PROBLEM 3: BLUE AND BEYOND
Learning Goals:
Case 1:
Which different types of mood disorders are described in DSM 5?
What is a depression? (including DSM criteria/ epidemiology / disease course)
What is a mania / bipolar disorder? (including DSM criteria/ epidemiology / disease course)
Case 2:
What is the relationship between learning (or learned helplessness) and developing a depression?
What is learned helplessness?
What sort of attributions and thoughts lead to the most depressive feelings?
Which factors play a role in the development and continuance of depression (and mania)?
Case 3:
Which treatments are effective in dealing with mood disorders?
How can we treat mood disorders?
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders: sever alterations in mood for a long period of time
- Intense and persistent
Unipolar depressive Disorder: experience only depressive episodes
Bipolar Disorder: experience depressive and manic episodes
Mania: intense and unrealistic feelings of excitement and euphoria
Depression: involves feeling of extraordinary sadness and dejection
CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
Depressive Disorder: symptoms of depression take over the whole person- emotions, bodily
functions, behaviours and thoughts
Symptoms of depression:
Depressive episode:
Depressed mood – out of proportion
- Lost interest in life = anhedonia
o Feel no emotion when they try do something enjoyable
- Changes in appetite, sleep, activity levels take many forms
o also eating more. Individual differences
, - Psychomotor retardation: many people are slowed down.
o walk slower, gesture more slowly, talk slower, have more accidents because they
don’t react quickly
- feelings of worthlessness, guilt, hopelessness, suicide r
- trouble concentrating lose touch with reality
- experience delusions (beliefs with no basis in reality) and hallucinations (seeing, hearing
feeling things that are not real)
Diagnosing Depression Disorders:
Major depressive disorder:
- severe depressive symptoms - two weeks or more
o depressed mood/ loss of interest in activities/ at least 4 other symptoms of
depression
o Interfere with the person’s ability to function properly
- Major depressive disorder, single episode
- Major depressive disorder, recurrent episode: Two or more episodes separated by at least 2
consecutive months without symptoms
- Over 70% of people diagnosed with major depressive or persistent depressive disorder also
have another psychological disorder some time in their lives
- Loss:
o Should not be diagnosed as major depressive disorder unless other, more typical
symptoms are present (worthlessness, suicidal ideas, psychomotor retardation, sever
impairment)
o Complicated grief: strong yearning for deceased person and preoccupation with the
loss
§ Functioning poorly 2-3 years after loss
Persistent depressive disorder:
(dysthymic disorder and chronic major depressive disorders)
- Less severe but more chronic depression
- Depressed mood for most of the day (for at least 2 years)
Individuals with persistent depressive disorder show higher risk for comorbid disorders that those
with major depressive disorder alone
o Anxiety and substance disorders
Learning Goals:
Case 1:
Which different types of mood disorders are described in DSM 5?
What is a depression? (including DSM criteria/ epidemiology / disease course)
What is a mania / bipolar disorder? (including DSM criteria/ epidemiology / disease course)
Case 2:
What is the relationship between learning (or learned helplessness) and developing a depression?
What is learned helplessness?
What sort of attributions and thoughts lead to the most depressive feelings?
Which factors play a role in the development and continuance of depression (and mania)?
Case 3:
Which treatments are effective in dealing with mood disorders?
How can we treat mood disorders?
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders: sever alterations in mood for a long period of time
- Intense and persistent
Unipolar depressive Disorder: experience only depressive episodes
Bipolar Disorder: experience depressive and manic episodes
Mania: intense and unrealistic feelings of excitement and euphoria
Depression: involves feeling of extraordinary sadness and dejection
CHARACTERISTICS OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
Depressive Disorder: symptoms of depression take over the whole person- emotions, bodily
functions, behaviours and thoughts
Symptoms of depression:
Depressive episode:
Depressed mood – out of proportion
- Lost interest in life = anhedonia
o Feel no emotion when they try do something enjoyable
- Changes in appetite, sleep, activity levels take many forms
o also eating more. Individual differences
, - Psychomotor retardation: many people are slowed down.
o walk slower, gesture more slowly, talk slower, have more accidents because they
don’t react quickly
- feelings of worthlessness, guilt, hopelessness, suicide r
- trouble concentrating lose touch with reality
- experience delusions (beliefs with no basis in reality) and hallucinations (seeing, hearing
feeling things that are not real)
Diagnosing Depression Disorders:
Major depressive disorder:
- severe depressive symptoms - two weeks or more
o depressed mood/ loss of interest in activities/ at least 4 other symptoms of
depression
o Interfere with the person’s ability to function properly
- Major depressive disorder, single episode
- Major depressive disorder, recurrent episode: Two or more episodes separated by at least 2
consecutive months without symptoms
- Over 70% of people diagnosed with major depressive or persistent depressive disorder also
have another psychological disorder some time in their lives
- Loss:
o Should not be diagnosed as major depressive disorder unless other, more typical
symptoms are present (worthlessness, suicidal ideas, psychomotor retardation, sever
impairment)
o Complicated grief: strong yearning for deceased person and preoccupation with the
loss
§ Functioning poorly 2-3 years after loss
Persistent depressive disorder:
(dysthymic disorder and chronic major depressive disorders)
- Less severe but more chronic depression
- Depressed mood for most of the day (for at least 2 years)
Individuals with persistent depressive disorder show higher risk for comorbid disorders that those
with major depressive disorder alone
o Anxiety and substance disorders
