Questions and Answers
Types of Depression
✓ ~~~ major, chronic, atypical, bipolar, manic, seasonal affective disorder
Major Depression
✓ ~~~ recurring and disabling. Symptoms must last for at least two weeks and impair one's
ability to interfere with a person's ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once-
pleasurable activities.
Chronic Depression
✓ ~~~ - less disabling than major depression, but symptoms can last longer, sometimes
being unhappy for two years. More common in women, affects 10.9 million people.
Atypical depression
✓ ~~~ rather than the other two, is characterized less by pervasive sadness and more by
overeating, oversleeping, sensitivty to rejection
Manic depression
✓ ~~~ depression oscillates between major depression and epsidoes of mania/ extreme
elation
Seasonal Affective Disorder
✓ ~~~ - often occurs wehre winters are short or there is a big change in the amount of
sunlgiht, and often treated with light therapy.
Diagnosis of Depression requires must have one of the top two and at least ____
other symptoms nearly _____ for at least ___ weeks
, ✓ ~~~ MUST HAVE one of the top two
AT LEAST five of the other symptoms
Nearly DAILY
For at least TWO WEEKS
Causes of Depression
✓ ~~~ Genetics, death/psychosocial stress, medicine side effect
What kinds of drugs can cause depression as a side effect
✓ ~~~ Drugs like antihypertensives, oral contraceptives, and Accutane for acne can cause
depression
Dosing schedule of antidepressants - what constitutes an adequate trial
✓ ~~~ slow low and increase rapidly to target dose, maintain for 4-8 weeks
Which have known therapeutic drug levels?
✓ ~~~ Imipramine, desipramine, nortriptyline, amitriptyline (possibly) all other unknown
currently
How do antidepressants work?
✓ ~~~ synaptic pharmacology
Acute effect involves reuptake or degradation of ____ in the post synaptic ______
receptor
✓ ~~~ monoamines in alpha 1