Unit 3 - Part 5 - Depressive Disorders

Do Now
Directions: Recall instances in your life where you felt depressed or sad. Describe the cause
of your depression in your own words.
Have you ever been depressed about something? If so, describe the feeling.

No

Mood Disorders
Mood disorders or affective disorder is when a person experiences extreme or
unfitting emotions. Bipolar disorders and all types of depression fall under this
category. Like anxiety disorders, people can have periods where they feel low;
however, the DSM-5 outlines the length of time of the depressive episode along with
other symptoms.

Bipolar disorder is a condition where a person has periods of

depression followed by periods of mania or an elevated state.
Mania is when one has an abnormally high mood or an increase in
energy outside of the norm that disrupts their life. If someone has a
manic episode, they may feel that they can do things beyond their
ability and tend to have less sleep. On the other hand, a person that
has a less severe episode may be experiencing hypomania.

Major Depressive Disorder is diagnosed when someone shows

five specific signs of depression for over two weeks. These
symptoms include being in a depressed mood most of the time,
having reduced interest in doing activities one enjoys, changes to
weight or appetite, significant changes in sleep, lethargy, having
less energy, having the feeling of worthlessness, having
problems thinking or concentration, and having repetitive
thoughts of suicide. A chronic and longer-lasting but low-grade
form of depression is dysthymia or persistent depressive
disorder. Most people that seek mental health services do so
because of depression.
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is seen with children older than
six but under ten who are highly irritable and have extreme outbursts that cannot be
controlled. These outbursts happen three or more times per week, and they may
require clinical care to manage them. A child needs to show that they have these
episodes in at least two settings and for a year for the formal diagnosis.

Various psychological perspectives have their approach to treating and finding the
cause of depression, and most today look at biological reasons. However, cognitive
theorist Aaron Beck created the cognitive triad when looking at the causes of some
depression without a biological backing. He felt that people might have an
unreasonable perspective of themselves, their futures, and the world they live in.
Another theorist, Martin Seligman, came up with the concept of learned
helplessness, where one does not think they have control over their own lives or
future, which can lead to depressive thoughts. Although his experiment is unethical
today, he tested his theory on dogs by shocking them to see if they would move out of
the zone where shocks were given. The ones that could stop the shocks from
happening in the first round left the area, while the dogs that couldn’t did not seek to
escape the situation. They did not think that they could stop the shocks.

Mood Disorders
Directions: Read the article on anxiety disorders and answer the following questions.

1. What does a person exhibit when they are diagnosed with bipolar disorder?
What is mania and how does it relate to bipolar disorder?

Aperson has periods of depression followed by periods of mania or an elevated

state. Mania is when one has an abnormally high mood or an increase in energy
outside of the norm that disrupts their life.

2. What are three symptoms that could be symptoms of depression? What

duration of time needs to pass when one is experiencing symptoms of
depression?

- being in a depressed mood most of the time

 - having reduced interest in doing activities one enjoys
- changes to weight or appetite
Two weeks

3. What needs to be prevalent for a child to be diagnosed with disruptive mood

dysregulation disorder (DMDD)?

A child needs to show that they have these episodes in at least two settings and for
a year for the formal diagnosis

4. What is Aaron Beck’s theory when it comes to depression?

He felt that people might have an unreasonable perspective of themselves, their

futures, and the world they live in.

5. What is learned helplessness and how does it relate to depression?

where one does not think they have control over their own lives or future, which can
lead to depressive thoughts.

Mood Disorders Case Studies

Directions: Read the case studies and state which mood disorder is associated with the
symptoms. Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, DMDD, dysthymia, and mania.

Case Study #1

Sophia was working hard on her master’s degree but would experience points where she
would become very low and would not get her work done to the level that she desired.
However, weeks later she would then work throughout the night completing all of her work,
but also cleaning her apartment from top to bottom, and doing a lot of online shopping.
Initially her boyfriend felt that her schedule was due to her working and being in graduate
school, but then noticed how she would discuss plans for jumping to other careers outside
of her current degrees.

1. What mood disorder is most associated with the behaviors Sophia is exhibiting?

Bipolar Disorder

Case Study #2

Every day, Noah feels tired as he has trouble sleeping at night. He cannot think and focus
on his work and other tasks that need to get done. On most mornings he has a hard time
getting out of bed and he no longer finds joy in the items that he did before.

2. What mood disorder is most associated with the feelings Noah is having?

Major Depressive Disorder

Case Study #3

Marcus has a hard time regulating his emotions at school. He will have large and loud
outbursts that mirror temper tantrums at least once a week. He will then additionally have a
few more when he is at home. He feels irritable often and due to these outbursts, he no
longer plays on sports teams like soccer and basketball.
 3. What mood disorder is most associated with the behaviors Marcus is having?

DMDD

Case Study #4

When Tuan was younger, he was exuberant and extroverted. For the past three years, he
has been rather gloomy and no longer wants to do the fun activities that he did before. He
was not having problems getting out of bed or completing his tasks at work, but he was just
down and empty.

4. What mood disorder is most associated with the feelings Tuan is having?

Dysthymia

Exit Ticket
Directions: Apply your knowledge! Without using anyone’s name, can you think of somebody
who has persistent depressive symptoms? Use the traits they exhibit to prove your case.
Do you know someone with a depressive disorder? What disorder do you suspect they
have and describe the symptoms they exhibit. (3-6 sentences)

Demi Lovato is a well-recognized musician who was diagnosed with bipolar

disorder back in 2011. Bipolar disorder is categorized by extreme mood
swings that include emotional highs followed by intense depressive
episodes. Demi Lovato has long been open about their struggles with
depression and how that has spiraled into other forms of mental illness,
including substance addiction and disordered eating. In their latest
documentary, Demi Lovato revealed the dark days of their drug addiction,
which eventually lead to overdose, and their challenging relationship with
food, which is an ongoing struggle. However, Demi Lovato has learned to
live a fulfilling and healthy life in more recent years. They have also become
a key advocate for speaking up about mental health.