Psychological
Disorders
PowerPoint®
Presentation
by Jim Foley
© 2013 Worth Publishers
Module 49:
Mood
Disorders
Mood Disorders
Major depressive disorder [MDD] is:
 more than just feeling “down.”
 more than just feeling sad
about something.
Bipolar disorder is:
 more than “mood swings.”
 depression plus the problematic
overly “up” mood called “mania.”
Criteria of Major Depressive Disorders
Major depressive disorder is not just one of these
symptoms.
It is one or both of the first two, PLUS three or more
of the rest.








Depressed mood most of the day, and/or
Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in activities
Significant increase or decrease in appetite or weight
Insomnia, sleeping too much, or disrupted sleep
Lethargy, or physical agitation
Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
Worthlessness, or excessive/inappropriate guilt
Daily problems in thinking, concentrating, and/or
making decisions
 Recurring thoughts of death and suicide
Major Depression:
Not Just a Depressive Reaction
 Some people make an unfair
criticism of themselves or
others with major
depression: “There is nothing
to be depressed about.”
 If someone with asthma has
an attack, do we say, “what
do you have to be gasping
about?”
 It is bad enough to have MDD
that persists even under
“good” circumstances. Don’t
add criticism by implying the
depression is an exaggerated
response.
Depression is Everywhere
Depression shows up in people
seeking treatment:
 Phobias are the most
common (frequently
experienced) disorder, but
depression is the #1 reason
people seek mental health
services.
Depression appears worldwide:
 Per year, depressive
episodes happen to about 6
percent of men and about 9
percent of women.
 Over the course of a
lifetime, 12 percent of
Canadians and 17 percent of
Americans experience
depression.
Depression: The “Common
Cold” of Disorders?
Although both are “common”
(occurring frequently and
pervasively), comparing depression
to a cold doesn’t work.
Depression:
 is more dangerous because of
suicide risk.
 has fewer observable symptoms.
 is more lasting than a cold, and is
less likely to go away just with
time.
 is much less contagious.
And…depressive pain is beyond
sniffles.
Seasonal Affective Disorder [SAD]
 Seasonal affective disorder is more than simply
disliking winter.
 Seasonal affective disorder involves a recurring
seasonal pattern of depression, usually during
winter’s short, dark, cold days.
 Survey: “Have you cried today”? Result: More
people answer “yes” in winter.
Percentage who cried
Men
Women
August
4
7
December
8
21
Amanda’s therapist suggests that her
depression results from mistakenly blaming
herself rather than a slumping economy for
her recent job loss. Her therapist’s
suggestion best illustrates a:
A.
B.
C.
D.
DSM V diagnosis.
psychoanalytic perspective.
medical model.
social-cognitive perspective.
Elaine feels that her life is empty. She
has lost all interest in her career and
hobbies, and wonders if she would be
better off dead. She is most likely
suffering from:
A.
B.
C.
D.
a dissociative identity disorder.
a generalized anxiety disorder.
an antisocial personality disorder.
a mood disorder.
Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Compared to all other nations, the U.S. has
the highest rate of suicide.
B. Men commit suicide more often than women
do.
C. Suicide rates in the U.S. are lowest among
the elderly.
D. African Americans commit suicide more
often than do whites.
Bipolar Disorder
 Bipolar disorder was once
called “manic-depressive
disorder.”
 Bipolar disorder’s two
polar opposite moods are
depression and mania.
Mania refers to a period of
hyper-elevated mood that
is euphoric, giddy, easily
irritated, hyperactive,
impulsive, overly optimistic,
and even grandiose.
Contrasting Symptoms
Depressed mood: stuck feeling
Mania: euphoric, giddy, easily
“down,” with:
irritated, with:
 exaggerated pessimism
 exaggerated optimism
 social withdrawal
 hypersociality and sexuality
 lack of felt pleasure
 delight in everything
 inactivity and no initiative
 impulsivity and overactivity
 difficulty focusing
 racing thoughts; the mind
 fatigue and excessive desire to
won’t settle down
sleep
 little desire for sleep
Bipolar Disorder and Creative Success
Many famous and successful people have lived with the
ups and downs of bipolar disorder. Some speculate that
the depressive periods gave them ideas, and the manic
episodes gave them creative energy. Any evidence of
mood swings here?
Bipolar Disorder in Children and
Adolescents
 Does bipolar disorder
show up before
adulthood, and even
before puberty?
 Many young people
have cycles from
depression to
extended rage rather
than mania.
 The DSM-V may have
a new diagnosis for
these kids: disruptive
mood dysregulation
disorder.
Understanding Mood Disorders
Why are mood disorders so pervasive,
and more common among the young,
and especially among women?
Why Does Depression Have so
Many Symptoms?
Understanding Mood Disorders
Can we explain…
 why does depression
often go away on its own?
 the course/development
of reactive depression?
Often, time heals a mood
disorder, especially when
the mood issue is in
reaction to a stressful
event. However, a
significant proportion of
people with major
depressive disorder do
not automatically or easily
get better with time.
Suicide and Self-Injury
 Every year, 1 million people commit suicide, giving up
on the process of trying to cope and improve their
emotional well-being.
 This can happen when people feel frustrated,
trapped, isolated, ineffective, and see no end to
these feelings.
 Non-suicidal self-injury has other functions such as
sending a message, or self-punishment.
 Those with alcohol dependence are roughly 100
times more likely to commit suicide; some 3 percent
of them do.
 Suicide rates are much higher among the rich, the
nonreligious, and those who are single, widowed, or
divorced
Understanding Mood Disorders
Biological aspects and
explanations
Social-cognitive aspects
and explanations
Evolutionary
Genetic
Brain /Body
Negative thoughts and
negative mood
Explanatory style
The vicious cycle
An Evolutionary Perspective on the
Biology of Depression
 Depression, in its milder, nondisordered form, may have
had survival value.
 Under stress, depression is
social-emotional hibernation.
It allows humans to:
 conserve energy.
 avoid conflicts and other
risks.
 let go of unattainable
goals.
 take time to contemplate.
Biology of Depression: Genetics
Evidence of genetic influence on depression:
1. DNA linkage analysis reveals depressed gene regions
2. twin/adoption heritability studies
Biology of Depression: The Brain
 Brain activity is diminished in depression and increased in
mania.
 Brain structure: smaller frontal lobes in depression and fewer
axons in bipolar disorder
 Brain cell communication (neurotransmitters):
 more norepinephrine (arousing) in mania, less in
depression
 reduced serotonin in depression
Preventing or Reducing Depression:
Using Knowledge of the Biology of Depression
1. Adjust
neurotransmitters
with medication.
2. Increase serotonin
levels with
exercise.
3. Reduce brain
inflammation with
a healthy diet
(especially olive
and fish oils).
4. Prevent excessive
alcohol use .
Understanding Mood Disorders:
The Social-Cognitive Perspective
Low SelfEsteem
Discounting positive
information and assuming the
worst about self, situation,
and the future
Self-defeating
beliefs such as
assuming that
one (self) is
Learned
unable to cope,
Helplessness
improve, achieve,
or be happy
Depression is
associated with:
Depressive
Explanatory
Style
Rumination
Stuck focusing on
what’s bad
Depressive Explanatory Style
How we analyze bad news predicts mood.
Problematic event:
Assumptions about
the problem
The problem is:
The problem is:
The problem is:
Mood/result that
goes along with
these views:
Depression’s Vicious Cycle
A depressed mood may develop when a person with a
negative outlook experiences repeated stress.
The depressed
mood changes a
person’s style of
thinking and
interacting in a
way that makes
stressful
experience
more likely.
Brandy, who tends to have a pessimistic
explanatory style, learns that she earned a
poor grade on her psychology exam. Which
attribution is most likely to help her cope
without becoming depressed?
A. “I’ll always be a poor student.”
B. “The teacher gave a particularly hard exam this time.”
C. “Of course my grade is bad, since I can’t do anything
right.”
D. “Once again I proved that I just don’t know how to
study.”