PSY212 Abnormal Psychology
Study guide for test three – Depression, Treatment of Depression, and Suicide
Know the basic characteristics of Unipolar Depression, Dysthymia, Bipolar I disorder,
Bipolar II disorder and Cyclothmia. Which of the mood disorders are most common?
How do we differentiate similar disorders (i.e. Unipolar Depression vs. Dysthymia or ,
Bipolar I disorder vs. Bipolar II disorder vs. Cyclothmia)?
How do the paradigms (Biological, Cognitive, Behavioral, Psychodynamic,
Sociocultural) explain mood disorders and what evidence supports these explanations?
Specific to the Biological paradigm, how are family pedigree studies done and what have
these studies found? What treatment is effective for Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Familiarize yourself with the Learned Helplessness theory of depression. What group of
people have the highest depression rates in the U.S.?
How do the paradigms (Biological, Cognitive, Behavioral, Psychodynamic,
Interpersonal) treat mood disorders? Why might these different types of treatment be
effective or ineffective?
Familiarize yourself with these terms: parasuicide, death seeker, death initiator, death
ignorer, death darer, dichotomous thinking, thanatos, altruistic suicide. Which cultural
group has the highest suicide rates in the U.S.? How do suicide rates among other cultural
groups within the U.S. compare with one another? Will listening to Ozzy Osbourne sing
the song Suicide Solution make you suicidal? At what point, during a depressive episode,
is an individual most at risk for suicide? What is Modeling and what age group is most at
risk for modeling? What age group is most at risk for suicide overall? What are the steps
for assessing suicide potential?