Week 8 Chapter 5 Mood Disorders Revision (Caff)

Question 1

How many broad types of mood disorder are there and what are they?

Answer 1

There are 2 broad types of Mood Disorder:

• Depressive Disorder
• BiPolar Disorder

Question 2

What are the main types of depressive disorders?

Answer 2

Depressive Disorders include:

• Major Depression
• Dysthymia
• Mixed anxiety/depressive disorder
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

Question 3

What are the main elements of BiPolar disorder?

Answer 3

BiPolar Disorders include:
*BiPolar I Disorder
defined by mania

*BiPolar II Disorder
defined by hypomania & episodes of depression

*Cyclothymia

Question 4

Which of the mood disorders are episodic?

Answer 4

*Major Depressive Disorder
*Bipolar I Disorder
*BiPolar II DIsorder
are all episodic
Recurrence is very common in these disorders

Question 5

Which of the mood disorders are characterised by low levels of symptoms that last for at least 2 years?

Answer 5

• Dysthymia

* Cyclothymia

Question 6

Which mood disorder is among the most common psychiatric disorder?

Answer 6

• Major Depression
• it affects 16.2% of people during their lifetime
• rates are twice as high for women as men

Question 7

Which mood disorder is among the least common psychiatric disorder?

Answer 7

• Bipolar I Disorder

* affects 1% or less of the population

Question 8

What do genetic studies tell us about the heritability of mood disorders?

Answer 8

that BiPolar Disorder is strongly heritable & depression is somewhat heritable

Question 9

By focusing on the sensitivity of receptors rather than on the amount of various receptors, how has neurobiological research added to our understanding of Mood Disorders?

Answer 9

Neurobiological research has provided:

• strong evidence for diminished sensitivity of the serotonin receptors in Depression & Mania
• some evidence that Mania is related to heightened sensitivity of the dopamine receptors
• & that Depression is related to diminished sensitivity of the dopamine receptors

Question 10

What neurobiological processes seem to be related to BiPolar & UniPolar disorders?

Answer 10

• Elevated activity of the amygdala & the subgenual anterior
• Diminished activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex & Hippocampus during tasks that involve emotion & emotional regulation

Question 11

What neurobiological processes seem to be related to episodes of Mania?

Answer 11

• greater levels of activation of the striatum

* possible elevations in the protein kinase C

Question 12

What is overactivity of the HPA (hypothalamic-adrenal axis) associated with and how is it indexed?

Answer 12

overactivity of the HPA is:

• associated with severe forms of Depression and BiPolar Disorder
• indexed by poor suppression of cortisol by dexamethasone

Question 13

What do socio-environmental models of mood disorders focus on?

Answer 13

*the role of negative life events
*lack of social support
*family criticism
as triggers for episodes
*also considered are the ways in which a person with depression may elicit negative responses from others
*people with less social skills & those who tend to seek excessive reassurance are at elevated risk for the development of depression

Question 14

Which personality trait is most related to depression and predicts the onset of depression?

Answer 14

Neuroticism

Question 15

What are the main cognitive theories of depression?

Answer 15

• Beck’s cognitive theory
• Hopelessness theory
• Rumination Theory
• all argue that depression can be caused by cognitive factors
• though they take a different approach to the nature of the cognitive factors that cause depression
• Cross-sectional & prospective evidence is available for each model

Question 16

What are the main differences between the key cognitive theories of depression?

Answer 16

The main theories take a different approach to the nature of the cognitive factors that cause depression

• Beck’s theory focuses on the cognitive triad, negative schemas, & cognitive biases
• Hopelessness theory focuses on low self-esteem, or beliefs that a life event may have long-term consequences leading to hopelessness
• Rumination theory focuses on the negative effects of repetitively dwelling on the reasons for a sad mood

Question 17

What are some of the psychological theories of depression?

Answer 17

These are similar for BiPolar & UniPolar Depression

• Manic symptoms arise because of dysregulation in the reward system of the brain
• Mania can be triggered by life events involving goal attainment
• Mania can also be triggered by sleep deprivation

Question 18

What are some of the common treatments for depression?

Answer 18

Several psychological therapies are effective for depression:

• Interpersonal therapy
• Cognitive therapy
• Behavioural Activation Therapy
• Behavioural Couples Therapy

Question 19

What are some of the common treatments for BiPolar Disorder?

Answer 19

Several psychological therapies are effective for BiPolar Disorder in addition to medication:

• Psychoeducation
• Family Therapy
• Cognitive Therapy

Question 20

What other treatments have been found to be effective in the treatment of depression & BiPolar Disorder?

Answer 20

Depression:
Several anti-depressants: tricyclics, SSRIs, MAOIs
*ECT - for treatment resistant depression

BiPolar Disorder:

• Lithium (best researched treatment)
• antipsychotic & anticonvulsant medications decrease mania
• Antidepressants are considered controversial in the treatment of BiPolar Depression

Question 21

Who is at elevated risk of suicide?

Answer 21

• Men, the elderly & people who are divorced or widowed
• Most people who commit suicide meet the diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders, with more than half having depression

Question 22

What else do we know about suicide?

Answer 22

• Suicide is at least partially heritable
• Neurobiological models focus on serotonin & overactivity of the HPA
• Environmental factors e.g. celebrity suicides & economic recession increase suicide rates
• Social Isolation is a robust predictor of suicide

Question 23

What else do we know about the psychological vulnerability of suicide?

Answer 23

• poor problem solving skills
• hopelessness
• lack of a reason to live
• suicidal action appears related to impulsivity

Question 24

What are some of the suicide prevention approaches that have been tried?

Answer 24

• Psychological treatments and medications for those already experiencing mental health issues
• CBT can reduce suicidal ideation
• Phone help-lines