Anxiety and mood disorders Flashcards
(47 cards)
What are the two key diagnostic features of panic disorders?
- Presence of recurrent, unexpected panic attacks
2. Persistence concern about having another panic attack
What is agoraphobia?
The fear of avoidance of situations that could trigger panic attacks, or fear of situations from which escape could be embarrassing or difficult
MDD two types?
Single or recurrent episodes. More MDEs you have, more likely you are to have a next episode.
What is the prevalence of MDD?
Lifetime prevalence 15-20%
Point prevalence 5-9%
Nearly twice as likely in women
What are the essential criteria for MDE?
- Depressed mood: feeling sad, hopeless, empty, discouraged
2. Loss of pleasure (anhedonia)/ loss of interest in almost all activities
What are the criteria for MDE?
(5 or more)
- Depressed mood
- Loss of pleasure (anhedonia)/ loss of interest in almost all activities
- Psychomotor retardation/agitation
- Insomnia/hypersomnia
- Feelings of guilt/worthlessness
- Cognitive decline: diminished ability to think/concentrate, indecisiveness
- Weight loss/gain (5%)
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Recurrent suicidal ideation, thoughts of death
What is dysthymia?
Otherwise known as persistent depressive disorder, it is a milder and more chronic version of MDD. Symptoms don’t quite meet criteria for MDD, and persistent - have to last for 2 years or more.
What is the prevalence of dysthymia?
Lifetime prevalence ~ 0.5%
What is double depression?
MDD (major depressive disorder) and dysthymia
What are the biological explanations of depressive disorders?
Neurochemistry: serotonin is heavily implicated, PET studies suggest people with MDD have reduced levels of serotonin receptors
5HTT (serotonin-transporter gene) - interacts with environment. 2 short alleles + childhood maltreatment screws you over
5HTT (serotonin-transporter gene)
Interacts with environment. 2 short alleles + childhood maltreatment screws you over
What are the psychological explanations of depressive disorders?
Maladaptive cognitive styles, cognitive biases and distortions and irrational beliefs cause depression.
Uncontrollability
What is the experiment done by Seligman and Maier (1967)?
Learned helplessness study - shocked dogs
What did the learned helplessness study conducted by Seligman & Maier involve?
Group 1: Could escape shock by pressing lever
(controllable shock)
Group 2: yoked to Group 1. Nothing they could
do to escape shock (uncontrollable shock)
Test: Dogs placed in shuttle box.Tone
signalled imminent shock. Dogs could escape
shock by jumping partition
Results:
- Group 1: 88% learned to jump partition
- Group 2: 25% learned to jump partition.
Majority didn’t try and avoid shocks, just lay down and whined
What were the evidence supporting that the dogs in the Seligman LH study were depressed?
- Symptoms of the depressed dogs mimicked a MDE
- Passivity, loss of pleasure, weight loss, insomnia - Symptoms of LH could be rectified with
- Antidepressants
- ECT - used in humans for severe, treatment-refractory depression
- But not Lithium, suggesting it was not bipolar type depression
What was the original Learned Helplessness theory?
The original theory stated that
- Depression is underpinned by maladaptive learning
- Depressed people learn that they have no control over
negative events in their life
What was the modified Learned Helplessness theory?
The modified theory stated that depressed people believe they have no control over negative events in their life
Rather than maladaptive learning per se (behavioural theory), depression is caused by the interaction between maladaptive learning and irrational, maladaptive beliefs (cognitive-behavioral theory)
Is depression necessarily caused by irrational beliefs?
Alloy and Abramson investigated perceived controllability over a random event (light bulb turning on or off).
MDD participants were accurate while healthy participants reported having some control.
Perhaps the perception of control is adaptive even if unrealistic.
Hypothesis of Depressive Realism
Depressive realism is the hypothesis developed by Lauren Alloy and Lyn Yvonne Abramson that depressed individuals make more realistic inferences than do non-depressed individuals.
What are the treatments for MDD?
Biological: Pharmacolgical (serotonin agonists) and ECT for severe depression
CBT: Behaviour activation (scheduling of pleasure and mastery events) and cognitive restructuring
What is bipolar disorder?
Periods of abnormally low mood oscillate with periods of abnormally high mood
What is a manic episode?
It is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood (lasting at least one week)
What are the symptoms of a manic episode?
Grandiosity Talkativeness, reduced need for sleep Distractability Flight of ideas Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities (with potentially negative consequences)
What are the 3 types of bipolar disorder?
Bipolar 1 disorder, Bipolar 2 disorder, and Cyclothymia:
