Abnormal Psychology Unit 13 Module 50: Mood Disorders

Mood Disorders: characterized by emotional extremes. Two major forms: Major Depressive Disorder: person experiences prolonged hopelessness and then returns to normal. Bipolar Disorder: Alternates between depression and mania (overexcited, hyperactive state).

Major Depressive Disorder Depression: a condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way. Depression is the #1 reason people seek mental health services. It slows us down, calms aggression, and restrains risk taking.

Major Depressive Disorder Major Depressive Disorder: When signs of depression lasts two or more weeks and are not caused by drugs or other medical issues. Dysthymic Disorder: A down in the dumps mood that consumes most of the day, nearly every day, for two years or more. Chronic low energy and self-esteem

Bipolar Disorder Mania: euphoric, hyperactive, wildly optimistic state. Opposite of depression. Bipolar Disorder: alternating between depression and mania (formerly called manic depressive disorder). Bipolar disorder is common among creative artists and poets.

Explaining Mood Disorder Depressed people are inactive and feel unmotivated. Depression is widespread. Women are twice as vulnerable as men to depression. Most depression end on their own. Stress often precedes depression. Rate of depression is increasing!

Explaining Mood Disorder Biological perspective: evidence from family studies, including twin studies, shows that there is a genetic component involved in mood disorders. Heredity plays a part in mood disorders!

Explaining Mood Disorder Too much of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine is available during mania. Too little norepinephrine or serotonin during depression. Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil increase availability of serotonin by blocking reuptake, thus treating depression.

Explaining Mood Disorder PET and fMRI scans reveal lowered brain energy consumption in individuals with depression, especially in the left frontal lobe, associated with positive emotions. MRI and CAT scans show abnormal shrinkage of frontal lobes in severely depressed patients.

Explaining Mood Disorder Social Cognitive Perspective: self-defeating beliefs come from learned helplessness. This results in an inability to avoid repeated aversive events. When bad events happen, pessimists think the bad events will last forever, affect everything they do, and are all their fault.

Explaining Mood Disorder The Cycle of Depression 1. Negative stressful events. 2. Interpreted through a pessimistic explanatory style creating, 3. Hopeless depressed state, which 4. Hampers the way the person thinks and acts, fueling more negative stressful events, such as rejection.