Mood Disorders Flashcards
What are the 3 groupings of depression symptoms?
- Core symptoms
- Biological symptoms
- Cognitive symptoms
What are the core symptoms of depression?
- Continuous low mood for at least 2 weeks
- Lack of energy
- Anhedonia (lack of enjoyment or interest)
What are the common biological symptoms of depression?
- Sleep changes (early morning wakening)
- Appetite and weight changes
- Diurnal variation of mood (feel worse in the morning)
- Psychomotor retardation or agitation
- Loss of libido
What are the common cognitive symptoms of depression?
- Low self esteem
- Guilt or self blame
- Hopelessness
- Hypochondrial thoughts
- Poor concentration or attention (impacting on school or work, going as far as to present as pseudodementia)
- Suicidal thoughts
How is severity of depression diagnosed?
Mild = 2 core + 2 others (must be able to function)
Moderate = 2 core + 3/4 others
Severe = 3 core + at least 4 others
What is Psychotic Depression?
Diagnosis of Depression + hallucinations (normally a critical voice auditory hallucinations) OR delusions (normally hypochondriacal, guilt, nihilistic, persecutory)
What are the symptoms of hypomania?
- Mildly elevated, expansive or irritable mood
- Increased energy or activity
- Increased self esteem
- Sociability, talkativeness, over familiarity
- Increased sex drive
- Reduced need for sleep
- Difficulty in focussing on one task alone
A diagnosis of hypomania requires several of these with considerable interference of work/social activity for at least several days.
What are the symptoms of mania?
- Elevated, expansive or irritable mood for at least 1 week (often can’t sleep, can’t focus)
- Increased energy or activity (including agitation)
- Grandiosity or increased self-esteem
- Pressure of speech
- Flight of ideas, racing thoughts
- Distractible
- Reduced need for sleep
- Increased libido
- Psychotic symptoms such as delusions
- Spending or giving away money irrationally
Define Cyclothymia?
- Mild periods of elation/depression
- Early onset and with a chronic course (2+ years)
- Common in relatives of people with BPD
Define Dysthymia?
- Chronic low mood not fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for depression
What is a mixed affective state?
Either a mixture or a rapid alternation (usually within few hours) of hypomanic, manic and depressive symptoms.
How does DSM categorise the forms of BPD?
Bipolar 1 =
- 1+ Manic episodes or mixed episodes
- With or without depressive episodes
Bipolar 2 =
- 1+ Depressive episodes AND
- 1+ Hypomanic episodes
What are the ICD diagnostic criteria for BPD?
2+ episodes one of which must be a manic, hypomanic or mixed episode.
What are some differential diagnoses for mood disorders?
- Normal fluctuations in mood
- Adjustment disorders, bereavement, post-stress reaction
- Dementia and other brain disorders
- Personality disorders
- Anxiety disorders
What physical conditions can cause or present as depression (things to consider for a differential)
- Hypothyroidism
Bare in mind chronic physical conditions, cancer, cardiac issues.
