PSY100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Major Depressive Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Postpartum Depression

• School: UTSG
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY100H1
• Professor: Paul Whissell

Document Summary

What is depression: loss of interest or pleasure in activities normally enjoyed (i. e. anhedonia, decreased energy (e. g. fatigue, feeling of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed (more or less) sleep, appetite, and activity. Types of depression: unipolar depressive disorder, major depressive disorder (chronic, major depressive episodes (mde; acute but often recurrent, bipolar disorder, includes mdes as well as manic episodes, post-partum depression (after birth, dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder. What is depression: not just psychological has characteristics physiological and anatomical features, features may provide clues as to the neural mechanisms of depression. The depressed brain : structure: commonly, two brain areas differ in depression. Psy100: (1) hippocampus involved in learning, memory, spatially-guided behaviour, anxiety, and other functions, (2) orbitofrontal cortex involved in cognitive processes, decision-making, evaluation of risk-reward relationships. In general decreased hippocampus + orbitofrontal cortex size & increased lateral ventricle size (fluid-filled area increases as grey matter decreases)