Mood Disorders

Question 1

What are the four domains of symptoms for depression? Give example symptoms.

Answer 1

1. Affective - depressed mood, sadness, feeling low.
2. Cognitive - feeling worthless, self-critical, low self esteem, thoughts of death, difficulty with processes like concentration and memory.
3. Behavioural - withdrawal from social activities, psychomotor changes
4. Physical functioning - changes in: appetite, sleep and energy. Appetite can increase or decrease resulting in gains and losses of weight.

Question 2

What is the difference between bipolar disorder and unipolar depression?

Answer 2

Only depressive symptoms occur in unipolar; no mania. Bipolar effective disorder involves cycles of mania and depression.

Question 3

What is mania?

Answer 3

An emotional state of intense and unfounded elation.

Question 4

How much of the population does unipolar depression affect?

Answer 4

5%, more prevalent in women.

Question 5

What is the diagnostic criteria for unipolar depression?

Answer 5

Five or more of the following during the same two-week period; at least one is depressed mood, or loss of interest or pleasure.

• depressed mood*
• diminished ability to think or concentrate
• recurrent thoughts of death
• insomnia or hyposomnia*
• fatigue*
• diminished interest/pleasure in almost all activities*
• significant weight loss when not dieting, or gain
• psychomotor agitation or retardation*
• feelings of worthlessness or excessive/inappropriate guilt

*nearly every day

Question 6

How much of the population does bipolar depression affect?

Answer 6

1%, equally in women and men.

Question 7

What is bipolar 1 disorder?

Answer 7

Mixed episode of mania and depression.

Question 8

What is the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder?

Answer 8

The depressive symptoms are the same, but the individual also experiences manic episodes.

• unusual talkativeness; rapid speech
• distractibility; attention easily diverted
• less than usual amount of sleep needed
• inflated self-esteem; believe they have special powers/abilities/talents
• increase in activity level; work, socially, sexually
• flight of ideas/subjective impression that thoughts are racing
• excessive involvement in pleasurable activities

Question 9

What are the three biological explanations of mood disorders?

Answer 9

Genetic, neurochemical, and brain structure and functioning.

Question 10

What is a proband?

Answer 10

A person with a disorder whose relatives are then investigated to discover genetic transmission of the disorder.

Question 11

Explain family studies.

Answer 11

A proband is identified, and then information of close family relatives is gathered.

Question 12

What are the family statistics?

Answer 12

Winokur (900 patients and controls)
Rate of unipolar: 10.4% first-degree relatives (patients) 4.9% (controls)

Weissman found that 50% of offspring of depressives display depressive symptoms themselves.

Question 13

Evaluate family studies.

Answer 13

Results cannot be attributed to genetics alone. Psychological factors like being reared by a depressive cannot be ruled out. Stressful family environments could also be a factor.

Question 14

What is McGuffin’s study on twins? Evaluate.

Answer 14

214 twins were investigated through probands.

Unipolar MZ concordance: 46%
Unipolar DZ concordance: 20%

DZ twins and siblings have the same genetic similarity, therefore there is nothing to explain the higher concordance in DZ than siblings.