Mood Disorders

Major Depressive Disorder The “common cold” of psychological disorders – universal

Occurs when five signs of depression last two weeks or more and are not caused by drugs or another medical condition Lethargy

Feelings of worthlessness

Loss of interest in family, friends, activities

Stressful events often precede depression

Can have physical symptoms

Dysthymia: symptoms are less severe but last longer (2 years)

More common in women than men

Most major depressive episodes end Therapy tends to speed up recovery, although those without therapy still often recover

50% of those who recover will have another episode within 2 years

How Common Is It?

At some point in their life, 13% of U.S. adults will be plagued with depression

In any given year, 5.8% of men and 9.5% of women (worldwide) have depression

Number one reason why people seek mental health services Is striking earlier and earlier and affecting more people

Today’s young adults are 3 times more likely than their grandparents to report depression

Maybe they are more willing to disclose it?

Bipolar Disorder (formally known as Manic-Depressive) Person alternates between depression and mania (each lasting a few days to a

few months) Mania: hyperactive, wildly optimistic states

Normal states may fall in between periods of depression and mania

Between 1994-2003, 4000% increase in diagnoses of bipolar disorder in those 19 and under (20,000 – 800,000 cases!)

Manic phase Over-talkative, overactive, little need for sleep

Speech can be loud, flighty, hard to interpret

May have inflated self-esteem

Occurs equally between men and women

Architects, designers, journalists suffer bipolar disorder less often than composers, artists, poets, novelists, entertainers Former relies on precision and logic

Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Ernest Hemingway, Handel – all had bipolar disorder

Causes of Mood Disorders: Biological Perspective Genetics

Risk of depression increases if you have a parent or sibling with depression

Heritability = 35-40%

Many genes probably work together to interact with other factors to create depression

Diathesis-stress approach

Brain Less brain activity during depressive states and more during mania states

Left frontal lobe (active in positive emotions) is inactive during depressive states

Biochemistry Reduction in norepinephrine(increases arousal and boosts mood) and serotonin is found in

patients with depression

Nicotine (temporarily) increases norepinephrine, so many attempt to self medicate

Drugs that relieve depression increase these neurotransmitters

Depressed Brain

Causes of Mood Disorders: Social-Cognitive Approach Explore the role of thinking and acting in

depression

Depressed people often hold self-defeating beliefs and have a negative explanatory style Explanatory style = who is to blame for failures?

Those who are depressed tend to explain bad events in terms that are stable (never ending), global (it’s going to affect everything), and internal (it’s all my fault)

Are these things the result or the cause of depression? Don’t know!

Cycle of Depression

1. Negative stressful events

2. Pessimistic explanatory style

3. Hopeless depressed state.

4. These hamper the way the individual thinks and acts, fueling personal rejection

Biopsychosocial Approach