Depressive and Bipolar Disorders Flashcards
2 categories of mood disorders
1) depressive disorders: dysphoria (excessive unhappiness) and anhedonia (loss of interest)
2) bipolar disorders: mood swings between deep sadness to euphoria and mania
3 meanings of depression
1) as a symptom
2) as a syndrome
3) as a disorder
90% of young people with depression show…
significant impairment in daily functioning
Depression for children under 7
Diffuse symptoms, harder to identify
Preschoolers depression
May be extremely somber and tearful, lacking exuberance; may display excessive clinging and whiney behaviour around mothers
School-age children depression
Same as preschoolers, plus irritability, disruptive behaviour, tantrums
Preteens depression
The same as preschooler and school-age, plus self-blame, low self-esteem, persistent sadness and social inhibition
Diagnostic criteria for MDD: Criterion A
A. Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.
1) Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feels sad, empty, hopeless) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). (Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood.)
(2) Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by subjective account or observation).
(3) Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. (Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains).
(4) Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.
6) Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
(7) Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick).
(8) Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)
(9) Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
Diagnostic criteria for MDD: Criterion B
The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupation or other important areas of functioning
Diagnostic criteria for MDD: Criterion C
(C) The episode is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or to another medical condition.
Criteria A-C of MDD represent…
a major depressive episode
Diagnostic criteria for MDD: Criteria D and E
D)The occurrence of the major depressive episode is not better explained by schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder, or other specified and unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.
(E)There has never been a manic episode or hypomanic episode.
Note: This exclusion does not apply if all of the manic-like or hypomanic-like episodes are substance-induced or are attributable to the physiological effects of another medical condition.
MDD Diagnosis in children
Same criteria for school-age and adolescents
Depression often overlooked because other behaviours attract attention
Some features such as irritability are more common in children and adolescents than in adults
Prevalence of MDD
2 – 8% of children aged 4 – 18 experience MDD
Rare among preschool and school-aged children (1 – 2%)
Sharp increase in adolescence may result from interaction of biological aspects of puberty with developmental changes
Comorbidity with MDD
Up to 90% of depressed youth have 1+ disorders
Usually anxiety related
Also: dysthymia, conduct problems, ADHD, substance use disorder, personality disorder
Onset, course and outcome of MDD
- Gradual or sudden
- Average age onset b/w 13-15 years
- Length of episode around 8 months
- Usually recover from first episode, but disorder doesn’t go away (25% of recurrence in 1 year; 40% in 2 yr, 70% in 5yrs. About 1/3 develop bipolar disorder in 5 years).
- Overall outcome is not optimistic
Depression - gender differences
Age 11-13: same (around 3%)
Age 15: female around 5%, male around 3%
Age 18-21: female around 24%, male around 11%
Persistent Depressive Disorder P-DD: Criteria for adults
- Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, for at least 2 years
- Presence of (2): poor appetite/overeating, insomnia/hypersomnia, low energy/fatigue, low self-esteem, poor concentration, hopelessness
- No mania
- Significant distress or impairment in social, occupation or other areas of functioning
P-DD characteristics
Characterized by poor emotion regulation
Constant feelings of sadness, being unloved, self-deprecation, low self0esteem, anxiety, irritability, anger, temper tantrums
Children with both MDD and P-DD are more severely impaired than children with just one
P-DD prevalence
P-DD less common than MDD: ~1% of children, 5% adolescents
Most common comorbidity is MDD: nearly 70% of children with P-DD may have MDD episode
~50% of children with P-DD also have one ore more disorder unrelated to mood prior to onset
Onset, Course, Outcome of P-DD
11/12 years onset
Childhood-onset associated with prolonged duration (2-5 years)
Most recover, but high risk of developing other disorders
Adolescents with P-DD receive less social support than those with MDD