ABNORMAL

PSYCHOLOGY :
A LEVEL
BIPOLAR AND
RELATED
DISORDERS
2 TYPES:

UNIPOLAR (DEPRESSION)
BIPOLAR(MANIA)
DEFINATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ABNORMAL
AFFECT

MOOD DISORDERS-DSM-V

AMPLIFIES JOYFUL (EXTREME) AND SAD EMOTIONS

(EXTREME) LONG DURATIONS

STRONG DESPAIR EMPTINESS, ANGER OR EUPHORIA

IMPAIR THE ABILITY TO FUNCTION

TYPES
DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (UNIPOLAR)
*LONG PERIODS OF SADNESS,
HOPELESSNESS & DESPAIR
*MILD , MODERATE, SEVERE
*LOSS OF INTEREST IN PLEASURABLE
ACTIVITIES
*CHANGE IN APPETITE- WEIGHT
LOSS/WEIGHT GAIN
*SLEEP DISTURBANCES-INSOMNIA OR
EXCESSIVE SLEEPING
*FATIGUE, EXHAUSTION,
*REDUCED CONCENTRATION
*PSYCHOMOTOR AGITATION
MANIA(BIPOLAR)
*SWINGS BETWEEN DEPRESSIVE &
MANIC SYMPTOMS
LONG PERIODS OF EUPHORIA/HIGH
*RAGE/IRRITABILITY
*EASILY DISTRACTED/ RACING
THOUGHTS
*SUDDEN INTEREST IN NEW
ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS
*OVERCONFIDENCE IN ONE'S ABILITIES
*SPEAKING QUICKLY
*SLEEP LESS OR APPEARING NOT TO
NEED SLEEP
*ENGAGING IN RISKY
VIDEO
■ QUESTION : What are the symptoms of depression?

■ QUESTION: How many symptoms qualify for a diagnosis?

■ QUESTION:How long should the symptoms last, in order to be

diagnosed for depression?
BECKS DEPRESSION INVENTRY
PSYCHOMETRIC TESTING

21 -ITEMS SELF-REPORT

ATTITUDES & SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

LEAST 4 STATEMENTS
EXAMPLE:
(BECK,1979, PAGE 398)

I GET AS MUCH SATISFACTION OUT OF THINGS AS I USED TO (0)

I DON'T ENJOY THINGS THE WAY I USED TO (1)

I DONT GET REAL SATISFACTION OUT OF ANYTHING ANY MORE

(2)

I AM DISSATISFIED AND BORED WITH EVERYTHING (3)

THE TOTAL ACROSS THE TEST IS USED TO DETERMINE THE
SEVERITY OF THE DISORDER

10- MINIMUM FOR DIAGNOSING MILD DEPRESSION

19-29 MODERATE DEPRESSION

30 & ABOVE - SEVERE DEPRESSION

BDI-II: 1996 (REVISED) INCREASE AND LOSS OF APPETITE &

FATIGUE AS SYMPTOMS
EVALUATION:
RELIABILITY - HIGH

VALIDITY - HIGH

QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT - NUMERICAL SCORE

OBJECTIVITY
DEPRESSION AND PANDEMIC
■ Anxiety and Depression are likely to spark due to uncertainty

■ Empty shelves,empty streets, overflowing number of cases, quarantine individuals

like you and me, paint a picture of our new reality, triggering negativity

■ Loneliness & and isolation, finding hope in virtual connection

■ This is temporary, this too shall pass, nothing stays forever

EXPLAINATIONS OF DEPRESSION
➔ BIOLOGICAL: GENETIC AND NEUROCHEMICAL (ORUC ET AL. 1997)

➔ COGNITIVE:(BECK, 1979)

➔ LEARNED HELPLESSNESS AND ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLES (SELIGMAN ET

AL. 1998)

➔ EVALUATION
BIOLOGICAL CAUSES
❖ BIOLOGICAL:GENETIC AND NEUROCHEMICAL(ORUC ET AL.1997)

❖ FIRST DEGREE RELATIVES:

ORUC ET AL.(1997) STUDY:

❖ POLYMORPHISM: SEROTONIN RECEPTOR 2c (5-HTR2c)AND THE

SEROTONIN TRANSPORTER (5-HTT) GENES

❖ SEXUALLY DIMORPHIC
COGNITIVE CAUSES
■ Cognitive = Thinking

■ Cognitive distortions:our mind convinces us of something that isn't really true

■ Schemas: units of knowledge about the world,as we learn and grow we keep on
adding information from our senses, meaningfully into our mind. it helps us to
categorize new information and details
COGNATIVE CAUSES
■ Negative views form reality

■ Incorrect information processing leads to low mood & physical

symptoms

■ Irrational thinking=cognitive distortion

■ Cognitive distortion is an automatic process that develops as a result

of early life experiences through schemas
COGNITIVE TRAID
LEARNT HELPLESSNESS AND ATTRIBUTION
STYLE:
❖ SELIGMAN ET AL.1998) PERCEIVED INESCAPABLE UNPLEASANTNESS

❖ ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE/EXPLANATORY STYLE

❖ SELIGMAN ET AL. (1998) : STUDY

❖ RESULTS
EVALUATION
SELIGMEN ET AL.(1988):

ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE,VALIDITY, RELIABILITY, COEFFICIENT- CAUSE -

EFFECT RELATIONSHIP

ORUC ET AL .(1997)

SAMPLE SIZE ,EXTRANEOUS VARIABLE, VALIDITY, RESEARCH BIAS

TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF
DEPRESSION:
❖ BIOCHEMICAL: MAOIs AND SSRIs

❖ ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY

❖ COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING(BECK, 1979)

❖ RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (REBT) (ELLIS, 1962)

❖ EVALUATION
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT
❖ BIOCHEMICAL: MAOIs AND SSRIs
❖ ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS- 1950’s
MIAO’s-FIRST GROUP- INHIBIT ENZYMES - PREVENTS
NEUROTRANSMITTER FROM BREAKING DOWN -HIGH LEVELS OF
NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE BRAIN
❖ EFFECTIVE BUT HAS NUMEROUS SIDE EFFECTS
❖ ISSUES WITH WITHDRAWAL & INTERACT WITH OTHER MEDICATIONS
❖ ONLY USED IN CASES WHERE OTHER ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR
TREATMENTS DON'T WORK
❖ MORE RECENT- SSRI’s- SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS
-PROZAC
❖ ACT ON NEUROTRANSMITTER SEROTONIN - STOPS IT FROM BEING
REABSORBED AND BROKEN DOWN
ELECTRO - CONVULSIVE THERAPY
❖ LAST RESORT - USED WHEN NOTHING ELSE WORKS

❖ STUDY: DIERCKX ET AL.(2012) 1000 PATIENTS- UNIPOLAR OR

BIPOLAR PATIENTS, FOUND ECT TO BE EFFECTIVE AT SIMILAR
LEVELS, WITH 50%

❖ REMISSION RATE

❖ SHORT SESSION- EFFECTS SHORT-TERM

❖ RELAPSE RATE HIGH (JELOVAC AT AL., 2013)

COGNITIVE TREATMENT
■ Therapist helps to understand the link between their thoughts, emotions &
behaviours, and how each affects the other
■ Patients are encouraged to catch automatic thoughts & dysfunctional thoughts
and record them
■ Home work(practiced outside therapy)
■ Such thoughts are discussed and challenged in therapy
■ Purpose: investigate and notice negative distortion
COMPARATIVE STUDY
■ Wiles et al, 2013:
■ Another study:469 depressed individuals
EXAMPLE:
■ 35 year old women, seeks therapy, for depression
■ Feels worthless, No confidence
■ Additional information: she feels like this because her husband says she
does nothing despite of staying home all day
■ How can you use cognitive restructuring to help her
RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
(REBT)
❖ PSYCHOTHERAPY-STOICISM PHILOSOPHY- OWN PERCEPTION OF EXTERNAL
THINGS AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS
❖ ALBERT ELLIS-(1962) INTERNAL CONSTRUCTIONS
❖ A- ACTIVATING EVENT
❖ B- BELIEF SYSTEM
❖ C-CONSEQUENCES
❖ D-DISPUTING
❖ GOAL OF THERAPY- MAINTAIN CONSTRUCTIVE , RATIONAL PATTERNS OF
THINKING
❖ IDENTIFYING AND CHANGING THOUGHTS WITH SELF- DEFEAT, SELF-PITY, GUILT,
AVOIDANCE, WITHDRAWAL
❖ CONFRONTS CLIENT’S IRRATIONAL BELIEFS - REFORMULATING
DYSFUNCTIONAL BELIEFS
❖ STUDY: LYONS AND WOODS(1991)- META -ANALYSIS- 70 STUDIES- 236
COMPARISONS TO BASELINE , CONTROL GROUP, OTHER PSYCHOTHERAPIES
EVALUATION
❖ ANTIDEPRESSANTS: STUDIES USED LARGE SAMPLES -
RELIABLE

❖ PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC APPROACH: VALID CONCLUSIONS

ABOUT CAUSE AND EFFECTS

❖ USE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND ECT HAVE MAY INVOLVE

PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM