Download melatonin Mood disorders

16.4 Schizophrenia and Mood
Disorders
• Schizophrenia: a group of disorders
characterized by confused and
disconnected thoughts, emotions,
and perceptions.
• Delusions: false beliefs that a
person maintains in the face of
contrary evidence.
• Hallucinations: perceptions that
have no direct external cause.
Symptoms
-inappropriate emotion for the
circumstance.
-deterioration in normal movement.
-incoherence
-decline in previous levels of
functioning.
-diverted attention
Types of Schizophrenia
• Paranoid Type: hallucinations and
delusions, including grandeur: “I
am the savior of my people.” Also
persecution: someone is
watching.
• Disorganized Type: incoherent
language and emotion.
• Catatonic type: may remain
motionless for long periods of
time.
• Remission type: given to people
whose symptoms are almost
completely gone, or exist but
aren’t severe.
• Undifferentiated type: basic
symptoms of schizophrenia.
• Burned out: can’t function
normally in society.
Causes of Schizophrenia
-affects approx. 1% of the US population.
• Biological Influences:
-Odds increase to 10% if already in the family.
-Likely a result of genetic and environmental factors.
-Where both parents are diagnosed with Schizophrenia 50% of children show no signs.
…thus, we can’t specify the exact contribution heredity makes.
Biochemistry and Physiology:
-too much/little of certain chemicals has upset the brain’s mechanisms for processing
information.
-dopamine hypothesis: too much dopamine.
-CT and MRI scans often show signs of deteriorated brain tissue.
Family and Interactions:
-Studies show that families of individuals who later develop Schizophrenia are often
on the verge of falling apart.
Diathesis-stress hypothesis: a person may inherit a predisposition toward
Schizophrenia and from there environmental factors play a role.
Mood Disorders
• Major Depressive Disorder:
severe form of lowered mood in
which a person experiences feelings
of worthlessness and diminished
pleasure or interest in many activities.
-spend at least two weeks feeling sad,
anxious, fatigued, and agitated.
-cannot be attributed to loss of a loved
one.
Symptoms: at least four of the following
symptoms: problems with eating,
sleeping, thinking, concentrating, or
decision making, lacking energy,
thinking about suicide, and feelings of
worthlessness.
• Bipolar Disorder: Disorder in which an individual alternates between
feelings of mania (euphoria) and depression.
• -manic phase
• -depressive phase
• Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD: People that struggle with
depression throughout winter and spirits lift only with the coming of
spring.
• -melatonin
• Mood disorders:
• Cognitive, Biological, Genetic
• (Serotonin)
Suicide and Depression
• -Not all people who commit suicide are depressed and not all
depressed people attempt suicide.
• Happens for many reasons: Escape from physical or emotional
pain – perhaps terminal illness or the loneliness of old age. In
many cases we simply don’t know.
• 30,000 Americans end their lives every year. More women
than men attempt suicide, but more men than women
succeed.
• Fourth most common cause of death between the ages of 1865.
• Contrary to popular belief, people who threaten suicide or
make an unsuccessful attempt usually are serious. 70% of
people who kill themselves had threatened to do so within
the past three months.