Mood Disorders

Extreme depression- mania

Objectives• Analyze major depression• Compare and contrast M.D. and Bipolar

disorder• Explain depression and the evidence for each

contributing factor (4)

• Major depression is a mood disorder involving disturbances in emotion (excessive sadness), behavior (loss of interest in ones usual activities), cognition (thoughts of hopelessness), and body function (fatigue and loss of appetite)

• Most common of all major mental distrubances

Depression

Major depressionA mood disorder involving disturbances in emotion (excessive sadness), behavior (loss of interest in one’s usual activities), cognition (thoughts of hopelessness), and body function (fatigue and loss of appetite)

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Symptoms of depressionDepressed moodReduced interest in almost all activitiesSignificant weight gain or lossSleeping too much or too littleFatigueFeelings of worthlessness or guiltReduced ability to think, concentrateRecurrent thoughts of death

DSM IV requires 5 of these within the past 2 weeks

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Psychologists -Factors in major depression

• Genetic factors or predisposition• Life experiences/ viral infection• Brain neurotransmitters dopamine,

norepinephrine and serotonin• Problems with close attachments• Cognitive habits• Low brain activity in left frontal cortex

How it feels

• Despairing and hopeless• Death and suicide• Loose pleasure in usual activities• Exaggerate minor failings• Physical changes- overeat, stop eating,

sleeping problems• Twice as common among women but could be

because women talk about it and men do not

Objective #2

• Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which episodes of both depression and mania (excessive euphoria) occur.

• Mania- abnormally high state of exhilaration “wired” hyperactive, euphoria thus manic episode

• Bipolar is one episode of mania + episodes of depression

• Mark Twain had it• Once known as Manic-depressive disorder

Bipolar disorderA mood disorder in which episodes of depression and mania (excessive euphoria) occur.

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Biological theories of depression

Studies of adopted children support genetic explanations of depression5-HTT is a gene that is present in either a long or short form.17% of individuals with the long form become severely depressed.43% of individuals with 2 copies of the short form become depressed.

Genetics may also influence levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters.

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Theories of depression

• Interactions between- individual vulnerabilities + stressful experiences

• Vulnerability-stress model approaches that emphasize how individual vulnerabilities (e.g., in genes or personality traits) interact with external stresses or circumstances to produce mental disorders

Factor 1

• Genetic factors• Studies of twins, adopted children=

moderately heritable• Identifyed one gene (called 5-HTT) 2 forms• Long one protects against depression• Short one makes more vulnerable

Factor 2

• Life experiences and circumstances• Violence-• Studies say- Inner city adolescents, of both sexes,

who are exposed to high rates of violence• more suicide attempts, higher levels of depression • Married and working full time= mental health low

rates of depression • Poverty, sexually abused, discrimination all

increase likely hood of depression

Factor 3

• Losses of important relationships• Separation and loss• Past and present• Insecure attachments• Rejection by parents, peers

factor 4

• Cognitive habits• Negative ways of THINKING about your situation• Permanent “ nothing good will ever happen to

me”• Uncontrollable “I’m depressed because I am

ugly and can’t do anything about it”• Expect nothing to get better SO they don’t do

anything to get better

Life experiences and circumstances

Social explanations emphasize the stressful circumstances in people’s lives.Loss of or problems with important relationshipsPsychologists investigating sex differences in depression have ruled out hormones and genetics and are now investigating life circumstances. Women are less satisfied with work and family and more likely to live in poverty.

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Cognitive habit associated with depression

• Sitting alone thinking about how unmotivated you feel

• Persuading yourself nobody loves you or ever will• Don’t’ look outward, seek solutions, distract

themselves• Rumination-Brooding about everything that is

wrong in your life• Women do it more than men thus accounts for

more depression in women

Cognitive habitsCognitive explanations emphasize habits of thinking and ways of interpreting events.

Depressed people believe their situation is permanent, uncontrollable.

RuminationBrooding about negative aspects of one’s life

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Summary

• Major depression• Bipolar• Rumination