Mood Disorders Ups and Downs Mood Disorders Mood

Mood Disorders Ups and Downs

Mood Disorders �Mood disorders are characterized by emotional extremes �Can come in two forms �Major depressive disorder with its prolonged hopelessness and lethargy �Bipolar disorder in which a person alternates between depression and mania

Mood Disorders �Major Depressive Disorder �A mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or a medical condition, two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities � Five signs of depression must also occur �This must include lethargy, feelings of worthlessness, or loss of interest in family, friends, and activities

Mood Disorders �Depression has been called the “common cold” of psychological disorders � It is the number-one reason people seek mental help � 13% of U. S. adults will develop a depressive disorder � Depression is a response to past/current loss �Depression works as a car’s warning light. Tells us to stop and take protective measures �However, depression is like a psychic hibernation telling us to slow down �With or without therapy episodes of major depression usually ends

Mood Disorders �However, some people rebound to the opposite emotional extreme- mania �Mania is a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state �Alternating between mania and depression is a signal of bipolar � *Bipolar is a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania (formerly called manicdepressive disorder)

Mood Disorders �Between 1994 and 2003 NCHS annual surveys revealed a 40 -fold increase in diagnosis of bipolar for people under 19 � 2/3 of the cases are males �During the manic phase a person is typically over talkative, overactive and elated (but easily irritated) � Shows fewer sexual inhibitions, loud speech and hard to interrupt, and judgment decreases � Does not like advice given to them, however have a strong need for the advice

Mood Disorders �To study the manic Emily Pronin and Daniel Wegner invited students to read a series of statements at either double or half the normal reading speed � Those that raced through the material reported feeling happier, more powerful, more energetic, and more creative �A racing mind arouses an upbeat mood

Mood Disorders �In milder forms mania’s energy does fuel creativity �Walt Whitman, Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway all suffered from bipolar �Handel suffered from a mild form of bipolar disorder and composed his nearly four-hourlong Messiah during three weeks of intense, creative energy �But what goes up must come down…

Mood Disorders �Understanding Mood Disorders �Many behavioral and cognitive changes accompany depression �Depression is widespread �Compared with men, women are nearly twice as vulnerable to major depression �Most major depressive episodes self-terminate �Stressful events related to work, marriage, and close relationships often precede depression �With each new generation, depression is striking earlier

Mood Disorders �Biological Perspective � Genetic influences �Risk of MDD and Bipolar increases if your parents have it �If an identical twin is diagnosed with MMD then chances are 1 in 2 that the other twin will be too at some point and time � The depressed brain �Bummed out shows same brain patterns as those of depressed people �Left frontal lobe is inactive during depressed states �Frontal lobes of severely depressed patients are 7 percent smaller than normal �Hippocampus is vulnerable to stress-related damage

Mood Disorders � Two neurotransmitters play a role �Norepinephrine which increases arousal and boosts mood is scarce during depression and overabundant during mania �Serotonin is scarce during depression �Likely to be depressed if a person carries a variation of serotonincontrolling gene �Drugs that relieve depression tend to increase Norepinephrine or serotonin �Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil deal with �serotonin reuptake

Mood Disorders �Social Cognitive Perspective �Negative thoughts and negative mood interact �People try to deal with depression and explain bad events in terms of stable, global, and internal then that leads to depression �If they deal with it and explain it in better terms (temporary, specific, and external) then typically we see better coping

Break up with a partner Stable “I’ll get over this” Temporary “This is hard to take, but I will get through this. ” Global “Without my partner I can’t seem to do anything right. ” Depression Specific “I miss my partner, but thankfully I have family and other friends. ” Internal “Our breakup was all my fault. ” Successful coping External “It takes two to make a relationship work and it wasn’t meant to be. ”