Week 8 Chapter 5 Mood Disorders Revision (Caff) Flashcards
A brief revision of the Mood Disorders Chapter
How many broad types of mood disorder are there and what are they?
There are 2 broad types of Mood Disorder:
- Depressive Disorder
- BiPolar Disorder
What are the main types of depressive disorders?
Depressive Disorders include:
- Major Depression
- Dysthymia
- Mixed anxiety/depressive disorder
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
What are the main elements of BiPolar disorder?
BiPolar Disorders include:
*BiPolar I Disorder
defined by mania
*BiPolar II Disorder
defined by hypomania & episodes of depression
*Cyclothymia
Which of the mood disorders are episodic?
*Major Depressive Disorder
*Bipolar I Disorder
*BiPolar II DIsorder
are all episodic
Recurrence is very common in these disorders
Which of the mood disorders are characterised by low levels of symptoms that last for at least 2 years?
- Dysthymia
* Cyclothymia
Which mood disorder is among the most common psychiatric disorder?
- Major Depression
- it affects 16.2% of people during their lifetime
- rates are twice as high for women as men
Which mood disorder is among the least common psychiatric disorder?
- Bipolar I Disorder
* affects 1% or less of the population
What do genetic studies tell us about the heritability of mood disorders?
that BiPolar Disorder is strongly heritable & depression is somewhat heritable
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?
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
What neurobiological processes seem to be related to BiPolar & UniPolar disorders?
- Elevated activity of the amygdala & the subgenual anterior
- Diminished activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex & Hippocampus during tasks that involve emotion & emotional regulation
What neurobiological processes seem to be related to episodes of Mania?
- greater levels of activation of the striatum
* possible elevations in the protein kinase C
What is overactivity of the HPA (hypothalamic-adrenal axis) associated with and how is it indexed?
overactivity of the HPA is:
- associated with severe forms of Depression and BiPolar Disorder
- indexed by poor suppression of cortisol by dexamethasone
What do socio-environmental models of mood disorders focus on?
*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
Which personality trait is most related to depression and predicts the onset of depression?
Neuroticism
What are the main cognitive theories of depression?
- 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
What are the main differences between the key cognitive theories of depression?
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
What are some of the psychological theories of depression?
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
What are some of the common treatments for depression?
Several psychological therapies are effective for depression:
- Interpersonal therapy
- Cognitive therapy
- Behavioural Activation Therapy
- Behavioural Couples Therapy
What are some of the common treatments for BiPolar Disorder?
Several psychological therapies are effective for BiPolar Disorder in addition to medication:
- Psychoeducation
- Family Therapy
- Cognitive Therapy
What other treatments have been found to be effective in the treatment of depression & BiPolar Disorder?
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
Who is at elevated risk of suicide?
- 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
What else do we know about suicide?
- 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
What else do we know about the psychological vulnerability of suicide?
- poor problem solving skills
- hopelessness
- lack of a reason to live
- suicidal action appears related to impulsivity
What are some of the suicide prevention approaches that have been tried?
- Psychological treatments and medications for those already experiencing mental health issues
- CBT can reduce suicidal ideation
- Phone help-lines
