depression

• mood is a prolonged emotional state
• disorder is a gross deviation in mood from normal
• depression requires 5/9 symptoms, present nearly in the same 2 week period
• depression symptoms

  • depressed mood
  • diminished interest/pleasure
  • weight/appetite change
  • sleep disturbance
  • psychomotor agitation/retardation
  • fatigue/loss of energy
  • feelings of worthlessness and guilt
  • diminished ability to thinkg/concentrate/decide
  • recurrent thoughts of death, ideation, attempts, plans
• symptoms should cause distress or impairment in social, occupational functioning
• persistent depressive disorder is also called dysthymia
• symptoms of dysthymia - 2 of the following

  • Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, for at least 2 years
  • Poor appetite or overeating. 
  • Insomnia or hypersomnia. 
  • Low energy or fatigue.
  • Low self-esteem. 
  • Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions.
  • Feelings of hopelessness
• disruptive mood dysregulation disorder was added in 2013
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder symptoms

  • Severe recurrent temper outbursts and persistent negative mood (anger, irritability) for at least 1 year beginning before age 10
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

  • Mood symptoms in the week before menses
• 250 million people live with depression
• females are 2x more likely to get depression
• age of onset - late teens to early 20s
• depression 3x higher in low SES
• heritability of depression is 37%
• low serotonin found in depressed patients
• amygdala - emotional experience and assigning relevance to stimuli
• striatum - reward processing and motivation
• HPA axis - response to stress, prepares body reaction
• higher cortisol found in those at risk of depression in future
• smaller hippocampal volumes found in depressed patients
• schemas - influence how we evaluate information
• schemas are acquired in childhood and exacerbated by experiences
• high levels of hopelessness are more likely to experience depression
• at least half of people report experience of serious life event before depressive episode
• losing partner can triple risk of depressive episode
• most prescribed medication for depression is SSRIs
• SSRIs blocks re-uptake of serotonin