Mood Disorders Flashcards
Mood disorders are also known as affective disorders.
What are the 2 broad classes of mood disorders?
- Depressive disorders
- Bipolar disorders- Type 1 and 2
State the symptom duration requirement for diagnosing depression/ depressive disorders?
What are 4 types of symptoms?
Must have had symptoms for at least 2 weeks
- Core symptoms
- Depressive thoughts (suicide?)
- Somatic/ biological symptoms
- Psychosis/ Psychotic symptoms e.g delusions (possible in severe cases)
List the 3 core symptoms of Depressive disorders
List 3 somatic/ biological symptoms
- Low mood
- Lack of energy
- Lack of enjoyment and interest
- Lack of appetite
- Lack of pain
- Waking up early/ not sleeping well
Compare clinical depression and a normal adjustment reaction after a traumatic event
Adjustment reaction;
- Symptoms don’t last as long
- Symptoms fluctuate
- Fewer somatic features (no pattern to sleep disturbance, appetite can increase or decrease, feelings of anger and frustration)
Mania is essentially the opposite of depression.
List 6 symptoms
- Elevated mood + energy levels
- Racing thoughts/ flight of ideas
- Decreased need for sleep
- Loss of normal social inhibitions
- Elevated self esteem
- May have psychotic features/ psychosis
What is Hypomania?
A set of symptoms that are clearly manic but don’t reach full diagnostic criteria for Mania
Describe the diagnosis of Bipolar Affective Disorder
- Can diagnose following 2 episodes of a mood disorder, one of which must be Mania/ Hypomania
- Can be diagnosed with Bipolar disorder, without having been diagnosed depression
Bipolar disorder is essentially ‘fluctuations in mood’
Compare Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2
Bipolar 1: Episodes of Mania/ Mania and Depression
Bipolar 2: Episodes of Hypomania/ Hypomania and Depression
Untreated, how long do typical Manic and Depressive episodes last?
Manic: 3-6 months
Depressive: 6-12 months
List 6 Physical/ non-psychological causes of Mania
- Hyperthyroidism
- Delirium (hyperactive)
- Iatrogenic
- Infection
- Head injury
- Intoxication (stimulants)
List 3 brain structures/ circuits involved in the neurobiology of mood disorders.
How do they differ in Mood Disorders than when normal?
- Limbic system (Emotion, Memory, Motivation)
- Frontal lobe (Motor + Cognitive effects)
- Basal ganglia (Motor, Cognitive, Behaviour, Emotion)
- Changes in size and activity levels of these structures
(Depression- Decreased Hippocampus volume, Amygdala blood blow and metabolism)
(Bipolar- Increased Amygdala activation and volume)
The Limbic System is composed of many brain regions, however the main emotion circuit is the Papez Circuit.
Describe the Papez Circuit
- Cortical areas send input to Hippocampus (Amygdala can be grouped with HC in terms of its connections)
- Hippocampus projects to Mammillary bodies via Fornix
- Mammillary bodies project to Thalamus + Hypothalamus
- Thalamus projects back to cortex
- Hypothalamus projects to Pituitary and Autonomics-> Somatic effects
How is the Papez circuit involved in memory?
Hippocampus induces LTP int the cortex to consolidate long term memory?
Describe the role of the Frontal Lobe in Mood.
Inferior portions of Anterior Frontal Lobe are involved in the Generation and Expression of emotions
(Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex- Generation)
Orbital Prefrontal Cortex- Expression, possibly via connections with Amygdala)
According to the Monoamine Hypothesis, decreased levels of what 2 neurotransmitters lead to depression?
Where are these produced?
Where are they distributed to?
(Less evidence for their role in Mania)
- Serotonin, produced in Raphe Nucei in Brainstem
- NA, produced in Locus Coeruleus in Brainstem
- Both are distributed to Cortex and Limbic System
