Major Categories of Mental Disorders: Mood Disorders (affective disorders)

Psychology Final

Major Depressive Disorder

• when the person’s mood fluctuates to an extreme low point—diagnosed depression

• Freud - depression is anger directed inward onto yourself

  Feeling Symptoms: helplessness, hopelessness, sadness (person generalizes their feelings and applies them to various aspects of their life)

  Cognitive Symptom: distorted thinking

• social roles are what make men and women act out differently

Dysthymia

• undiagnosed “chronic mild depression”

• people do what they have to do, but there is a sadness

• no joy

• they’re mopey

  Cause: (Medical Model) lack of serotonin in the synapse

Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression)

• person has extreme mood swings going between normal to low depression to high mania

• moods are a cycle that fluctuate in frequency and behaviors

Cyclothymic Disorder

• more mild form of bipolar disorder

• mood swings that go beyond normal highs and lows but nothing approaching major high mania or low depression

Medical Model treatment for depression

SSRI medications, ECT—electro convulsive therapy (shock treatment for EXTREME depression)

Freud Model treatment for depression

talking therapy (focused on repressed anger)

Behavioral Model treatment for depression

shape you to more outgoing behavior