PSY 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: American Psychological Association, World Health Organization, Lamotrigine
Document Summary
Problems in thinking or behavior that are disabling and or dangerous. They are categorized by the world health organization (who) and the. Disorders are diagnosed from signs and symptoms: signs: Many mental disorders are disturbances in brain functioning. Types of mood disorders: depression, mania, anxiety, schizophrenia, adhd. Usually occurs as episodes that last a few months, but some suffer from chronic depression. Changes in the brain: temporary loss of grey matter (unmyelinated nerve fibers) in neocortex, reduced level of neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine) Restore lost grey matter by triggering neurotrophic factors in brain. Ssri"s (selective serotonin in reuptake inhibitors) increase activity of serotonin using neurons in the brain and limbic system. Cause may be due to unstable calcium metabolism at presynaptic membranes due to excessive activity of enzyme pkc. Treatment is medication that inhibits pkc: ex. Bipolar disorder: mixture of depression and mania; mood instability. Regulated in brain by 2 neurotransmitters that inhibit anxiety (gaba, serotonin)
