ANCC Certification PMHNP Chapter 7
Questions and Answers Rated A+
Mood Disorders ✔✔Most common psych illnesses
Primary characteristic is persistent disturbance in mood ✔✔Major Depressive Disorder
Often occurs without precipitating event ✔✔MDD
Object loss theory ✔✔Fairbairn, Winnicott & guntrip
Aggression turned inward theory of MDD ✔✔Freud
Cognitive Theory ✔✔Beck
Learned Helplessness-Hopelessness Theory ✔✔Seligman
Genetic predisposition ✔✔Strong genetic load for depression for child of depressed parent -having
3 fold increase in lifetime risk of MDD & 40% chance of depressive episode before age 18.
Endocrine dysfunction Theory ✔✔Probably related to etiology of MDD
Sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances, libido disturbances, lethargy, anhedonia are
neurovegitative symptoms that are related to functions of the ✔✔Hypothalamus and pituitary
gland secretions
Endocrine dysfunction and pregnancy ✔✔A high incidence of postpartum mood disturbances is
suggested with this
, Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) ✔✔A theory of MDD, may be a result of an abnormal
stress response related to dysregulation of this system
HPA axis ✔✔Controls the physiological response to stress and is composed of interconnective
feedback pathways between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland.
Hypothalamus releases ✔✔corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) ✔✔Released by pituitary in response to CRH by
hypothalamus
Cortisol ✔✔Released by adrenal glands in response to ACTH by pituitary gland
Hyperactivity of the HPA axis ✔✔Demonstrated to be present in individuals with MDD. May also
have elevated cortisol levels
Elevated cortisol levels ✔✔Over time damages the CNS by altering neurotransmission and
electrical signal conduction. Cortisol over time can cause changes in size and function of brain
tissue
Dexamethasone suppression test (DST) ✔✔Not commonly used in clinical practice for screening
of depression as it is too non specific.
Hypovolemic hippocampus and hypovolemic prefrontal cortex-limbic striatal regions
✔✔Abnormalities demonstrated by neuroimaging in individuals with chronic and severe
depression
Brain damage, including that from stroke and trauma ✔✔Depression is a acommon comorbidity
in individuals who have experienced these events
Questions and Answers Rated A+
Mood Disorders ✔✔Most common psych illnesses
Primary characteristic is persistent disturbance in mood ✔✔Major Depressive Disorder
Often occurs without precipitating event ✔✔MDD
Object loss theory ✔✔Fairbairn, Winnicott & guntrip
Aggression turned inward theory of MDD ✔✔Freud
Cognitive Theory ✔✔Beck
Learned Helplessness-Hopelessness Theory ✔✔Seligman
Genetic predisposition ✔✔Strong genetic load for depression for child of depressed parent -having
3 fold increase in lifetime risk of MDD & 40% chance of depressive episode before age 18.
Endocrine dysfunction Theory ✔✔Probably related to etiology of MDD
Sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances, libido disturbances, lethargy, anhedonia are
neurovegitative symptoms that are related to functions of the ✔✔Hypothalamus and pituitary
gland secretions
Endocrine dysfunction and pregnancy ✔✔A high incidence of postpartum mood disturbances is
suggested with this
, Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) ✔✔A theory of MDD, may be a result of an abnormal
stress response related to dysregulation of this system
HPA axis ✔✔Controls the physiological response to stress and is composed of interconnective
feedback pathways between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland.
Hypothalamus releases ✔✔corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) ✔✔Released by pituitary in response to CRH by
hypothalamus
Cortisol ✔✔Released by adrenal glands in response to ACTH by pituitary gland
Hyperactivity of the HPA axis ✔✔Demonstrated to be present in individuals with MDD. May also
have elevated cortisol levels
Elevated cortisol levels ✔✔Over time damages the CNS by altering neurotransmission and
electrical signal conduction. Cortisol over time can cause changes in size and function of brain
tissue
Dexamethasone suppression test (DST) ✔✔Not commonly used in clinical practice for screening
of depression as it is too non specific.
Hypovolemic hippocampus and hypovolemic prefrontal cortex-limbic striatal regions
✔✔Abnormalities demonstrated by neuroimaging in individuals with chronic and severe
depression
Brain damage, including that from stroke and trauma ✔✔Depression is a acommon comorbidity
in individuals who have experienced these events
