Mood Disorders

Question 1

What is a depressive episode?
How would you diagnose major depressive disorder

Answer 1

2 or more weeks of a depressive mood associated with lack of sleep, anhedonia, change in diet
Depressive episode with no manic or hypomanic episodes in the past

Question 2

What is a manic episode?
What is hypomania?

Answer 2

Euphoric or irritable mood associated with less need of sleep, distractibility, inflated self esteem, impulsivity- at least a week

Milder form of mania- at least 4 days

Question 3

How would you diagnose T1 and T2 bipolar affective disorder?
What diagnosis is given if manic symptoms occur for less than 4 days?

Answer 3

T1: manic episodes for at least a week with functional impairment
T2: hypomanic episodes with at least one major depressive episode
Unspecified bipolar disorder

Question 4

Describe the memory biases and perceptual biases in depression

Answer 4

Memory: more likely to remember negative material
Perceptual: more likely to remember a negative face in a line of positive faces

Question 5

What are the three triad of symptoms you see in depression?

Answer 5

Core symptoms: low mood, anergia, anhedonia
Biological: sleep, libido, appetite
Cognitive: orientation of the world and oneself

Question 6

What are common symptoms between bipolar affective disorder and borderline personality disorder?

Answer 6

Suicidal thoughts
Rapid mood swings
Instable interpersonal relationship

Question 7

What is the main difference between BAF and schizophrenia?

Answer 7

Bipolar affective disorder has episodic hallucinations whereas schizophrenia has them chronically