Depression and PA Flashcards
Window of Tolerance
Persistent stress or trauma = shrinks window of tolerance.
Leads to…
-hyperarousal = anxiety
-hypoarousal = depression
Affect
Ie. tension, calmness
General valence response (ie. good-bad, pleasure-displeasure feeling).
Affect is considered to be more basic than mood/emotion.
-more primitive, voluntary, hard-wired.
-does not require cognitive processing
Emotion
Ie. fear, guilt, pride.
Usually follow an appraisal (cognitive processing) of an objective, person, or event determined to impact or have the potential to impact the goals or well-being of the perceiver.
-immediate, short-lived, often high-intensity response to stimulus
-follow mental processing
Mood
Ie. irritation, cheerfulness.
Subjective states, have a cognitive basis and can interfere with purposive behaviour.
Differ from emotions in three ways:
-usually lasts long period of time
-moods sometimes come and go without identifiable causes
-moods usually less intense and variable
Mood Disorders
Disorders that influence mood regulation beyond the usual variations between low mood and high mood.
Includes major depression/persistent depressive disorder (formerly dysthymia) and bipolar cyclothmia).
Major Depression/Depressive Disorder
Five or more of the following symptoms, and must include depressed mood or anhedonia:
-s = sleep changes
-i = interest loss (anhedonia)
-g = guilt
-e = energy lacking
-c = concentration difficulty
-p = psychomotor change (ie. difficulty doing a normal task)
-s = suicide ideation or thoughts
Five or more of these symptoms must occur for two weeks, and not be attributable to substances or medical conditions.
Understanding Depression
Episodes of unhappiness that affect most people from time to time, to persistent low mood and inability to find enjoyment on a regular basis.
Extended periods of feeling extremely low and disrupt a person’s ability to enjoy life.
How depression shows up in our body…
Headaches
Changes in appetite which causes either weight gain or loss.
Constantly feeling tired
Body aches and pains
A weakened immune system
Sleeping too much or not enough.
How depression shows up in our thoughts/emotions…
Inadequate (low self-efficacy)
Extremely sad
Guilt
Irritable
Empty
Pessimistic
Unable to focus
Unmotivation/amotivated
Preoccupation with death or suicide.
How depression shows up in our behaviours…
Withdrawal from social activities.
Decreased interest in sex/decreased sex drive.
Slowed speech
Difficulty starting/finishing tasks
Not keeping up with daily responsibilities.
Prevalence
~11% of men and ~16% of women Canadians experience major depression.
Among top 4 causes of disability
Predisposes to drug and substance abuse.
-~24% of 15-54 year olds self medicate.
Causes of Depression
Constellation of risk factors = genetics, neurotransmitter levels, hormone levels, environment, gender, social support.
Increased exposure to chronic stress or repeated, significant traumas
PA and Depression
Research consistently shows regular PA
-decreases risk of developing mood disorders
-reduce symptoms associated with depression
Preventative Effects of PA on Depression
> or equal to 1 hour of PA/week can lead to changes in depression (Harvey et al., 2017).
After age of 50, declines in aerobic fitness is related to increased depression levels in this population (Dishman et al., 2012).
More time spent in sedentary activities increases risk of depression (Andrade-Gomez et al., 2018).
Goodwin et al., 2023 = self-reported lower levels of PA are associated with higher prevalence of major depression.
PA as Treatment
Strong evidence PA effective treatment for those with and without clinical depression.
-decrease depressive symptoms
-moderated by exercise and participant variables (ie. exercise of cardiovascular system for older adults).
-as effective or more effective than traditional therapies
Exercise Variables for PA as Treatment
Mode = no difference, but continuous exercise has greater effects than intermittent.
Length = 10 weeks recommended for strongest effect.
-effects seen in 4-24 week programs
-reduction increases with length
Intensity
-aerobic = 50-85% HRmax
-resistance = higher % of 1RM more effective
Duration/Frequency = at least 45-60 minutes per session
