PSY 1102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Mania, Caudate Nucleus, Grey Matter

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1102
• Professor: N/ A

Document Summary

2- biological factors: natural selection: fear of something that would have threatened the survival of ancestors and ourselves, genes: based on twin, adoption, family studies there seems to be a genetic component, brain: People with anxiety disorders have an enlarged amygdala. High levels of activity in: frontal lobes, caudate nucleus, anterior cingulate cortex. Must have atleast 5 of these symptoms to be clinically depressed: dysthymic disorder. Depressed mood (atleast two years), plus atleast 2 other symptoms. Periods of major depression followed by period of mania. Brain: less gray matter, decreased activity in the left frontal lobe, increased activity in the right frontal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala. Hormonal system: fight or flight is revved up. Evolutionary perspective: a moderate depression encountered with a loss in our lives can be adaptive, a major depressive disorder is an exaggerated moderate adaptive disorder that becomes maladaptive. War zones have higher levels of depression.