Define mental illness
a psychiatric condition without organic causes, giving a level of distress greater than normal human experience
2 classifications of mental illness
organic - physical disorders
functional - subjective distress
what are the 4 forms of depression?
- single episode
- recurrent
- dysthymic - persistent depressive mood for 2+ months/most days
- mixed depressive and anxiety disorder
what is the severity of depression based on?
the number of symptoms
the impact on the person’s life
what are 3 ways to measure anxiety and depression?
- neuroimaging - changes to the brain
- core symptoms
- clinical features
describe core symptoms of depression
daily mood, lowered interest, difficulty concentrating, feeling of worthlessness, excessive guilt, change in appetite or sleep, thoughts of death and suicide, reduced energy
describe 3 ways how clinical feature of depression can be presented
biological
- altered sleep, bad morning mood, appetite, weight loss, less sexual drive
cognitive
- beck’s cognitive triad - pessimistic thoughts
- reduced attention and focus
- delusions and hallucinations
- suicide
alcohol
What are the Screening Questions?
two-question test
- during the past month have you felt down?
- during the past month have you been bothered by little interest in doing things
What is the sensitivity and specificity of the screening questions?
96% sensitivity - detects positive signs
57-67% specificity - correct diagnosis
what 2 questionnaires can be used? what are their sensitivities and specificities?
hospital anxiety and depression scale
- 14 item self-rating scale
- 90% sensitivity
- 86% specificity
patient health questionnaires
- 9 item self-rating in past 2 weeks
- 80% sensitivity
- 92% specificity
What are 3 Treatments for Depression?
- CBT
- antidepressants
- ECT - electroconvulsive therapy
What are the 3 Types of CBT?
- cognitive - change perception of events
- behavioural - change behaviours
- psychotherapy - see how past affects now
what are 2 antidepressants, which is the most common?
SSRI - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
- most common
SNRI - serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors
what are 2 older drugs for depression?
tricyclics
monoamine oxidase inhibitors
what is the monoamine deficiency theory? give 3 monoamines
- deficiencies of monoamines cause depression
- serotonin, dopamine, noradrenalin
how is depression socially perceived?
there is stigma
what is bipolar disorder?
recurrent episodes of altered mood and activity
what are the 4 types of bipolar disorder?
minor
major
hypomanic
mixed
Bipolar I = one or manic or mixed episodes
Bipolar II = one or more hypomanic episode and at least one depressive episode
give 7 manic episode characteristics of bipolar
- euphoria
- increased activity/energy
- flight of ideas
- increased self-esteem
- decreased need for sleep
- impulsive
- rapid changes across diff mood states
what is the main age to develop bipolar?
15-19
what is the cause of bipolar?
unknown
could be: chemical imbalance, genetics, triggers
