Chapter 95. Explaining Mood Disorders
Learning Objectives
Contrast the biological perspective and the social-cognitive perspective on explaining mood disorders.
Describe the biopsychosocial approach as it relates to mood disorders.
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1. The biological perspective on mood disorders emphasizes genetic influences that may predispose certain individuals to experience depression or mania.
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2. These genetic influences may shape the structure or function of key areas in the brain related to mood and memory, such as the limbic system. Genetic factors also influence the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, two types of neurotransmitters linked to mood.
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3. In addition, environmental events that raise the body's stress hormones may damage these brain areas or alter neurotransmitter levels, producing symptoms of depression or mania.
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4. The social-cognitive perspective on mood disorders emphasizes the role of self-defeating beliefs about one’s own worthlessness. A history of unavoidable punishing events may have created learned helplessness, a sense of passive resignation, or fatalism, about life.
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5. These factors can create a cycle of depression in which unpleasant events (such as losing a job) are interpreted through a negative explanatory style. This can pull the person into a hopeless, depressed state, producing thoughts and actions that make future failures more likely.
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6. The biopsychosocial approach combines these two perspectives to show that many factors interact with each other to make a person vulnerable to mood disorders.
Practice 1: Biological Perspective
Practice 1: Biological Perspective
Roll over each possible cause of mood disorders to view an explanation of its role in mood disorders.
Genetic influences
Brain structure
Brain chemistry
Role in mood disorders:
Mood disorders tend to run in families. Inherited genes predispose some people to depression or bipolar disorder.
Depressed individuals sometimes have stress-related damage to the hippocampus. Depressed individuals sometimes have smaller-than-normal frontal lobes.
Many depressed individuals have low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The neurotransmitter norepinephrine is high during mania and low during depression.
Practice 2: Social-Cognitive Perspective
Practice 2: Social-Cognitive Perspective
Roll over each possible cause of mood disorders to view an explanation of its role in mood disorders.
Negative explanatory style
Learned helplessness
Self-defeating beliefs
Negative events
Cycle of depression
Role in mood disorders:
Depressed individuals usually have a pessimistic outlook on life and tend to explain their failures as a direct result of their permanent personality characteristics.
Many depressed individuals have experienced repeated uncontrollable painful or traumatic events in the past. As a result, they have developed a helpless feeling of having no control over their lives.
Many depressed individuals believe that failure is inevitable. So, they put less effort into their tasks, and, as a result, are more likely to fail.
Pessimistic thoughts and feelings of helplessness may predispose a person to depression, but often a series of negative, stressful events is the trigger that sends a person into depression.
When stressful events occur, a person who interprets those events through a negative explanatory style is likely to sink into a hopeless, depressed mood that will trigger further negative thoughts and withdrawn behavior, and lead to rejection by others and new failures. The cycle feeds on itself to deepen the depression.
Practice 3: The Biopsychosocial Model
Practice 3: The Biopsychosocial Model
Roll over each type of influence to view an explanation of its role in mood disorders.
Role in mood disorders:
genetic influences, brain chemistry changes, stress-related brain damage
negative explanatory style, learned helplessness, emotional responses
traumatic negative events, cultural expectations, reactions from others
Quiz 1
Quiz 1
Drag each of the concepts to one of the gray areas below the appropriate perspective. When the concepts have all been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.
Quiz 2
Quiz 2
Read the scenario, and then match the statements with types of biopsychosocial influences on depression by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.
Mariel is a first-year student at a large university. For the first two months, everything seemed fine. But now her life is coming unraveled, and she is slipping into depression. According to the biopsychosocial model, three types of influences are at work on Mariel's mood.
Conclusion
