Depression Flashcards
What are affective disorders? (2)
-Affective disorders impact emotions, including moods which are more stable and can persist for longer periods.
- These disorders result in extended periods of intense negative or positive emotions, often causing dysfunction, distress and even danger.
Describe depressive disorder (unipolar) characterisation
- Characterised by depressive moods of feeling sad, irritable or empty or the loss of pleasure.
- A period which lasts at least 2 weeks.
- Include multiple depressive episodes characterised by their severity.
- Diagnosis can only be made if individual has never experienced a maniac or mixed episode.
State unipolar symptoms. (9)
1- Depressed mood
2- Diminished interest in activities
3- Difficulty concentrating
4- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
5- Hopelessness
6- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
7- Changes in appetite or sleep
8- Psychomotor agitation or retardation
9- Reduced energy or fatigue
Describe bipolar disorder characterisation.
- Involves extreme mood states of both depression and mania.
- Extreme mood states lasting at least one week , unless shortened by treatment.
State maniac symptoms. (8)
1- Euphoria
2- Irritability
3- Grandiosity
4- Increased energy
5- Rapid speech
6- Decreased need for sleep
7- Impulsivity
8- Recklessness
What is the BDI?
- Beck Depression Inventory.
- A psychometric tool used for assessing depression severity.
- Assists qualified health professionals in diagnosing depression.
Describe the BDI.
-Comprises 21 items such as self-dislike and pessimism.
- Each item consists of 4 statements and the person chooses the items the fits best.
- Scores indicate depression severity; 10 being the minimal for diagnosis and above 30 being severe depression.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the BDI.
Strengths: Quantitative date which may be compared to see treatment outcome and improvements.
Weaknesses: People may lie about symptoms and may be low in validity and applicability to some cultures.
What are the biochemical explanations of unipolar disorder?
- Dopamine
- Serotonin
Explain the effect of dopamine.
- Dopamine signals in parts of the brain responsible of feelings of motivation and pleasure.
- When dopamine is reduced, such feelings would be affected causing some of the core symptoms in depression ; low mood, lack of motivation and lack of interest and enjoyment in usual activities.
- Anti-depressants work by increasing dopamine levels.
- Explain the effect of serotonin imbalance.
- Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep and appetite as well as mood and anxiety.
- When serotonin levels are reduced, this causes low mood, anxiety and disruption to sleeping and eating patterns.
- Serotonin levels may fall if we have too much monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down serotonin .
Explain aim of the Oruc et Al study.
- Determines whether specific polymorphisms of two gene associations with serotonin transporters and receptors were more common to those with bipolar.
What were the procedures of the Oruc et Al study?
- Blood samples of those with and without bipolar disorder, diagnostic interview and hospital case notes.
- 42 patients tested for polymorphism for serotonin transporters and receptors.
- Control group with members of no first degree relatives with psychiatric diagnoses.
- Slight significant in gene variations only in females.
What is Beck’s cognitive triad?
- Negative beliefs about self
- Negative beliefs about world
- Negative beliefs about future
What is the reason behind the development of negative beliefs?
- Occurs in childhood due to experiences of criticism/rejection from significant individuals.
- Various experiences such as neglect, abuse, overprotecting parentings and bereavement.
What are the effects of such beliefs?
- Influence how an individual selects and processes information.
- Filter out evidence that contradicts with their beliefs and focus on evidence the confirms their negative views.
Examples of cognitive biases. (6)
- Selective attention
- Catastrophising
- Discounting positives
- Emotional reasoning
- Overgeneraliztaion
- Personalisation
Define learned helplessness.
When an individual seizes to resist a situation that seems inescapable, leading to a feeling of helplessness, causing them to feel no control over their own lives and feeling depressed.
Explain Selgiman’s theory
- Attributional style can cause depressive symptoms.
- How we reason about our circumstances.
State the attributions of depressed and non-depressed individuals.
- Depressed individuals: internal, global and stable
- Non-depressed individuals: external, specific and unstable.
Explain Seligman’s depressive attributional style study.
- Aims to replicate prior research between the positive correlation of depressive attributional style and the severity of depressive symptoms.
- Involves patients with bi/uni polar disorder taking the BDI and ASQ and 6 months of cognitive therapy.
- Positive correlation was showed between depressive attributions regarding negative events and the severity of depression.
What is the tricyclics treatment?
- Increases the level or serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain by stopping them from being reabsorbed.
- Increase of neurotransmitters lead to the decrease of depressive disorder.
- Side effects are nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, weight gain and blurry vision.
What are MonoAmine Oxidase Inhibitors?
- Inhibit the work of monoamine enzyme; responsible for the breakdown of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
- MAOIs prevent their breakdown and allows them to remain at higher levels.
What are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors?
- Acts on serotonin to stop it from being reabsorbed and broken down once it has crossed a synapse in the brain.
- When serotonin levels are increased in the brain, depressive symptoms are reduced.
- Have the least side effects.
What is beck’s cognitive restructuring?
Portrays that depression can be treated by identifying, challenging and changing irrational beliefs about the self, world and future.
What are some of the collaborative techniques?
- Psychoeducation
- Homework
State the ABC model of REBT
- Activating events
- Beliefs
- Consequences
State the common techniques used in REBT
- Questioning irrational beliefs
- Identifying irrationality
- Development of new thinking
- Acceptance
