Mood and Bipolar Disorders - Practice Flashcards

A set of practice flashcards covering key concepts from mood and bipolar disorders based on the provided notes.

Define mood (affective) disorders.

Disorders characterized by episodes of particular mood states over time, including unipolar depressive disorders and bipolar disorders.

What are the two main categories of mood disorders?

Unipolar (depressive disorders) and bipolar disorders.

What characterizes the active phase of schizophrenia?

Active phase involves psychosis or loss of touch with reality.

Name two core affective symptoms of mood disorders.

Depressed mood and marked diminished interest or pleasure in activities.

List some cognitive-behavioral symptoms of mood disorders.

Reduced ability to concentrate; low self-worth or inappropriate guilt; hopelessness; recurrent thoughts of death.

List neurovegetative symptoms associated with mood disorders.

Disrupted sleep; changes in appetite; psychomotor agitation or retardation; reduced energy.

Name common manic symptoms.

Increased talkativeness; flight of ideas; grandiosity; decreased need for sleep; distractibility; impulsivity; increased sexual drive or goal-directed activity.

What is a mixed episode?

A state with prominent manic and depressive symptoms occurring simultaneously or rapidly alternating, possibly dominated by mania or depression.

How are depressive disorders (unipolar) diagnosed?

By the presence of a single depressive episode; episodes may be single or recurrent; no history of manic, mixed, or hypomanic episodes.

What defines Bipolar I disorder?

History of at least one manic (or mixed) episode; manic episodes last at least one week and often cause severe disruption; depressive episodes may occur but are not required.

What defines Bipolar II disorder?

History of at least one hypomanic episode and at least one depressive episode.

What is psychometric testing?

A method of measuring personality traits, emotional states, or other experiences using sets of questions and numerical scales.

How is depression severity interpreted on typical psychometric scales?

Scores: 0-9 no depression; 10-18 mild; 19-29 moderate; 30+ severe.

What are the roles of dopamine and serotonin in mood disorders?

Dopamine carries signals related to motivation and pleasure; serotonin regulates sleep, appetite, mood, and anxiety.

What did Kendler et al. (2006) report about twin concordance for depression?

44% concordance for female MZ twins, 16% for female DZ twins; 31% for male MZ twins, 11% for male DZ twins.

Which genes are linked to depression according to the notes?

Postsynaptic serotonin receptors (e.g., 5-HT2c) and presynaptic transporter (5-HTT) genes.

What is cognitive distortion?

Negative thinking or bias in processing information.

What are schemas?

Units of knowledge about the world that organize cognitions (memory, reasoning, perception) and influence interpretation.

What is learned helplessness?

A state from enduring an unpleasant situation perceived as inescapable, leading to giving up trying.

What is attributional style?

The cognitive process by which individuals explain the causes of behaviours and events.

What did Seligman et al. (1988) find about attributional style in bipolar patients during depressive episodes?

Bipolar patients showed more pessimistic attributional styles than non-patients; greater depression severity correlated with pessimism; cognitive therapy was associated with improved Beck Depression Inventory scores.

What is hypomania?

A milder form of mania lasting at least four days, with less impairment than full mania.