1. Mood Disorders

2. What are mood disorders? Mood Disorders (aka affective disorders) – psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes.

3. Major Depressive Disorder (unipolar disorder) A mood disorder in which a person experiences two or more weeks of depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest in pleasure for no apparent reason. The feeling of depression – “Combine the anguish of grief with the sluggishness of jet lag” (Myers) Depression is referred to as the common cold of all psychological disorders Major depression is the most common mood disorder.

4. Major Depressive Disorder (unipolar disorder) DSM criterion for major depression Episode must last 2 weeks or longer Depressed, hopeless, discouraged mood Loss of interest in pleasure Change in appetite Insomnia/hypersomnia Psychomotor changes – ex. agitation and retardation of movement and/or thinking Decreased energy levels Sense of worthlessness Impaired ability to think Frequent thoughts of death Interference in social and/or occupational functioning Episode is not due to medication

5. Major Depressive Disorder (unipolar disorder) Major Depressive Disorder occurs in 17% of the North American and European populations at some point in their lives Women are at a much greater risk of developing Major Depression than men. (2X)

6. Major Depressive Disorder Videos What is Depression? ] What is Depression? If you really knew me

7. Bipolar Disorder (Formerly called manic-depressive disorder) A mood disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania. Manic episode – a euphoric, hyperactive, wildly optimistic state. Person requires little sleep, speech is loud and person is hard to interrupt. Person may make irrational decisions during the manic episode. Manic episode can be used efficiently and fuel creativity Mood plunges into a depression Occurs in about 1-3% of the US Population in men and women equally

9. Bi-Polar Disorder Videos What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar Disorder-A Documentary My personal experience with Bipolar Disorder

10. Seasonal Affective Disorder Some people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Only depressed during a particular season, usually winter SAD is treated with light therapy S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) - YouTube S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) - YouTube

11. Dysthymic Disorder Dysthymic Disorder – A mood disorder involving a pattern of comparatively mild depression that lasts for at least two years

12. Causes of Mood Disorders Psychoanalytic Perspective Behaviorist Perspective Biological Perspective Social-cognitive perspective

13. Causes of Mood Disorders Psychoanalytic Perspective Depression is a product of repressed anger or an overly punitive superego Behaviorist Perspective Mood disorders display a need for/ existence of reinforcement (attention or sympathy)

14. Causes of Mood Disorders Biological Perspective Low levels of serotonin or norepinephrine are linked to depression Norepinephrine is abundant during mania and scarce during depression. More receptors for acetylcholine is associated with bipolar disorder Mood disorders are more likely to occur is those with reduced development in the frontal lobe, hippocampus, or the amygdala Major depression and bipolar disorders tend to run in families (this may indicate some genetic cause)

15. Causes of Mood Disorders Social-cognitive perspective Negative thoughts feed negative moods and Negative moods feed negative thoughts Martin Seligman (positive psychology) – learned helplessness. (Dogs strapped in harness study) View that the future is out of your control and result to depression when undesirable things occur Depression is growing due to the individualism encouraged by our western culture.