Disorders Nina Goetz

Affective Disorder Depression

Characteristics  prolonged sadness  irritability or anxiety  lethargy and lack of energy  lack of interest in normal activities  major changes in eating and sleeping habits  difficulty concentrating  feelings of guilt  aches and pains that have no physical explanation  suicidal thoughts

Prevalence rates  Incidences of depression has risen every year since the 20 th centaury  Two to three times more common in women then in men  Dominant in adolescents  Lowest rates in Asia and Southeast Asia.  Western countries report higher rates  In the US one in six experience a depressive episode in their life.

Biological factors  Hypothesis that genetic factors might predisposition people to depression: genetic vulnerability  Long-term stress may cause depression  Deficiency in Neurotransmitters and hormones  Depression could also influence the production of neurotransmitters.

Cognitive factors  Cognitive style theory: irrational and illogical thinking -overgeneralization -non-logical inferences -dichotomous thinking  Negative cognitive schemas are activated by stressful events  Not clear if depression is cause by negative thinking patterns or if they are the cause of depression.

Eating Disorder Bulimia

Characteristics  Being preoccupied with body shape and weight  Living in fear of gaining weight  Feeling of not being able to control eating behavior  Eating until the point of discomfort or pain  Binge eating  Vomit (forced) or exercise too much to keep from gaining weight after bingeing  Misusing laxatives, diuretics or enemas after eating  Restricting calories or avoiding certain foods between binges  Using dietary supplements or herbal products excessively for weight loss

Prevalence rates  Woman are more likely to be targeted for media propaganda than men or children.  Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness  Woman are more likely than men to develop eating disorders  In the US between 2-3% of women and % of men, female to male ratio is about 10:1  Similar rates can be seen in Japan and some European countries.

Cognitive factors  “the body-image distortion hypothesis”- thinking you are fat  “cognitive disinhibition” – an all or nothing approach to judging oneself.

Sociocultural factors  In the west the perfect body figure has changed over the years.  Standards of how we should look  People compare themselves to others  Aspects of woman's personal history may contribute to her dissatisfaction with her body

Bibliography    IB psychology textbook