depression and mood disorders

Question 1

what are the theories of depression:

Answer 1

1. psychological
2. interpersonal
3. biological

Question 2

psychodynamic theory:

Answer 2

• grief over loss is the basis of depression
• loss could be bereavement, separation or withdrawal.
• the mourner introjects or incorporates the lost person.
• freud: mourner becomes the object of his own hate and anger leading to an ongoing process of self-blame and self-abuse and depression.

Question 3

negative cognition and self-schemas theory of depression:

Answer 3

• set of beliefs that causes individuals to perceive themselves and the world in a negative light.
• negative triad (Holding negative view of yourself, about your future, of the world.
• beck’s theory of depression
• cognitive biases in depression.

Question 4

what are the cognitive biases in depression:

Answer 4

1. arbitrary inferences:
   drawing conclusion in the absence of sufficient information
2. selective abstraction: concluding based on one aspect of the event
3. overgeneralisation:
   general conclusion drawn on the basis of trivial event
4. magnification and minimisation:
   giving greater weight on a perceived failure than a perceived success.

Question 5

describe Beck’s theory:

Answer 5

becks theory demonstrates how a negative schema, cognitive biases in information processing are dependent and influence the negative cognitive triad one constructs that can lead to depression.

Question 6

learned helplessness theory

Answer 6

learned helplessness supports that due to past unavoidable unfortunate events caused the individual to gain a cognitive set that makes them depressed and passive due to lack of control in those negative events.

Question 7

attribution theory:

Answer 7

people are more likely to become depressed when they attribute negative life events to internal, stable, global factors–predictor of depression especially following a negative event.

Question 8

hopelessness theory

Answer 8

expectations that positive outcome will not occur, but negative one will and that the individual has no responses available that will change theses states of affairs.

Question 9

rumination theory:

Answer 9

the tendency to repetitively dwell on the experience of depression or its possible causes.

Question 10

interpersonal theories:

Answer 10

interpersonal relations are altered because the individual has limited social support network.

they elicit rejection from others

low on social skills across wide variety of situations

seek reassurance from others, but is temporary

Question 11

interpersonal theories: Coyne’s 1976:

Answer 11

individuals suffering from depressive symptoms tend to engage in excessive reassurance seeking a.k.a ERS

Question 12

biological

Answer 12

genetic
- for bipolar disorder are supported by adoption and family and twin studies.

neuro chemistry
- link to lower levels of norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5HT) to depression

neuroendocrine system
- the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) may play a role in depression
- levels of cortisol are heightened in depression

Question 13

treatments of Depression:

Answer 13

drug treatment
electroconvulsive therapy
psychological therapy
interpersonal

Question 14

what is an electroconvulsive therapy:

Answer 14

• involves of brain seizures by the application of electrical currents on the skull.
• risk of autobiographical memory being lost.
• it is more effective than short term treatment for depression and better than drugs.

Question 15

psychological therapies:

Answer 15

psychoanalysis
social skill training
behavioural activation therapy
cognitive therapy
interpersonal therapy (IPT)

Question 16

what is major depressive disorder / clinical depression?

Answer 16

• characterised by extreme and long periods of sadness, hopelessness and/or fatigue that lasts 2+ weeks.

Question 17

What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD):

Answer 17

depression that occurs during short days with lack of sun i.e., winter

Question 18

What is Bipolar I Disorder / Manic Depression?

Answer 18

experiences of euphoric and/or irritable moods and increased energy or activity.
During manic episodes you engage in activities that are painful to you or others.

Question 19

What is Bipolar II Disorder?

Answer 19

for diagnosis you must have experienced at least one episode of current or past hypomania (which is less severe than mania), and at least one episode of current or past major depression, but no history of any manic episode.

Question 20

What is Cyclothymic disorder?

Answer 20

diagnosis requires a two year history of not quite hypomania and not quite major depression.

Question 21

what is the Dimensional Approach?

Answer 21

considers disorder along a continuum in which people vary in degree of severity.

Question 22

what does social skill training do?

Answer 22

• improves social interaction to lift depression.
• it is a behavioural/social skill training effective treatment.

Question 23

what is behavioural activation therapy?

Answer 23

• creating a hierarchy of reinforcing activities, rank-ordering by difficulty
• tracking their own goals with clinicians who use the token economy to reinforce success in moving through the hierarchy of activities.

Question 24

what does cognitive therapy do?

Answer 24

• aims to change unhealthy patterns and activity levels.

Question 25

what is cognitive retraining / cognitive restructuring ?

Answer 25

• helps identify the negative thought pattern.
• challenges them as dysfunctional
• replaces them with more adaptive beliefs

Question 26

what is the Reattribution training?

Answer 26

it is the interpretation of difficulties in a more hopeful and constructive way.

Question 27

give examples of cognitive therapy approaches:

Answer 27

• Beck’s approach
• cognitive retraining / cognitive restructuring
• identifying negative automatic thoughts
• reattribution training.

Question 28

what are the criticism of the cognitive approach?

Answer 28

• research biased: researches carried out by cognitive therapist may have skewed results to their favour.
• design biased: inadequate antidepressant dose used in some studies.
• patient biased: in some studies patients were recruited based on Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) scores.
• outcome biased: