Learning Target:

Discuss the major diagnostic categories including anxiety disorders, bipolar and related disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and their corresponding symptoms.

AP psychology course and exam description, effective fall 2020. (n.d.). https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-psychology-course-and-exam-description.pdf

Bipolar and Related Disorders and Depressive Disorders

Depression

Depressive Disorders

Have you ever known someone who is continually sad even when there are happy occasions to celebrate? You may try to cheer them up or console them, but nothing you do helps the person feel better. That person may have a psychological disorder characterized by emotional extremes.

In the DSM-IV, Bipolar and Depressive Disorders were classified as Mood Disorders. Depressive disorder is characterized by deep and persistent feelings of sadness or despair, feelings of worthlessness, and/or loss of interest in things that once were pleasurable. In major depressive disorder, severe symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and experience pleasure last two or more weeks. Depression is diagnosed in the absence of drugs or a medical condition.

The DSM-5 has eliminated bereavement exclusion. Most people experience sadness, different from depression, following the loss of a loved one. In normal bereavement, emotional connection with family and friends is maintained, self-esteem is preserved, and grief is mixed with positive feelings. Grief is focused on the deceased person while depression is pointed towards the self. In the DSM-5 a depressive episode following bereavement that lasted less than two months was excluded from a diagnosis of major depression. Psychiatrists and grief counselors now recognize that bereavement may last 1-2 years and that the exclusion delayed treatment for truly depressed individuals. In the DSM-5 bereavement is recognized as a stressor that can precipitate a major incident following the loss of a loved one in individuals with past personal and family histories of major depressive disorder. Bereavement-related depression responds to the same psychosocial and medication treatments as non-bereavement depression.

Watch the video below on depression.

Complete the activity below to learn more about depressive disorders and treatments.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which the person exhibits mixed features and episodes of mania/hypomania and major depressive disorder occur. Bipolar disorder may be related to substances, medication use or medical conditions. Hypomania/Manic episodes, periods marked by increased energy, activity, and optimistic mood, are part of bipolar disorder.

Complete the activity below to learn more about bipolar disorder and treatments.

Test your knowledge in the activity below!

Obsessive Compulsive & Related Disorders, and Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

We have all had moments of panic when we forgot something important or had to make a presentation in front of a large audience. We may have taken a deep breath and continued. A person with panic disorder would experience unpredictable minute-long episodes of intense dread, terror, and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations. A phobia is an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation. A person that has claustrophobia may choose to walk five flights of stairs rather than take the elevator to the fifth floor. A phobia becomes a disorder when it interferes with daily life such as attending school or going to work.

Anxiety disorders typically last for at least six months, are characterized by a disproportionate fear response relative to the actual danger posed and produce maladaptive behaviors to avoid the anxiety-producing situation.

Complete the activity below on anxiety disorders.

Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders

You may have returned to your car to check the door is locked. That does not make you OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders include unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsession) and/or actions (compulsions). Related disorders include body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, and others such as hair-pulling disorder and skin-picking disorder.

Learn more about Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders in the activity below.

Learn more about anxiety disorders in the video below.

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