Week 8: Mood and Suicide

Question 1

when does a mood become a mood disorder

Answer 1

when mood is too intense for too long so the person experiences:

• disabling
• significant emotional disturbances
• extreme sadness
• extreme elation or irritability
• proper functioning of mood is disrupted

Question 2

definition: emotional state marked by great sadness, feelings of worthlessness, and guilt

Answer 2

major depressive disorder

Question 3

to be diagnosed for major depressive disorder:

Answer 3

need 5 symptoms for 2 weeks, with one symptoms being sad/depressed mood OR loss of pleasure

Question 4

what are psychologizers

Answer 4

people who emphasize with the psychological aspects of depression

Question 5

what are melancholic features

Answer 5

when people find no pleasure in activities, even temporary pleasure when something good happens
- some people with depression experience this

Question 6

Statistics on depression

Answer 6

Canada life time prevalence: 20-50%

2x more common in women than men

Question 7

the subtypes of major depressive disorder are:

Answer 7

seasonal affective disorder
postpartum depression
major depressive disorder with psychotic features
persistent depressive disorder

Question 8

seasonal affective disorder

Answer 8

relationships between seasons and depression - usually depression during winter
highest rate found among people in Canadian arctic
- this subtype detected among 11% of people with depression in Canada

Question 9

Postpartum depression

Answer 9

May begin during pregnancy or within 4 weeks of childbirth

Question 10

major depressive disorder with psychotic features

Answer 10

more severe than depression alone
social impairment
less times between episodes of depression
individual suffers from delusions and hallucination often with a depressive theme
people respond well to psychotic disorder drugs and depression drugs in combination but not well individually

Question 11

emotional state or mood of unfounded elevation or irritability

Answer 11

mania

Question 12

a clinical episode where a person experiences the full range of symptoms of both mania and depression

Answer 12

mixed episode

Question 13

statistics on bipolar disorder

Answer 13

Lifetime prevalence rate of Bipolar I and II = 4.4%
average age of onset = 20s
men more likely to have mania
women more likely to have depression
bipolar tends to reoccur
50% reoccur in 12 months
more than half of people have more than 4 episodes

Question 14

bipolar I

Answer 14

episodes of mania alone or with episodes of both mania and depression

Question 15

Bipolar II

Answer 15

episodes of major depression followed by hypomania

Question 16

cyclothymia disorder

Answer 16

frequent periods of depression and hypomania
sometimes intermittent periods of normal mood for up to two months
must experience symptoms for 2 years or at least 50% of time for a diagnosis

Question 17

Freud psychological theory of depression

Answer 17

stuck in oral stage - depend too much on others for self-esteem maintenance
harbour negative feelings about a loved one who died
- internalize any negative thoughts or feelings about them

Question 18

Aaron Beck’s Theory of Depression

Answer 18

Level 1: Automatic thoughts - valid to indivi.
Level 2: Schema - typically rigid
Level 3: Core beliefs - negative triad (self, world, future)

Question 19

congruency hypothesis of depression

Answer 19

diathesis-stress approach

- if something happens in environment that contradicts or counters a persons needs

Question 20

Seligman’s Theories of Depression

Answer 20

Version 1: learned helplessness - dog and shock
Version 2: Attributional bias - depressive paradox
Version 3: hopelessness theory - tendency to assume negative life events have severe life consequences

Depressive predictive certainty: all versions interacting leading to the development of hopelessness

Question 21

interpersonal theory of depression

Answer 21

the depressed have sparse social networks and their attitudes do not let them gain new friends easily - makes support system weak or non-existent

Question 22

genetic rates for bipolar and depression

Answer 22

mania from bipolar - 85% genetic

Major depression: 35% genetic

Question 23

what is thought to be happening to HPA axis in depression

Answer 23

it is over active –> abundance of cortisol –> untreated depression shows atrophy of hippocampus

Question 24

what s the dexamthasone suppression test

Answer 24

when given dexamethasone during an overnight test the drug that is supposed to suppress cortisol does not suppress cortisol in individuals with depression

Question 25

therapies for mood disorders include what

Answer 25

CBT

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

Question 26

what is the psychological theory behind mania

Answer 26

mania could be a defence against a debilitating psychological state

Question 27

treatments for mood disorders

Answer 27

• Electoconvulsive therapy (ECT) - bilateral and unilateral

- deep brain stimulation

Question 28

treatments for bipolar

Answer 28

lithium and CBT (helps adherence to meds as they often lack insight into their self-destructive behaviour; also increase social suppot)

Question 29

treatment for seasonal affective disorder

Answer 29

phototherapy

Question 30

Suicide stats

Answer 30

9th leading causes of death in canada 
2nd leading causes of death (after accidents) of youth, 15-24 years old 
30% of ppl with plans are successful
9% of ppl without a plan are successful 
46% of suicide attempts are unplanned

Question 31

self-injury in which there is no intent to die

Answer 31

suicide gestures

Question 32

____ % of people with major depressive disorder ultimately commit suicide

Answer 32

15%

Question 33

What is the Risk Factor model of Suicide

Answer 33

4 categories

(1) predisposing behaviors: enduring factors that make a person vulnerable to suicide behaviors
(2) precipitating factors: acute factors that create a crisis
(3) contributing factors: factors that increase exposure to predisposing or precipitating factors
(4) protective factors: decrease risk of suicidal behaviour

Question 34

what are the 3 objectives Shneidman says to use to prevent suicide by treating it directly

Answer 34

1. reduce psychological pain
2. lift the blinders: discuss all their options
3. encourage the person to pull back from the act

Question 35

the three components of preventing suicide

Answer 35

1. treating the underlying mental disorder
2. treating suicidality directly
3. suicide prevention centres