Abnormal Psychology Study Guide 2

Abnormal Psychology
Spring 2017

EXAM 2
Chapter 5: MOOD DISORDERS

Basic Definitions of Mood Disorders:
 Unipolar: person experiences only episodes of depression; major depressive
disorder
 Bipolar: person experiences episodes of mania (and episodes of depression in
most cases)
 Episodic: disorders that occur for a discreet amount of time; not chronic or stable
disorders -> mood disorders should be thought of as episodic
 Affect: the pattern of observable behaviors such a facial expressions/pitch of
voice/hand and body movements that are associated with subjective feelings
 Mood: a pervasive and sustained emotional response, that, in its extreme form
can color the person’s perception of the world

Unipolar Mood Disorders:
 Major Depressive Episode:
o Depressed mood
o Anhedonia: loss of interest or pleasure
 Losing interest in things that you typically enjoy
 A change in your emotions that affect things you would typically
receive pleasure from before
o To meet criteria, must have at least one of the first 2 symptoms for nearly
every day for at least 2 weeks
o Additional Symptoms: must have a total of 5 of the 9 symptoms (1 or 2
from above)
 Weight or appetite change: typically people lose weight and are not
trying
 Sleep disturbance: more typical to sleep less; could have trouble
falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night
 Psychomotor agitation or retardation:
 Agitation: moving around a lot; restlessness
 Retardation: the opposite of agitation; not moving a lot or
being responsive
 Fatigue: feeling tired all the time and that your body parts are
heavier than normal
 Worthlessness or excessive guilt:
 Feeling that your life has no value or that you are worthless
 Feeling guilt over things that are small (forgetting to call
your mom); not being able to move past small mistakes
 Inability to concentrate or indecisiveness:
 Having to reread
 Not being able to concentration on conversation


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,  Not being able to decide what to wear or what to eat; a
more extreme level of indecisiveness than usual
 Thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, plan or attempt
o At least 1 major depressive episode that must last at least 2 weeks; no
manic or hypomanic episodes
o Major depression is very different from depressed mood
o Children: somatic complaints, irritability, and social withdrawal
o Preadolescents: sometimes includes aggressiveness and destructiveness
o Older adults: more cognitive symptoms such as memory loss,
distractibility, and disorientation
o Somatic symptoms: related to basic physiological or bodily functions like
fatigue, aches and pains, sleep patterns and appetite
o Psychomotor retardation: several features of behavior that may accompany
the onset of serious depression like slowed movements, less talkative,
immobility
 Persistent Depressive Disorder/Dysthymia:
o Symptoms:
 Depressed mood for most of the day on more days than not at least
2 years
 Poor appetite or overeating
 Insomnia or hypersomnia
 Low energy or fatigue
 Low self-esteem: less severe than worthlessness
 Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
 Feelings of hopelessness
o Less severe than major depression, but lasts for longer periods of time (2
years)
o You can feel better for a little bit of time but not for too long
o Average lasting time is 4-5 years
o Graph shows person having symptoms
 Symptoms cause clinical significant distress or impairment in occupational,
social, or other important areas of function
 No manic or hypomanic episodes
 Cannot be due to general medical condition or direct physiological effects of a
substance (can’t be brought on by a medication)
 Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
o Premenstrual symptoms that center around emotional and physical areas
with increased severity causing obvious social and occupational
impairment
o Category remains controversial
o Symptoms
 Mood lability
 Irritability
 Dysphoria
 Anxiety


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,  Cognitive – difficulty concentrating, overwhelmed and out of
control
 Somatic – lethargy, changes in appetite, sleep problems, joint or
muscle pain, feelings of bloating
o At least five of these symptoms, one of which being a disturbance in mood

Bipolar Disorders:
 Bipolar Mood Disorder:
o Needs to include a manic episode and possibly a depressive episode
o The depressive episode occurs right after the manic episode
o When people are in a manic episode, they do these things that don’t
characterize themselves and end up doing things that leave their life in
shambles -> leads to the depressive episode
o Manic Episode Symptoms: must have 3 if euphoric, 4 is elevated mood
 Elevated mood, expansive or irritable mood:
 Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity: feel like you can do anything or
that you are special in some sort of way
 Decrease need for sleep: seen as a hallmark symptom of a manic
episode; people don’t sleep and don’t report being tired
 More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking: hard to
interrupt someone because they keep going and aren’t making
sense
 Flight of ideas or racing thoughts
 Distractibility
 Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation: people
are extremely motivated to get things done and do crazy things in
short amounts of time; people have to do lists
 Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high
potential for painful consequences: gambling, driving recklessly,
having sex with strangers, buying expensive items
o Symptoms cause impairment or hospitalization or psychotic features
o Cannot be due to effects of a substance or a general medical condition
 Bipolar II Disorder:
o One major depressive episode
o At least one hypomanic episode (increased energy that are not sufficiently
severe to qualify as full-blown mania)
o Symptoms same as manic episode but the duration is shorter and
symptoms are less severe
o Must be noticeable to others but does not cause impairment
o Ex: 1 depressive episode and 1 hypomanic but no full manic
 Clyclothymia:
o Frequent periods of depression and hypomanic over two years
o No history of major depressive episodes or manic episodes
o Mania: at least 2 years of numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms (no
manic episodes)


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, o Depression: at least 2 years of depressive symptoms (no major depressive
episodes)

Subtypes:
 Episode specifiers: more specific descriptions of symptoms that were present
during the most recent episode of depression
 Severe with Psychotic Features:
o Delusion: erroneous beliefs and misinterpretations (someone is out to get
me)
 Major depressive episode (mood congruent): One day I will be
punished for being such a bad person
 Major depressive episode (mood incongruent): Aliens are putting
thoughts into my head
 Manic episode (mood congruent): I am the smartest person on
earth and I will rule the world
 Manic episode (mood incongruent): Someone is trying to poison
me
o Hallucination: auditory are most common
 Major depressive episode (mood congruent): Voices tell me that I
am a bad person
 Major depressive episode (mood incongruent): I hear sleigh-bells
ringing
 Manic episode (mood congruent): Voices tell me how great I am
 Manic episode (mood incongruent): I see purple monkeys
o These are alarming symptoms that are considered much more severe
 Course specifiers: more extensive descriptions of the pattern that the disorder
follows over time
 Seasonal Pattern:
o Seasonal Affective Disorder:
 People become depressed every fall or winter and mood alleviates
every spring
 Must have had this pattern for 2 years
 Can only meet criteria for this specifier if your mood is changing
with the seasons
 More common among high latitudes and younger people
 Generally in winter months
 Hypersomnia
 Increased appetite
 Weight gain
 Craving for carbohydrates
o Linked to season-related change in the dark-light cycle
 Postpartum Onset:
o Denotes a major depressive or manic episode beginning within weeks after
childbirth
o The available evidence suggests that it is not caused primarily by
hormones


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