Major Depressive Disorder Flashcards
Major depressive disorder was first described by Hippocrates in the form of melancholia.
Four humors: yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood.
Melancholia occured when there was too much black bile in the body
Disease generally occurred when humors were out of balance
Emil Kraepelin proposed two distinct psychotic syndromes
Dementia Praecox (later renamed schizophrenia)
Manic-Depressive Illness (later split into mood disorders)
Kraepelin’s view dominated until the 1950s. Then, Karl Leonhard introduced the unipolar vs. bipolar distinction. What did it refer to?
Unipolar: only depressive episode or only manic episode
Bipolar: both manic and depressive episodes
True or false: it is quite common to have just a manic episode
False. Very rare. Typically classified as bipolar in the DSM
To get a MDD diagnostic, you need 5 or more symptoms, and at least one of these must be one of the 2 cardinal symptoms:
- Dysphoric mood: Feeling sad tearful most days than not
- Anhedonia: Diminished interest in almost all activities.
Describe anhedonia
Total emotional withdrawal. I’m not reacting to pleasurable experiences.
Sameness of experiences. Emotional disengagement.
which of major depressive disorder of bipolar disorder is most common?
Major depressive disorder is 10-20 times more common than bipolar.
true or false: the specifier atypical depression of MDD means that a small percentage of people have it
False, the symptoms are what make it atypical, it’s actually very common
what is the main reason for subtyping atypical depression?
Atypical depression is strongly associated with a specific treatment response, making it important for tailoring treatment.
Can you get both chronic major depression AND another specifier ?
Yes, because chronic major depression is about the duration, not the symptoms.
what is a common factor of MDD and GAD? what what differentiates them?
Common factor: High negative affect
Specific to depression: Anhedonia. Does not happen in anxiety. Anxious people do NOT have the same disengagement from the world
Specific to anxiety: physiological hyperarousal
what is the difference between the specifier chronic major depression and the separate diagnostic of persistent depression disorder?
In PDD: The symptoms are milder but more persistent.
Chronic MDD refers to a long-lasting major depressive episode. Emphasis on MAJOR. Full set of major depressive episode symptoms
Study that compares the prevalence of mood disorders in the biological family (the family the adoptee was born into) and the adopted family (the family the adoptee was raised by).
ONLY biological families had elevated rates of mood disorders: The key finding here is that mood disorders were more common in the biological families of the adoptees, not in the adopted families. This suggests that genetic factors from the biological family might be contributing to the development of the disorder.
What is the idea of depression and reduced positive reinforcement
The idea is that when a person experiences depression, they tend to engage in fewer behaviors that would normally lead to positive reinforcement (e.g., praise, rewards, or enjoyment).
Because they are receiving less positive reinforcement, their mood declines, and they feel less motivated to engage in activities that would typically bring positive outcomes.
This creates a vicious cycle, where the person’s reduced engagement in rewarding activities leads to more negative feelings, which further reduces their motivation to do things that could bring positive reinforcement.
What is Aaron Beck’s cognitive triad?
Aaron Beck’s cognitive triad is a concept from cognitive therapy that explains how negative thinking patterns contribute to depression. It consists of three interconnected negative beliefs:
- Negative view of the self – e.g., “I’m worthless” or “I’m not good enough.”
- Negative view of the world – e.g., “The world is unfair” or “Nothing ever goes right for me.”
- Negative view of the future – e.g., “Things will never get better” or “I’ll always fail.”
What are the attribution styles associated with depression?
- Internal: is it happening because of me (vs things outside of my control)
- Global: every interaction i have is awkward, not just one.
Stable: it will never change
stroop task people with depression, say color of ink of the word death
Typically people would slowly down around death.
Emotional word.
People with depression are even slower.
