mood

Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders What is “mood”? What puts you into a good mood? What puts you into a bad mood? How easily can you be put in a good mood? How easily can you be put in a bad mood? How quickly do your moods shift?


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders The “up” and “down” of Mood Disorders: Depression Mania


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Depression only = unipolar mood disorder Depression + mania = bipolar disorder ******* 5 – 10% of U.S. adults suffer unipolar depression in a given year Women twice as likely as men Or, do men hide their depression??? Hint: Among kids, rates equal for boys & girls


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Symptoms last 2 weeks or longer Negative emotional states (sadness, despair) Loss of motivation & capacity for pleasure Decrease in activity, sleep problems, appetite changes, listlessness Obsessive negative thoughts & pessimism How do a “bad mood” & depression differ?


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders In contrast… Feeling “down” or “blue” occasionally can actually be productive. Depressed mood often accompanied by withdrawal & introspection & the potential for true creativity.


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders In Dysthymic Disorder, symptoms less severe and disabling, but longer-lasting. Dysthymic Disorder can lead to a Major Depression. How do Dysthymic Disorder & Major Depressive Disorder Differ?


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Depression often triggered by stress However, unlikely that stress alone causes depression Some people are more vulnerable to depression – biological vulnerability; developmental vulnerability The Etiology of Depression


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Genetic Research & Depression - Family pedigree, twin, & adoption studies all indicate that genetic relatives of people who suffer depression are more likely to also suffer from depression. The Biological View of Depression


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders What could be the biological link? - Main focus is on several key neurotransmitters: - norepinephrine; serotonin & dopamine - Interaction of these chemicals probably is key - Serotonin may be a meta-regulator The Biological View of Depression


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Perhaps most powerful evidence supporting biological view: effects of anti-depressant medications. - e.g. serotonin-enhancing drugs However, these findings do not by themselves indicate that neurotransmitter levels were the original cause of the depression. The Biological View of Depression


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Freud noted similarities between grief and depression Theorized that depression is grief (anger & sadness) turned against the self Actual or symbolic loss can trigger depression Attachment theorists have expanded the theory Childhood losses/separations create vulnerability to later depression Psychological Views of Depression Psychodynamic Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders When people experience a decline in rewards – particularly social rewards – they can enter a downward spiral of decreasing rewards that leads to depression. Theoretical Problem: Does decline in rewards cause depression, or does depression cause decline in rewards? Psychological Views of Depression Behavioral Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Depression is the result of ingrained, negative thought patterns. Two main theories: Beck’s “negative thinking” Seligman’s “learned helplessness” Psychological Views of Depression Cognitive Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Negative Thinking Maladaptive attitudes often rooted in childhood E.g.: “If I make a mistake, I’m worthless” These attitudes develop into entrenched schemas Stress triggers negative schemas Psychological Views of Depression Cognitive Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Negative Thinking Controlled by these schemas, self, present & future perceived negatively Schemas lead to “automatic thoughts” that continuously confirm negative perceptions Schemas lead to “thinking errors” E.g.: “Nobody cares about me” Psychological Views of Depression Cognitive Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Negative Thinking Considerable research supports the link between depression and: Maladaptive attitudes; negative schemas; thinking errors; & automatic thoughts However, do cognitive patterns cause depression – or are they caused by it? Psychological Views of Depression Cognitive Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Learned Helplessness A cognitive behavioral theory based on observations of “shocked dogs” who could not escape the shocks. Faced with inescapable negative circumstances, we become passive and listless (i.e., depressed). In humans, helplessness only ensues when we make internal attributions (“I can’t do this…”) Psychological Views of Depression Cognitive Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders We all have some vulnerability to depression Those most vulnerable: The poor The unemployed The oppressed The victimized Depression a “normal” response to these conditions Psychological Views of Depression Sociocultural Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Gender & Depression Is there really a gender difference? (What if you count drinking & fighting as symptoms of depression? Women’s higher rates: Higher rates of victimization (child abuse, rape, battery) Higher rates of poverty & helplessness Internalization vs. Externalization Psychological Views of Depression Sociocultural Views


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Cycling between depression & mania Manic symptoms: Powerful emotional high’s (euphoria) that can morph into extreme agitation & irritability Social behavior often overpowering to others Rapid speech; hyper-active; buy 2 condo’s by lunch, etc. Cognitively: although in high gear, judgment likely is poor Bipolar Disorder


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Manic symptoms: Sensory experience often exaggerated, which can yield remarkable creative processes, but also psychotic experiences Bipolar Disorder


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders About 1% of the population suffers from Bipolar Disorder Cycling between depression & mania typically occurs over months; each phase lasts for months If over weeks, termed “rapid cycling” “Cyclothymic” Disorder a mild version of Bipolar Bipolar Disorder


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Growing consensus that Bipolar is organically based with a notable genetic factor Like Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder linked to low serotonin activity Theory: low serotonin  dysregulation of other important neurotransmitters, e.g., norepinephrine Etiology of Bipolar Disorder


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders “Defective Membrane” Theory of Bipolar Disorder 1. Nerve impulse moves along neuron electro-chemically 2. Impulse carried via exchange of Na & K ions across neural membrane Na K 3. Defect in process  impulse carried too quickly or too slowly


Mood Disorders : Mood Disorders Genetic studies, especially of twins, indicate a genetic predisposition for bipolar disorder 40% of identical twins concordant, vs. 5 to 10% of fraternal twins Etiology of Bipolar Disorder