Bipolar, Depressive, and Anxiety Disorders Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders, including their epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentations, and treatment strategies based on the lecture transcript.

Bipolar I Disorder

A mood disorder characterized by the occurrence of at least one manic episode, commonly referred to as manic depression.

Bipolar II Disorder

A mood disorder where patients experience hypomania rather than full mania, involving manic-type symptoms that are not as severe or impairing as full mania.

Cyclothymia

A less severe form of bipolar disorder involving at least 2 years of frequently occurring hypomanic symptoms and depressive symptoms that do not meet the criteria for major episodes.

Pressured Speech

A hallmark of mania characterized by rapid and loud speech that is challenging to interrupt, appearing as if driven by some unknown urgency.

Melancholia

A severe form of depression characterized by anhedonia, early morning awakening, weight loss, and profound feelings of guilt.

Rapid Cycling

A subtype of bipolar I disorder diagnosed when a patient has at least 4 manic episodes within a single year.

Lithium Carbonate

Considered the prototypical mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder, with therapeutic levels between $0.6$ and $1.2\,mEq/L$.

Monoamine Hypothesis

The theory that depression results from a deficiency or dysregulation in brain monoamines, particularly catecholamines like norepinephrine and serotonin.

Neurogenesis Hypotheses

Theories suggesting brain abnormalities in depression result from deficits in the number of newborn neurons, often linked to the effects of chronic stress.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)

A growth factor protein responsible for the maintenance, survival, and growth of neurons in the brain, often found to be deficient in depressed patients.

Cognitive Triad of Depression

Aaron Beck's theory consisting of negative perceptions regarding (1) the self, (2) the environment, and (3) the future.

Learned Helplessness

A theory connecting depression to the experience of uncontrollable events, leading to cognitive motivational and emotional deficits.

Neurovegetative Symptoms

The classic somatic symptoms of depression, including reduced energy, sleep disturbances (such as terminal insomnia), and changes in appetite.

Anhedonia

A core symptom of depression involving a lack of pleasure or an inability to enjoy things that are usually enjoyable.

Dysthymic Disorder (Dysthymia)

Also known as persistent depressive disorder, it involves chronic depressive symptoms that are less severe than major depressive disorder and last at least 2 years.

Double Depression

A clinical situation in which a patient meets the criteria for both major depressive disorder and dysthymia.

Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale

A 20-item report scale providing a global index of the intensity of depressive symptoms, where a score of 50 or more indicates a depressed state.

Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D)

A clinician-administered scale with up to 24 items used to evaluate the severity of depression based on symptoms like guilt and suicidal thoughts.

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder involving recurrent, unexpected panic attacks accompanied by feelings of impending doom and somatic symptoms.

Agoraphobia

A fear of or anxiety regarding places from which escape might be difficult or help unavailable, often leading to avoidance of crowds or open spaces.

Specific Phobia

An intense, persisting fear of a specific object or situation that is out of proportion to the actual threat.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Also known as social phobia, it involves intense fear of social situations where one might be scrutinized or negatively evaluated by others.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Persistent and excessive anxiety regarding several events or activities for at least 6 months, often accompanied by muscle tension and irritability.

Amygdala

A brain region within the limbic system that plays a vital role in processing aversive stimuli and organizing the behavioral responses to fear.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis

A central neuroendocrine system involved in the stress response; its overactivity is linked to increased cortisol levels in depressed patients.

Conditioned Stimulus

In behavioral science, a neutral stimulus that, after repeated pairing with an aversive unconditioned stimulus, begins to elicit a fear response.

Extinction

The behavioral process where a conditioned response decreases or disappears when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

A non-convulsive neurostimulation procedure using short pulses of magnetic energy to stimulate nerve cells in the brain as a treatment for depression.

Esketamine

A nasal spray formulation approved by the FDA for treatment-resistant depression that acts rapidly on the glutamatergic system.

Brexanolone

An intravenous neuroactive steroid approved for the treatment of postpartum depression, functioning as an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors.