{"id":461,"date":"2020-08-17T19:26:11","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T23:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/psychcapilano\/chapter\/14-5-mood-disorders\/"},"modified":"2021-09-07T19:43:45","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T23:43:45","slug":"14-5-mood-disorders","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/psychcapilano\/chapter\/14-5-mood-disorders\/","title":{"raw":"15.5 Mood Disorders","rendered":"15.5 Mood Disorders"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Objectives<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/header>\n
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  1. Summarize and differentiate major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.<\/li>\n \t
  2. Explain the genetic and environmental factors that increase the likelihood that a person will develop a mood disorder.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    The everyday variations in our feelings of happiness and sadness reflect our mood<\/strong>, which can be defined as the positive or negative feelings that are in the background of our everyday experiences. In most cases, we are in a relatively good mood, and this positive mood has some positive consequences \u2014 it encourages us to do what needs to be done and to make the most of the situations we are in (Isen, 2003). When we are in a good mood, our thought processes open up, and we are more likely to approach others. We are more friendly and helpful to others when we are in a good mood than we are when we are in a bad mood, and we may think more creatively (De Dreu, Baas, & Nijstad, 2008). On the other hand, when we are in a bad mood, we are more likely to prefer to be alone rather than interact with others, we focus on the negative things around us, and our creativity suffers.<\/p>\n

    It is not unusual to feel down or low at times, particularly after a painful event such as the death of someone close to us, a disappointment at work, or an argument with a partner. We often get depressed when we are tired, and many people report being particularly sad during the winter when the days are shorter. These are normal life experiences that differ from mood, or affective, disorders. There are several types of mood disorders that are characterized into two basic categories: depression \u2014 either major depressive disorder or persistent depressive disorder \u2014 or bipolar disorder \u2014 previously known as manic-depression, of which there are three types. Mood disorders can occur at any age, and the median age of onset is 32 years (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, & Walters, 2005). Recurrence of depressive episodes is fairly common and is greatest for those who first experience depression before the age of 15 years.<\/p>\n\n

    Depressive Disorders<\/h2>\n

    Major depressive disorder <\/strong>is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Those who suffer from major depressive disorder feel intense sadness, despair, and loss of interest in pursuits that once gave them pleasure (see Figure 15.12<\/a>). These negative feelings profoundly limit the individual\u2019s day-to-day functioning and ability to maintain and develop interests in life (<\/em>Fairchild & Scogin, 2008). <\/em>Consider the feelings of this person, who was struggling with depression and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder:<\/p>\n\n

    I didn\u2019t want to face anyone; I didn\u2019t want to talk to anyone. I didn\u2019t really want to do anything for myself . . . I couldn\u2019t sit down for a minute really to do anything that took deep concentration . . . It was like I had big huge weights on my legs and I was trying to swim and just kept sinking. And I\u2019d get a little bit of air, just enough to survive and then I\u2019d go back down again. It was just constantly, constantly just fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting. (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009, \"Transcript,\" para. 1, 3, 7)\n\n \n\n <\/blockquote>\n[caption id=\"attachment_4403\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"This<\/a> Figure 15.12. Depression.[\/caption]\n

    According to Statistics Canada, Health Reports (Findlay, 2017), about 5% of the Canadian population suffers from major depression in a given year, with another 1.5% experiencing bipolar disorder. The highest rates are in Canadian youth aged 15 to 24, at nearly 7% (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013). Over the course of a lifetime, approximately 13% of Canadians will meet the criteria for a mood disorder. About twice as many women as men suffer from depression (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013). This gender difference is consistent across many countries and cannot be explained entirely by the fact that women are more likely to seek treatment for their depression. Rates of depression have been increasing, although the reasons for this increase are not known (Kessler et al., 2003). Indigenous Canadians experience depression at twice the rate of the Canadian average (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013).<\/p>\n

    As you can see in the list below (Public Health Agency of Canada, n.d.), the experience of depression involves the mind and the body. In addition to the loss of interest, productivity, and social contact that accompanies depression, the person\u2019s sense of hopelessness and sadness may become so severe that they consider or even succeed in committing suicide. Suicide is the leading cause of death in Canadians aged 15 to 24. In 2015, there were 4405 recorded suicides in Canada. More men commit suicide than women; however, more women are hospitalized for self-harm. Sadly, suicide is the second leading cause of death for children and youth aged 10 to 19 (Government of Canada, 2016). Depression is a significant risk factor for suicide and self-harm. Almost all the people who commit suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death (Statistics Canada, 2019; Sudak, 2005). Indigenous Canadians have much higher rates of suicide than non-Indigenous Canadians: five times the national average for male youth, seven times the national average for First Nations women, and 11 times the national average for Inuit youth (Centre for Suicide Prevention, n.d.). Protective factors of self-government and control over local resources are associated with lower rates of suicide in some First Nations communities, all of whom are affected by the legacies of colonization, such as intergenerational trauma associated with residential school experiences and forced adoption that may increase feelings of depression and suicidal ideation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Symptoms of depression include the following:<\/p>\n\n