psy probs Unipolar Depression Flashcards
What is unipolar depression?
a type of mood disorder causing periods of feeling sad and lacking motivation to do everyda activities
symptoms of unipolar depression
- lowering of mood
- lack of motivation
- lack of energy even after resting for a long time
the ICD-10 requires thet atleast one of these main symptoms to be present most of the time on most days for atleast two weeks to be diagnosed with depression in addition another symptom should be present at some point during that time
-feeling suicidal of attempts of suicide
- acting nerocously or feeling like their general behaviour has slowed down more thwnusual
- lack of self esteem
- feelings of guilt or blaming themselves for problems
- poor appetite or an increase in appetite
- extreme tiredness thst is not relieved by sleep
- not enjoying activities rhat they used to like soing
- poor sleep or sifficulty sleeping
State features of unipolar sepression
WHO(world healtg organization( approximately one and 15 people would suffer from an episode of serious depression every year
Affects twice as many females as males and women seem to be affected longer than men
episodes of depression are separated into three types
mild
-4 symptoms displayed
-patient might find their symptoms upsetting but they will probably be ablr yo carry on with most day to day activities
moderate
-5-6 symptoms
- difficulties in day to day activites
severe
7+ and feneral feelings of worthlessness
- patient may have suicidal thoughts of engage in self harm to cope with their frelings
Incidence of depression overtime
Martin Seligman (1988)
- ppl in 1980s were 10 times more likely to be depressed than 1940s
The Kings Fund 2008 report
- estimates in 2026 1.45 million people will be diagnosed with depression compared to 1.24 mill in 2007
Brandon Hidaka 2012
- suggests modern living may be more stressful and includes many risk factors for depression
Jean Twenge et al(2010)
- yound adults in 2006 significantly more likely to be diagnosed with sepression along with other forms of psychological problems than in 1938, suggesting modern lofe for this age group is particularly stressful
Liu yi Lin et al 2016
- suggests high levels of social media usage leads to higher risk of sepression in american participants
How depression affects individuals and society
Suicide
- suicide increases as people feeling wirthlessness and sadness may think they need a way out, if they think people will not care suicide may seem like their only option
- suggested 10-15% of patients with severe depression will commit suicide
Efficiency
- Health and SAFETY Executive estimated that in 2014-15, 9.9 million days of work were missed becuase stress, sepression and anxiety with work caused people to lack morivation, may lead them to giving up or getting tired from work.
-cost implications for company to employ others to cover their workload
Cost
- antidepressant drugs can be used to treat sepression but are expensivd to perscribe
- NHS uses 1.7 billion in 2007 alone for therapy for swpressed indiciduals, putting a strain in NHS
Genetic explanations of unipolar depression
- Genes
- Twin studies
Genes
- Craig Hyde et al (2016) found that 17 sifferent gene variations were linked to developing depression, means there is many possible combinations of genes a person could inherit, making identifying people at risk of depression quite a challenge
Twin studies
- Peter Mcguffin et al 1996 found that if one monozygotic twin(100% dame genes) were depressed there is a 46% chance of the ither developing depression. But if a dizygotic twin(50%) had depression theres only 20% chance the otjer would develop depression,
showijg twins with similar genes had a larger chance of depression
Explain the diathesis stess model
an explanation of depression that claims people can have a gene thst makes them more lilely to develop depression, but only if they face a stressful situation that triggers depressive thoughtjs meaning
Strength and weaknesses of genetic explanation
pros
Application as sociery may be more accepting to people with mental health disorders if it means depression is inherited by genes. so people cannot blame you for being depressed, no more stigma
reliable as many evidence supports the idea such as Caspo et al, found people with a variation od sterotonin transport gene were more likely to react negatively to a stressful life and develop seprszzion.
cons
very deterministic, assumed that if u have certain genes, u are likely to become depressed and u cant change that. some others argue that u have a certain anount of frees will to choose whether or not to lef yourself become depressed
some argue its reductionist as ig fails to account for other factors thst can explain why someone may develop depression. such as depression linked ot life events such as death. too simplistic to assume it is an abnormal gene
Explain 2 Cognitive theories as explanations of depression
Cognitive theory states behaviour can be explained by looking at how their brsin processes information and therefore how we think
- Becks cognitive triangle
- Ellis ABC model
Becks cognitive triangle
- negative world view of the self, world and future
- says this negative triad develops from bad experiences in someones past, once they have a nevative way oc thinking they are more liekly to percive things that happen in an abnormal way leading to a negative self schemaz
- prone to magnification, means tehy see their problem far worse than they are in reality
Ellis ABC model
- suggested thst there are threee stages that might cause a person to develop a negative thought process leading them to be depressed
Activating Event
- somrething bad happens to a person that makes them feel unsettled
Beliefs
- the thoughts the person associates with the event such as why it happened which can either be rational or irrational
Consequences
- if a perso has a rational thought of the event they will have a positive emotional consequence. however if they have an irrational thought they will have annegative emotioanl consequence leading to depression
STR and WK of cognitive theory explanation
STR
-Takes account of the events in a persons life, recognizing these events could explain why people become depressed unlike genetic explanation claiming that some are naturally lilely to be depressed. COGNITIVE THEORY accepts thst there is often an event that triggers depression, combination of nature and nurture factors
- Can be applied to therapy, CBT is one of the leading treatments for depression. it csn challenge irrational thoughts and help them stop feeling depressed, reducing needs of anti depressant drugs
WK
- validity can be questioned ss its difficult to tell whe tho er irrational thoughts are a cause of depression or a symptom of bring depressed. most people who are depressed sre only monitored after being diagnosed. means thst it is unclear how their behaviour or thought processes changed before the diagnosis
- although some cases of depression can be seen to follow ovvious activating events, such as death in damily. some types may not be so easily dxplained such as post natal depression. it can be a change in hormone levels after birh rather than thought processing, supporting biological factors than cognitive ones
describr CBT
cognitive behavioural therapy is a type of therapy used to treat many mental disorders
main aim of CBT is
- help the patient change the way they think(cognitive)
- help the patient change the way they act to improve the symptoms they ate having(behavioural)
based on the understanding that rhe way we think affects how we feel and it influences how we behave. if a person changes this they fan change negative thoughts that make then depressed into psotivie ones so symptoms of depression should improve
CBT stages for depression
- Patients discuss their symptoms with the therapist and explain how hey feel and what makes themcfeel this way.
- Challenging the irrational ways of thinking. when a patient can recognize thoughts that are itrational or negative they can try replacing them with more rational and positive ways of thinking
3.Patients will have a series of sessions of CBT, between sessions tehy will have homework to do, involving trying to change the way they think of a situation and then writing hwo they feel in a diary
ty is stages helps them practise using more rational thought processes. they can then discuss with the therapist at the next session
DTR and WK od CBT for depression
Many evidencd to suggest its effective therefore valid. Matthijs Beltman et al 2010 found that depressed patients treated with CBT improved more than those waiting for treatment or not recieving treatment.
Reliable as a long term treatment than anti depressants. patients learn how to control their symptoms by looking st their own thoughts and trying to change the negative onesZ they can then have the skills to do this.
qhile antidepressants can cause provlems if used for a long time or stop working after a certain period of time
help depressed patients feel better as they learn to deal with their own symptoms. feelings of helplessness associated with depression can be reduced as the patient has the perception to act to do somrthing of their stage
WK
relies on patients wanting to change their behaviour. IE MOTIVATION. or being able to recognize irrational thoughts. so can be ineffective if patient lacks motivation. however patient can be offered drugs to help them alleviate their symptoms and prepare them for therapy
ethical issues as patients are encouraged to think in a different way, changing the way they intrraxt with others or make some feel that the way they brhave kr think iss some way wrong. Implication is that the therapist can abuse their power by telling the patient that they should change to suit what the therapost thinks is normal of appropriate
Drug therapy as a treatment for depression
offered to those with history of suffering from moderate to secere depression.
work by raising the levels of neurotransmitters usch as serotonin or noradrenaline which play a role in controlling mood. These drugs increase the amount of these neurotransmitters to help the neurotransmitters effects last longer
Types of antidepressants
SSRI
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
block the reuptake of serotonin when released by a neuron. makes the serotonin last longer which allowd fore more opportunities of other neurons to absorb it. helping to increase levels of serontonin in the brsin improving mood.
commonly prescribed in the UK
SNRI
-serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor
similar to SSRI but blocks reuptske of serotonin and noradrenaline. enhancing he effect of the available serontonin and noradrenaline longer, improving mood
MAOIs
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors
prevents enzyme monoamine oxidase from breaking down serotonin and noradrenaline after being released from neurons. allows to make more of these neurotransmitters available, which helps lift a persons mood
TCAs
- tricyclics
some of the oldest srugs to treat depression. around since 1950s.
work by boosting the effect of serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain by preventing the reabsoprtion of these neurotransmitters into the neuron enjancing effect they act on the brain so their mood enhancing effect lasts longer
