a hypomanic episode, a person might:
feel unusually charged with energy
show a heightened level of activity
have an inflated sense of self-esteem
be more irritable than usual
experience little fatigue or need for sleep.
Manic episode
– A period of unrealistically heightened euphoria, extreme restlessness , and excessive activity characterized by disorganized behavior and impaired judgment.
- sudden elevation or expansion of mood and feels unusually cheerful, euphoric, or optimistic, boundless energy, extremely sociable, maybe overly demanding and overbearing toward others.
DSM-5 Manic Episode Criteria
During the period of mood disturbance and increased energy or activity, three (or more) of the following symptoms:
Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
Decreased need for sleep
More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
Distractibility
Increase in goal-oriented activity or psychomotor agitation
Excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences
Cyclothymic disorder
– A mood disorder characterized by a chronic pattern of less-severe mood swings than are found in bipolar disorder. Goes up and down but not as high or low as bipolar.
- less severe than manic episodes and none of the severe social or occupational problems that are associated with full-blown manic episodes.
Psychodynamic theory of depression
- Depression represents anger directed inward rather than against significant others.
- bipolar disorder represents shifting dominance of the individual’s personality between the ego and superego.
- focus on the role of loss in depression.
Humanistic theory of depression
- people become depressed when they cannot imbue their existence with meaning and make authentic choices that lead to self-fulfillment.
- focus on the loss of self-esteem that can arise when people lose friends or family members or suffer occupational setbacks.
Learning theory of depression
- emphasize situational factors, such as the loss of positive reinforcement.
We perform best when levels of reinforcement are commensurate with our efforts. Changes in the frequency or effectiveness of reinforcement can shift the balance so that life becomes unrewarding.
Interactional theory of depression
- James Coyne
- proposes that the adjustment to living with a depressed person can become so stressful that the partner or family member becomes progressively less reinforcing.
- based on the concept of reciprocal interaction.
Cognitive theory of depression
- relate the origin and maintenance of depression to the ways in which people see themselves and the world around them.
Learned Helplessness (Attributional) Theory
- Martin Seligman
- A behavior pattern characterized by passivity and perceptions of lack of control.
- people learn to perceive themselves as helpless because of their experiences.
- Otherwise, a behavioural/cognitive theory because it believes that situational factors foster attitudes that lead to depression.
Cognitive traid of depression
– The view that depression derives from adopting negative views of oneself, the environment or world at large, and the future
– Aaron Beck, relates the development of depression to the adoption early in life of a negatively biased or distorted way of thinking
10 cognitive distortions associated with depression
All-or-nothing thinking Overgeneralization Mental filter Disqualifying the positive Jumping to conclusions Magnification and minimization Emotional reasoning “Should” statements Labeling and mislabeling Personalization
The reformulated helplessness theory
- holds that people who explain the causes of negative events (such as failure in work, school, or romantic relationships) according to internal, global, or stable factors are most vulnerable to depression
The reformulated helplessness theory
- holds that people who explain the causes of negative events (such as failure in work, school, or romantic relationships) according to internal, global, or stable factors are most vulnerable to depression
Brain abnormalities and depression
- lower metabolic activity in the prefrontal cortex
- brain abnormalities in parts of the brain involved in governing emotions
Treatments for depression
- psychotherapy
- biomedical approaches, such as antidepressant medication, lithium and other mood stabilizers
- electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
- a brief psychodynamic oriented therapy that focuses on a person’s current interpersonal relationships
Psychodynamic Approaches to depression
- aims to help people who become depressed understand their ambivalent feelings toward important people (objects) in their lives they have lost or whose loss was threatened.
- expensive and takes time
Psychodynamic Approaches to depression
- aims to help people who become depressed understand their ambivalent feelings toward important people (objects) in their lives they have lost or whose loss was threatened.
- expensive and takes time
Behavioral Approaches to depression (behavioural activation)
- Behavior therapists generally focus on helping depressed patients develop more effective social or interpersonal skills and increasing their participation in pleasurable or rewarding activities.
Congnitive-behavioural therapy on depression
- working on both the cognitions and the behaviours
- most common type of therapy
Congnitive-behavioural therapy on depression
- working on both the cognitions and the behaviours
- most common type of therapy
Four major classes of antidepressants that increase the availability of key neurotransmitters in the brain:
- Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
- Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors
- Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Highest Suicide rates according to age
45-55 and 80+
Highest Suicide rates according to age
45-55
Gender differences in suicide
- More women attempt suicide, but more men “succeed.”
- For every female suicide, there are 4 male suicides
Psychodynamic perspective on suicide
Suicide represents inward directed anger that turns murderous
Psychodynamic perspective on suicide
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Shneidman’s perspective on suicide
Suicide is a wish to escape unbearable psychological pain
Biological (Crowell et al.’s) perspective on suicide
Suicide is attributed to reduced use or availability of serotonin
Genetic (Brent et al.’s) perspective on suicide
Mood disorders and parental suicide can also increase risk
Brent et al.’s perspective on suicide
Mood disorders and parental suicide can also increase risk
Myths about suicide
- people who threaten suicide are only seeking attention
- a person must be insane to commit suicide
- talking about suicide with a depressed person might prompt them to do it
predictor of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts
hopelessness
explicitly telling you
