lecture 10 - mood disorders, ptsd, & schizophrenia

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Symptoms

Severe depression lasting more than 2 weeks, including sadness, empty/hopeless feelings, anhedonia, weight changes, insomnia/hypersomnia, fatigue, worthlessness/guilt, and suicidal ideation

MDD Diagnosis Time & Episodes

Requires depression lasting more than 2 weeks, with individual episodes typically lasting 6 to 9 months

MDD Bereavement Exception

Depression-like symptoms occurring due to the loss of a loved one, where individuals going through grief are not diagnosed with depression

MDD Demographic Risk Groups

Can look different across individuals, with elevated risk for women, young adults (18-25 years), and biracial individuals

Bipolar Disorder

Extreme mood swings featuring alternating depressive episodes and 1 or more manic episodes lasting at least 1 week

Manic Episode

A period of increased energy and hyperactivity experienced in bipolar disorder

Trauma Definition

Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence; does not always require first-hand exposure or actual harm and can involve perceived harm or learning about events happening to close others

PTSD At-Risk Groups

Veterans are not the only group at risk; other vulnerable populations include survivors of sexual assault and EMT workers

Flashbacks

A state in which an individual relives a traumatic event, lasting from a few seconds up to a few days

Hypervigilance

A heightened state of alertness and watchfulness associated with PTSD

PTSD Core Symptoms

Intrusive/distressing memories, flashbacks, avoidance of stimuli connected to the event, and persistent negative emotional states

Schizophrenia Common Symptoms & Timing

Involves delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thinking/speech, most commonly diagnosed in young adulthood

Schizophrenia Delusions & Hallucinations

Delusions are fixed false beliefs; hallucinations are sensory perceptions experienced without external stimuli (e.g., hearing voices)

Schizophrenia Negative Symptoms

Refers to a lack or deficit of normal behaviors or functions, such as blunt affect (an expressionless face)

Dissociation vs. Schizophrenia

Dissociation is a psychological response to stress involving a disconnection from reality, which must be distinguished from the psychotic features of schizophrenia

Dissociative Amnesia

A dissociative disorder characterized by the inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature

Dissociative Fugue

A form of dissociative amnesia where a person suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home or work, sometimes taking on a new identity

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

A dissociative disorder characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities that recurrently take control of behavior