1.6 Depressive and Bipolar Disorders

AP Psych

major depressive disorder

is when a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or another medical condition, 2 or more weeks with 5 or more symptoms

At least one of these has to be present with major depressive disorder

1. depressed mood

2. loss of interest or pleasure

DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria

-depressed mood most of the time, dramatically decrease interest/enjoyment in most activities

-most of the time, major challenges regulating appetite, weight, sleep, physical agitation/lethargy, feeling listless or with much less energy

-feeling worthless, unwarranted guilt

-problems with thinking, concentrating, decision-making

-thinking repeatedly of death and/or suicide

persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)

is a milder form of depression that has lasted for 2 years or more

bipolar disorder

is when a person alternates between the helplessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania

-formerly known as manic-depressive disorder

mania

is hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgment is common

hypermania

is a less severe version of mania

bipolar I

diagnoses comes when a person experienced at least 1 full manic episode

bipolar II

diagnoses comes when a person experienced a hypomanic episode, but never a manic

What does research tell us?

-behavioral and cognitive changes accompany depression

-most major depressive episodes self-terminate

-depression is widespread

-women’s risk of major depressive disorder is nearly double’s men’s

-stressful events related to work, marriage, and close relationships often precede depression

-compared to generations past, depression strikes earlier (now often in the late teens) and affect more people with the highest rates among young adults in developed countries

biological causes/explanations of depression

-involves genetic predispositions and biochemical imbalances (too much/too little of certain neurotransmitters)

-neurotransmitters linked yo depression/bipolar disorders → serotonin and norepinephrine

~medications used to treat affect the levels of these NTs

biological causes/explanations of bipolar disorder

-also runs in families

-brain scans have revealed

~decreased brain activity during depressive periods, increase during manic periods

~altered brain structures

social causes/explanations of depressive/bipolar disorder

self-defeating beliefs, negative explanatory style, rumination, comparisons

comparisons

is “comparison is the thief of joy”

rumination

is compulsive fretting; overthinking problems and their failures

negative explanatory style

are who/what they blame for their failures

self-defeating beliefs

are intensely negative assumptions about themselves, their situation, and their situation

social-cognitive order

1. stressful experiences →

2. negative explanatory style →

3. depressed mood →

4. cognitive and behavioral changes →

suicide

is when a person feels urges when they feel disconnected from others, when they see themselves as a burden to others, and/or when they feel trapped by an inescapable situation

non-suicidal self injury (NSSI)

-self harm (burning, cutting, hitting)

-person who engages in NSSI don’t intend to end their own life

~often performed in absence of suicidal thoughts

-occurs at the highest rates among adolescents and young adults

why do people do non-suicidal self injury (NSSI)?

-pain distracts people from their intense negative thoughts(temporary reliefs)

-relieve feelings of guilt by punishing themselves

-produces a physical sign of emotional distress, which may lead to getting help

order of non-suicidal self injury (NSSI)

trigger event increase distress → self-harm happens → relief from tension is experience→ guilt/shame at the self-harm → self-disgust and tension build up