Mood disorders Flashcards
Types of mood disorders
- Dysthymia
- Adjustment Disorder
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Major Depression
- Manic Depressive Illness
A prolonged chronic condition, with less severe symptoms than those of major depression. Although milder in nature, does tend to last two years or longer
Dysthymia
It can occur in the aftermath of a sad or life
transitional events like
* the death of a loved one or
* the loss of a job.
Adjustment disorder
A pattern of depression related to lack of
exposure to sunlight.
Seasonal Affective Disorder.
How can you help patients with seasonal affective disorder
light bulbs that replaces loss sun light.
Symptoms of major depression often include,
overwhelming feelings of sadness or
low energy and
feelings of worthlessness.
Manic Depressive disorder
In some cases there are alternating periods that go
back and forth between hyper excitability and elation
known as mania and slow inactive state known as
depression
There are two different types of depression:
Exogenous or reactive depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD).
Depression that is caused by external factors such as death or the loss of a job
Exogenous or reactive depression
Originates from within the body and may not
necessarily be associated within an easily recognised cause.
Major depressive disorder (MDD).
Lower levels of serotonin leads to
mood destabilization & depression.
Key brain areas involved in regulation of mood
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (VMPFC)
Lateral Orbital Prefrontal Cortex (LOPFC)
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Modulates pain and aggression, and sexual and eating
behaviours
Regulates autonomic and neuroendocrine response
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (VMPFC)
Activity is increased in depression (also OCD, PTSD
& panic disorder)
Plays a role in correcting behavioural & emotional
responses
Lateral Orbital Prefrontal Cortex (LOPFC)
Cognitive control, solving complex tasks, and
manipulation of information in working memory
Hypoactivity of it has been associated with
neuropsychological manifestation of depression
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)
Regulates cortical arousal,
neuroendocrine response to surprisingambiguous stimuli
* Role in emotional learning/memory
* Activation of amygdala correlates with degree
of depression
* Implicated in tendency to ruminate
negative memories
Amygdala
Has a role in episodic, contextual
learning and memory
* Regulatory feedback to HPA axis
* Dysfunction may be responsible for
inappropriate emotional responses
Hippocampus
Mood Disorders are associated with high
co-morbidity
Criteria for diagnosis of depression
The presence of the following symptoms for at least 2 weeks, present most of the time:
1. One or both of the core criteria
uLow or sad mood and/or
uLoss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia)
2. Several of the following
u Disturbed sleep
u Guilt or worthlessness or pessimism
u Fatigue or low energy
u Disturbed appetite or weight change
u Poor concentration or indecisiveness
u Psychomotor retardation or agitation
u Recurrent thoughts of death/suicidal ideas/attempts
Criteria for diagnosis of mania
A. Mood elated, expansive or irritable and definitely abnormal for the
individual sustained for at least a week.
B. At least three of the following must be present leading to severe
interference with personal functioning in daily living:
(1) Increased activity or physical restlessness
(2) Increased talkativeness (‘pressure of speech’)
(3) Flight of ideas or the subjective experience of thoughts racing
(4) Loss of normal social inhibitions resulting in behaviour which is
inappropriate to the circumstances
(5) Decreased need for sleep
(6) Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
The depressed status is most responsible for functional impairment:
*the number of depressive rather than manic episodes, &
*the presence of chronic subsyndromal depressive symptoms are the strongest predictors of poor functioning in bipolar patients.
