UNIT 1 MOOD DISORDERS

MOOD DISORDERS

Definition: Characterized by emotional extremes

• Psychological Disorder

Depression: The common cold of psychological disorders.

Major Depressive Disorder: A person, for no apparent reason experiences two or more weeks of depressive moods.

• Includes feelings of worthlessness and diminishes interest of pleasure in most activities.

Dysthymic Disorder: Suffering from mild depression everyday for at least two years.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Experience during the winter months.

• Based not on temperature, but on amount of sunlight.
• Treated with light therapy

BIPOLAR DISORDERS

Definitions: A person alternated between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the over excited state of mania. (TWO EXTREMES)

SCHIZOPHRENIA

• How Prevalent? - About 1 in every 100 people are diagnosed.
• Symptoms

• Disorganized thinking, Disturbed Perceptions, Inappropriate emotions and actions
• Example: Laughing at a funeral

1. DISORGANIZED THINKING

• The thinking of a person with Schizophrenia is fragmented and bizarre and distorted with false beliefs.
• Comes from a breakdown in selective attention
• Can not filter information out

CAUSES

• DELUSIONS (False beliefs)

• Delusions of persecution (Out to get me)
• Delusions of Grandeur (I am Jesus)

• DISTURBED PERCEPTION (Hallucinations)

• Sensory experiences without sensory stimulation.

• INAPPROPRIATE EMOTIONS AND ACTIONS

• Laugh at inappropriate things
• Flat Affect
• Senseless
• Compulsive Acts
• Catatonia- Motionless, Wavy, Flexibility

• Positive Vs Negative Symptoms

• Presence of inappropriate symptoms
• Negative
• Absence of appropriate symptoms