Psychological disorder - depression self-harm and suicide Flashcards
What are the three main types of depression (as described in the lecture)?
Bipolar, unipolar and dysthymia.
What sort of questions are asked when diagnosing depression?
Is it an illness or normal unhappiness? Secondary to a physical illness or alcohol/drugs? Presenting with physical symptoms? Co-occurring with anxiety? Placing person at risk of suicide?
What are the core features of depression?
Pervasive low mood. Loss of interest and enjoyment (anhedonia). Reduced energy/diminished activity.
What biological changes are risk factors for depression in women?
Childbirth, menstrual cycle, menopause
What evidence is there for the biological basis of depression?
Similarity across all cultures/ethnicities. Effectiveness of certain drugs (apparently!!!). Side-effect of other medication.
What are the pharmacological treatments for depression?
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclics, SSRIs, SNRIs, other atypical drugs.
What are the other (non-psychological) treatments for depression.
Physical activity - maybe as effective as antidepressants or CBT in mild depression.
ECT - intractable or psychotic depression.
Who devised the cognitive theory of depression and what was this the basis for?
Aaron T. Beck - CBT
What is the cognitive triad?
Negative view of self, experience and future.
What are the ‘errors in logic’ that may occur during depression?
Overgeneralisation - fail one thing so useless at everything
Magnification and minimisation - making disasters, failure to take praise.
Personalisation - taking all of the blame.
How effective is CBT/CT/BT?
As good as antidepressants in mild-moderate depression.
What techniques might be used in CBT/CT/BT
Reality testing automatic thoughts - elicit and check evidence for and against.
Changing depressongenic assuptions eg - in order to be happy I have to be successful in everything I do.
What is self-harm?
Intentional self-poisoning or self-injury, irrespective of motivation.
How many hospital episodes are associated with self-harm each year?
220,000
Which has a strong link to mental illness: self-harm or suicide?
Suicide.
Does self-harm incidence increase or decrease with age?
Decrease.
Does suicide incidence increase or decrease with age.
Increase.
In which gender is suicide more common?
Male.
What are the similarities between self-harm and suicide?
Increasing in young men. Associated with alcohol abuse. Occur in the same people.
Are suicide rates increasing or decreasing?
Decreasing.
Are self-harm rates increasing or decreasing?
Increasing.
What is the strongest single predictor for suicide.
Self-harm.
Apart from self-harm, what are the other risk factors for suicide?
Loneliness and loss, substance misuse, presence of mental disorder (esp. affective disorder), physical illness
What percentage of firearm suicide attempts are fatal?
85%
