Psychology - Mental Disorders (Pt. 2) Flashcards
1
Q
Mood Disorders
A
- Aka: Affective Disorders
- When does a sad mood become clinical “depression”?
- Diagnosis based on
Severity of symptoms
Duration of symptoms
Degree of impairment
2
Q
Mood Disorders (Cont’d)
A
- Depression: feelings of extraordinary sadness and dejection.
- Mania: intense, unrealistic feelings of excitement or euphoria.
- Mixed episodes: symptoms of both depression and mania seen in rapidly alternating moods.
3
Q
“Normal Depression” (Not a disorder)
A
- Loss and the grieving process
Depression is a normal response
Not a disorder unless depressive symptoms last longer than 2 months. - Postpartum blues
50-70% of women experience this within 10 days of giving birth.
Due to hormonal readjustments.
4
Q
Major Depressive Disorder
A
- Prominent and persistent depressed mood and/or loss of pleasure for at least 2 weeks with 4 or more of the following symptoms:
- Poor appetite
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Inability to concentrate
- Psychomotor retardation
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Fatigue
- Thoughts of death or suicide
5
Q
Dysthymia (Depression lite)
A
- Depressed mood for most of the day, more days than not, for at least the past 2 years with at least 2 other depressive symptoms.
Does not have the severity to meet the criteria for major depression.
Average duration is 5 years.
Can last for 20+ years!
6
Q
Seasonal Affective Disorder
A
- Recurrent major depression with a seasonal pattern
2 episodes of depression in the past 2 years occurring at the same time of year.
Remission (time without depressive symptoms) occurs at the same time of the year as well.
Most often occurs in fall/winter months when there is less daylight and in areas further from the equator.
7
Q
Causes of Depression
A
- Biological Altered neurotransmitter activity Hormonal irregularities Genetic influences Decreased activity in brain's left hemisphere - Psychosocial Stressful life events Lack of social support/coping skills - Cognitive Beck's cognitive theory of depression Learned helplessness and hopelessness theories.
8
Q
Bipolar Disorder
A
- A major depressive episode and one or more manic hypomanic episodes.
- Manic: Abnormally and persistent elevated or irritable mood and 3 or more of the following:
Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
Decreased need for sleep
More talkative than usual
Racing thoughts
Easily distracted
Increase in goal-directed activity
Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for negative consequences
9
Q
Cyclothymia (BIpolar lite)
A
- Cyclical mood changes that are less severe than the mood swings seen in bipolar disorder.
Basically dysthymia with hypomanic episodes
Hypomanic episodes: just like manic episodes, but without any hallucinations or delusions and is not as severe.
10
Q
Causes of Bipolar Disorders
A
- Biological
Genetic influence greater in bipolar disorders than unipolar disorders (like depression)
Genes account for about 80% of tendency to develop bipolar disorder.
Imbalance in neurotransmitters. - Psychosocial
Stressful life events can trigger episodes of depression and mania.
11
Q
Treatment of Mood Disorders
A
- Psychopharmacology Anti-depressants SSRIS (affects Serotonin; i.e. Prozac, Zoloft) Tricyclics Mood Stabilizers - Lithium - Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Challenges faulty thinking - ETC: electroconvulsive therapy Used in severely depressed patients w/high suicide risk.
12
Q
Anxiety Disorders
A
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Phobias
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
13
Q
Fear and Panic vs. Anxiety
A
- Fear/Panic Triggers fight or flight response Basic animalistic emotion Source of danger is obvious - Anxiety Unpleasant inner state of anticipating something bas happening More future-oriented No immediate danger
14
Q
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
A
- Excessive anxiety and worry that is hard to control, occurring more days than not for at least 6 months
- Common symptoms:
Restlessness
Easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance
15
Q
Panic Attack
A
- Intense fear or discomfort in the absence of real danger
- Symptoms include:
Increased heart rate or palpitations
Sweating
Shaking
Shortness of breath
Feeling of choking
Chest pain
Nausea
Dizziness or feeling faint
Fear of loosing control
Fear of dying
Numbness
Chills or hot flashes
Feelings of being detached from oneself
16
Q
Panic Disorder
A
- The presence of recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, followed by at least one month of constant concern about having another panic attack
- Divided into Panic Disorder with and without Agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia: anxiety about being in places or situations that are difficult to escape from or where it would be difficult to get help in the event of a panic attack. This anxiety leads to avoidance of such situations.
17
Q
Specific Phobias
A
- Persistent fear of a specific object or situation which is thus avoided
- Level of feat is excessive or unreasonable relative to the actual danger posed by object or situation
- Exposure to the object causes intense anxiety. Some examples:
Animal
Inanimate objects and situations
Bodily conditions, ect.
18
Q
Social Phobias
A
- Aka ‘Social Anxiety Disorder’
- Disabling fear of one or more social situations in which a person fears the scrutiny of others or that they might act in a way that would be embarrassing
Ex: Fear of public speaking, urinating in a public restroom, eating in public, ect.
These acts can be performed when alone with no anxiety.
Fear is excessive and situations are avoided.
19
Q
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A
- Recurrent obsessions or compulsions that cause significant distress or impairment
Obsessions: persistent ideas, impulses, thoughts or images that are seen as intrusive and inappropriate and cause anxiety (ex: thoughts about contamination or needing objects to be symmetrical)
Compulsions: repetitive behaviors or mental acts done to reduce anxiety (ex: hand-washing). Often done to reduce distress of obsession or to prevent a dreaded event from happening. - Obsessions and compulsions are recognized as excessive but the person is unable to ignore or control them.
20
Q
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A
- Response to a traumatic event that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury to oneself or someone else
- Symptoms include:
Reliving the event through images, thoughts, ect.
Recurrent nightmares of event
Acting or feeling like the event is recurring (can include hallucinations, illusions, flashbacks even when intoxicated)
Intense distress at cues that resemble aspects of event
Avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma
Difficulty sleeping
Irritability or anger
High arousal/vigilance
Difficulty concentrating
Startled easily - Can show up months or years after event.
21
Q
Causes of Anxiety Disorders
A
- Biologyical
Most have genetic link (up to 43% for panic disorder, 20% for GAD)
Abnormal neurotransmitter activity (GAD, panic disorder, OCD)
Increased activity in amygdala (panic disorder)
Structural abnormalities in brain (OCD) - Psychosocial
Stressful situations can trigger panic attacks
Traumatic event causes PTSD - Cognitive
Learned behavior (specific phobias, social phobias, OCD)
Hypersensitivity to bodily sensations which lead to catastrophic thoughts (panic attacks)
22
Q
Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
A
- Psychopharmacology Anti-Anxiety drugs (i.e. Xanax, Valium) Anti-Depressants (affect serotonin) - Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Exposure therapies Participant modeling Challenging automatic/distorted thinking Relaxation training
