Mental Health, disorders, and neurodivergence

Congenital

Phenotype with which individual was born

Congenital does not mean _________

Genetic

Psychosocial treatment approach

-modifying the brain through altered behaviors

--attempt to affect behavioral traits

Biological treatment approach

-modifying the brain through direct chemical or surgical intervention

--also attempts to affect behavioral traits

Anxiety is a symptom of the activation of the

Sympathetic system

Phobia

- out-sized reaction to environmental stimulus by activating sympathetic nervous system

- over-triggers the anxiety response from the body

Panic attacks

Sudden activation of the sympathetic system in the absence of a stimulus

Agoraphobia

Anxiety induced by fear of an inability to escape from a situation

Generalized anxiety disorder

- Persistent heightened sense of anxiety

- must persist for 6 months for diagnosis

- not marked by panic attacks

PTSD

Long-term consequence of psychiatric trauma

OCD

Anxiety disorder that is a mixture of recurrent intrusive thoughts, feelings, impulses (obsessions), and repetitive actions or thoughts a person uses to mitigate the anxiety (compulsions)

The normal stress response

1) Avoidance behavior

2) Increased vigilance and arousal

3) Sympathetic nervous system activation

4) Cortisol release from the adrenal glands

The normal stress response is largely overseen by the

Hypothalamus

The HPA axis

the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex

Steps of the HPA axis

-Stress prompts the hypothalamus to release corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH)

-CRH triggers the anterior pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)

-ACTH triggers the adrenal cortex to release cortisol

-Cortisol inhibits the release and CRH and ACTH and promotes metabolic effects

Cortisol increases what in the body

Glucose

What does the increase of glucose do to the body?

Supports the fight or flight of the sympathetic nervous system

Influence of the amygdala on HPA

- sensory input goes to amygdala

- amygdala stimulates hypothalamus if stimuli induce fear response

- HPA is activated

Involvement of hippocampus in HPA axis

- has receptors for cortisol

- inhibits HPA CRH release when cortisol levels are high

Psychotherapy

Attempt to behaviorally modify pathways in the brain

Benzodiazepines

- influence GABA's ability to induce IPSPs

- effective for acute anxiety attacks

SSRIs

- serotonin effects can be terminated by re-uptake into pre-synaptic neuron

- require chronic use to be effective

Affective disorders

- disorders of mood

- include depression and bipolar disorder

Major depression - how long must symptoms persist for

2 weeks

Bipolar depression is characterized by

Episodes of mania often followed by episodes of depression

Type I bipolar depression

Characterized by manic episodes, with or without depression episodes

Type II bipolar depression

Characterized by episodes of mania associated with depression bouts

Monoamine hypothesis for affect disorders

- Result from reduction/loss of diffuse regulatory NT systems in the brain

- Specific candidate NTs are serotonin and norepinephrine

Diathesis-stress hypothesis

Genetic predisposition to disorder, overactive HPA system, lack of cortisol receptors in the hippocampus

Electroconvulsive therapy

Induces activation of neurons by loading them with positive electrical charge

Schizophrenia

loss of contact with reality, disruption of thought, perception, and mood

Attentional disorders

- Characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, impulsiveness

- Must occur in multiple situations and interfere with normal functionality in order to generate diagnosis

Psychostimulant drugs

Inhibit dopamine transporters, prescribed for attentional disorders

3 key classifying symptoms of ASD

1) difficulties with social interaction

2) verbal and non-verbal communication deficits

3) repetitive behaviors

The ______ lobe of the cortex is believed to have a significant factor in ASD

Frontal

Cerebellum in autism

~ 30% of those diagnosed with autism have low muscle tone

- Gross motor skills often affected as well, agility often appears low

Fear of an inability to escape from a situation is what?

Agoraphobia

In OCD, what are the repetitive actions used to mitigate feelings of anxiety from intrusive thoughts?

Compulsions

The HPA axis refers to which pathway?

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal

Explain the diathesis-stress model of affective disorders

Genetic predisposition triggered by overactive stress responses