Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Explanations of Depression - Coggle Diagram
Explanations of Depression
Bio explanation
Neurotransmitters are "fast chemical messengers" that travel between neurons (brain cells) by crossing the synapse. They bind themselves to receptors on the next neuron and pass in their message in the form of a small electric charge.
The monoamine hypothesis
Monoamines are a group of neurotransmitters that regulate mood; they include serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine
Low levels in serotonin cause the levels of noradrenaline to drop (noradrenaline provides attention and reward) so this is linked to a lack of pleasure
Low levels of serotonin causes dopamine levels to drop and dopamine is related to alertness and energy so low levels of dopamine is linked to anxiety
A chemical called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) which is a chemical that removes monoamines from the synapse
If there is too much MAO-A in the synapse, it will remove monoamines that are needed, starving the brain of serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine, leading to symptoms of depression
A basis for a lot of antidepressant drugs - inhibit (reduce) the activity of MAO-A. This leads to more monoamine activity and a reduction in the symptoms of depression
MDMA (ecstasy) works by increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin into the synaptic gap and is associated with the feeling of euphoria
Many antidepressant drugs work to block the reuptake of serotonin so it is available in the synaptic gap to be taken up by the postsynaptic receptors, which elevates mood
Kirsch et al. (2002) found that some researchers still believe that antidepressants cause a placebo effect, which may explain mood improvement in many patients.
Versiani et al (1999) used a double-blind trial of noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (NRIs) and a placebo drug to find a marked mood improvement in depressed patients with NRIs compared to a placebo
Genetic explanation
Elliot Gershon (1990) reviewed 10 family studies and found that the rate of depression was 2-3 times higher in first degree relatives of people with depression (their parents, siblings and children) compared to the general population
A particular gene called 5-HTT has been linked to regulating serotonin levels. People with this gene that are under-active seem more likely to suffer depression after stressful life events
McGuffin et al found that if 1 monozygotic twin was depressed, there is a 46% chance of the other twin being depressed too but it is only 20% for dizygotic twins
Cognitive
Learned helplessness
Martin Seligman conducted an experiment where dogs were trapped in harnesses and subjected to an electric shock every time a buzzer sounded
The dogs did nothing, They just sat there. They had learned to be helpless
Linked to humans - people with a pessimistic explanatory style see negative events as: stable, global and internal
Seligman argued that this was learned through unbringing. An optimistic explanatory style sees negative events as: unstable, specific and external
Hammack et al (2011)showed that serotonin is linked to feelings of helplessness as well as activity in the amygdala
Beck
3 cognitive factors in depression
the negative cognitive triad
Negative views about the world, negative views about oneself and negative views about the future
Affect views about themselves and their expectations of the future
This destructive behaviour causes them to fail at things and struggle in relationships, which convinces them that their core beliefs are right
cognitive biases
Magnification: problems are exaggerated
Minimisation: strengths and opportunities are under-emphasised
Personalisation: the individual blames themselves for things that are actually beyond their control
negative schemas
develop during childhood, usually through critical relationships or traumatic events. They activate when the person experiences similar situations or similar relationships in later life.
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Freud's psychodynamic explanation
Abnormality is caused when trauma from unresolved conflict between the id, ego and superego is repressed into the unconscious
Freud believed that in people with depression the superego is over-developed. This explains the excessive guilt and the sense of worthlessness people with depression feel
This imbalance can be caused by fixation or regression to an earlier stage of psychosexual development
Freud argued that if your needs are not met during the oral stage, you develop low self-esteem and excessive dependence which puts you at risk of depression