Term
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Definition
| Mood disorders (also known as affective disorders) are characterised by abnormal mood and extremes of emotion (or affect). An individual may experience deep depression or soaring elation. Although we all experience such variations at mild to moderate levels in the natural course of life, these disturbances are maladaptive, intense and persistent. Sufferers may experience other disorders at the same time (e.g. anxiety or eating disorders), but abnormal mood is the defining feature. |
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Term
| The two key moods in mood disorders are mania and depression. The characteristics of these are outlined in the table below. |
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Definition
Characteristic
Depression
Mania
Mood and affect
Relatively unvarying low mood.
Variation in mood, euphoric, irritable, laughing, crying.
Speech
Flat, decreased rate, volume and quantity.
Extremely talkative, difficult to interrupt, loud, rapid.
Thought
Negative view of self, world, future, suicide, guilt, death.
Self-confident, self-aggrandisement, accelerated flow of ideas, distracted.
Behaviour
Social withdrawal and anhedonia, fatigue.
High activity level, excessive involvement in potentially high-risk pleasurable activities.
Judgement
Excessive concern with life problems, overemphasise pathology, hopeless.
Little insight, poor judgement. |
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Term
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Definition
| The main mood episodes are major depressive episode, manic episode, mixed episode and hypomanic episode. |
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Term
| Prevalence of mood disorders |
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Definition
| Lifetime unipolar prevalence is nearly as high as 17% in the general population. The 12-month prevalence rate is nearly 7%. Unipolar depression occurs in twice as many women compared to men. By contrast, the lifetime prevalence of bipolar depression is only 1%. The average onset of major depressive episode is adolescence or the 20s. In adolescents, 15–20% meet the criteria for some unipolar disorder. |
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Term
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Definition
The essential features of a major depressive episode according to DSM-5 criteria are depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure ('not caring anymore' or social withdrawal) for at least two weeks, plus at least four other symptoms from:
Changes in weight, appetite (appetite or weight may increase or decrease).
Changes in sleep (can be hypersomnia with prolonged night sleep or daytime sleeping; or insomnia, which is linked to rumination).
Altered psychomotor activity.
Decreased energy (with or without physical exertion).
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions.
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation, plans or attempts.
Symptoms must also cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning, and must not be caused by a medical condition or substance. Most symptoms must be present almost every day, especially depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure. Sadness may be denied or attributed to lack of feeling or anxiety, but can be inferred from facial expression or demeanour. In children or adolescents, depression can be expressed as irritability.
If a person has a major depressive episode and has never had a manic, hypomanic, or mixed episode, then they may be diagnosed as having Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). |
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Term
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Definition
Hypomanic episode
Milder forms of manic symptoms may lead to a diagnosis of a hypomanic episode.
The primary feature of a hypomanic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood and increased energy/activity (DSM-5 change) lasting at least four days. Symptoms must be present most of the day, nearly every day, and must represent a noticeable change from usual behaviour and functioning. The symptoms are the same as manic symptoms, but over less time; patients must have at least three manic symptoms. Often hypomania is experienced by patients as depression with increased energy and irritability. The change in functioning must be uncharacteristic and unequivocal:
The symptoms should not be confused with the increased energy that occurs when a person recovers from a depressive episode.
The change in functioning should be observable to others, and considered abnormal for the individual.
For hypomania, the symptoms must not be severe enough to cause marked impairment or necessitate hospitalisation, and there must be no psychotic features (if this were the case, the episode would be considered manic, not hypomanic), and it must not be due to a substance or medical condition. Hypomania in itself is not a problem, but it occurs in combination with other episodes. |
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Term
| The causal factors in depression may be biological or psychological. |
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Definition
| The causal factors in depression may be biological or psychological. |
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Term
| The causal factors in depression may be biological or psychological. |
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Definition
Biological factors
Family and twin studies suggest 31% to 42% genetic influence for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Altered neurotransmitter activity in several systems is clearly associated with major depression. Norepinephrine and serotonin depletion is related to stress, emotional expression, appetite, sleep, and arousal, so are clearly implicated in depressive symptomatology. The serotonin transporter gene may be implicated. This gene occurs in three combinations—two short alleles, two long alleles, or one of each. Particular alleles may interact with the environment to help trigger a depressive episode. Dopamine activity reduction is related to pleasure and reward, and is also implicated in depression. |
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Term
| The causal factors in depression may be biological or psychological. |
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Definition
Psychological factors
The diathesis-stress model proposes that some people have vulnerability factors that may increase the risk for depression. People high on neuroticism or negative affectivity can cope poorly with stressful life events, which are also linked to depression. In addition, early adversity or parental loss can be a diathesis.
Beck's (1967) cognitive model of depression says that certain kinds of early life experiences lead to the formation of dysfunctional schemas. These leave a person vulnerable to depression later in life because they activate when a 'critical incident' occurs. Once activated, the assumptions trigger automatic thoughts which produce depressive symptoms, which in turn produce more automatic thoughts, thus spiralling into a major depressive episode.
Beck's neurocognitive triad (Clarke & Beck, 2010) argues that people with depression develop negative schema/cognitive distortions of themselves, the world, and the future (Beck's triad) via negative life events, childhood trauma, rejection, bullying, etc. When they come across a similar situation in real life the schema activates, leading to depression.
Other psychological causal factors include:
reformulated helplessness theory, which proposes that a pessimistic attributional style is a diathesis for depression. Individuals who tend to view the causes of negative events as internal, global, and stable are said to have a pessimistic attribution (thinking) style and have more chance of developing depression
hopelessness theory, which proposes that a pessimistic attributional style and one or more negative life events will not produce depression unless one first experiences a state of hopelessness
excessive rumination can also be a diathesis. |
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Term
Question 1
1 pts
In order to meet the criteria for a major depressive episode, a person MUST have:
a depressed mood or loss of pleasure most of the day for at least 2 weeks.
significant weight loss.
intense irritability.
insomnia. |
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Definition
| a depressed mood or loss of pleasure most of the day for at least 2 weeks. |
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Term
Two months after her husband's death, Connie was still not herself. She often forgot to feed the dog, was late for work on a regular basis, and had not yet thrown out his clothes. Which of the following diagnoses could apply to Connie according to the DSM-5?
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood.
Persistent depressive disorder.
Postpartum depression.
Major depressive disorder. |
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Definition
| Major depressive disorder. |
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Term
Question 3
1 pts
In which of the following disorders must symptoms be present for at least 2 years in order for a diagnosis to be made?
Persistent Depressive Disorder.
Bipolar I disorder.
Major depressive disorder.
Bipolar II disorder. |
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Definition
| Persistent Depressive Disorder. |
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Term
Question 4
1 pts
Which of the following is a symptom of major depressive disorder?
Checking and rechecking things.
Appetite and weight loss.
Running thoughts.
Impulsive spending. |
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Definition
| Appetite and weight loss. |
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Term
Question 5
1 pts
Deena has major depressive disorder. Most days she feels very sad, but when her sister came and told Deena she was going to be an aunt, Deena felt happy for a little while. She has been gaining weight and sleeping much of the day. Deena most likely has:
melancholic features.
double depression.
atypical features.
psychotic features. |
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Definition
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Term
Question 6
1 pts
Angela has had several periods of extremely 'up' moods. They last for a couple of weeks and she has gotten into trouble several times. During those times she doesn't sleep, spends way too much money, gets involved in bad business decisions, talks quickly and thinks even more quickly and believes she can do anything. The best diagnosis for Angela is
manic disorder.
bipolar II disorder.
bipolar I disorder.
cyclothymic disorder. |
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Definition
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Term
Question 7
1 pts
Which of the following is true?
Neither unipolar nor bipolar disorder have a strong genetic contribution.
Unipolar and bipolar disorders have an equally strong genetic contribution.
Unipolar disorder is more strongly inherited than bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is more strongly inherited than unipolar disorder. |
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Definition
| Bipolar disorder is more strongly inherited than unipolar disorder. |
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Term
Question 8
1 pts
Which of the following is a true statement about rapid cycling in bipolar disorders?
It is seen in men more than women.
It occurs in only those with Bipolar II disorder.
Lithium may trigger a cycling episode.
It is seen in 5–10% of those with bipolar disorder. |
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Definition
| It is seen in 5–10% of those with bipolar disorder |
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Term
Question 9
1 pts
A diagnosis of bipolar II disorder indicates that the person has experienced:
an episode of mania.
an episode of mania or major depression.
an episode of hypomania and an episode of major depression.
an episode of mania and an episode of major depression. |
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Definition
| an episode of hypomania and an episode of major depression. |
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Term
Question 10
1 pts
Which of the following is necessary for a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder?
The occurrence of two or more episodes of major depression.
Unremitting symptoms for a period of at least two years.
Symptoms of psychosis.
The occurrence of at least one manic episode. |
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Definition
| The occurrence of at least one manic episode. |
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Term
| Describe and distinguish between mania, hypomania and excitement. |
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Definition
Your Answer:
s
Mania is characterised by elevated, expansive or irritable mood and increased energy/activity for at least 1 week as well as 3 other symptoms such as inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, flight of ideas, distractibility, increased goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation, or involvement in pleasurable, risky activities. Mania is associated with Bipolar Disorder 1. Hypomania is constituted of the same symptoms as mania but lasts for only 'at least 4 days' and has to be an unequivocal change in functioning which is uncharacteristic of the individual and must be observable by others. Hypomania along with a major depressive episode is associated with Bipolar Disorder 2. Excitement is a normal human mood state, which may involve some of the features of mania and hypomania but either lasts for less than 4 days or does not cause significant impairment to social and occupational functioning. Excitement and subsyndromal depression could be associated with cyclothymia. |
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Term
unipolar depressive disorders,
aka major depressive disorder (MDD) |
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Definition
unipolar depressive disorders, in which a person experiences only depressive episodes,
Rates for unipolar major depression are always much higher for women than for men (usually about 2:1),
Other epidemiologic research indicates that rates of unipolar depression are inversely related to socioeconomic status (SES); that is, higher rates occur in lower socioeco- nomic groups
A person with major depressive disorder (MDD) may experience a loss of energy, too much or too little sleep, decreased appetite and weight loss, an increase or slowdown in mental and physical activity, difficulty concentrating, irrational guilt, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. |
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Term
| bipolar and related disorders, |
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Definition
| in which a person experiences both depressive and manic episodes |
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Term
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Definition
| The most common form of mood disturbance involves a depressive episode, in which a person is markedly depressed or loses interest in formerly pleasurable activi- ties (or both) for at least 2 weeks, as well as other symp- toms such as changes in sleep or appetite, or feelings of worthlessness (see the DSM-5 box for diagnostic criteria). |
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Term
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Definition
| The other primary kind of mood episode is a manic episode, in which a person shows a markedly elevated, euphoric, or expansive mood, often interrupted by occa- sional outbursts of intense irritability or even violence— particularly when others refuse to go along with the manic person’s wishes and schemes. These extreme moods must persist for at least a week for this diagnosis to be made. In addition, three or more additional symp- toms must occur in the same time period, ranging from behavioral symptoms (such as a notable increase in goal- directed activity), to mental symptoms where self-esteem becomes grossly inflated and mental activity may speed up (such as a “flight of ideas” or “racing thoughts”), to physical symptoms (such as a decreased need for sleep or psychomotor agitation). (See the Criteria for Manic Episode DSM-5 box.) |
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Term
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Definition
| In milder forms, similar kinds of symptoms can lead to a diagnosis of hypomanic episode, in which a person experiences abnormally elevated, expansive, or irritable mood for at least 4 days. In addition, the person must have at least three other symptoms similar to those involved in mania but to a lesser degree (inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, flights of ideas, pressured speech, etc.). Although the symptoms listed are the same for manic and hypomanic episodes, there is much less impairment in social and occupational functioning in hypomania, and hospitalization is not required. |
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Term
| SPECIFIERS FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODEs |
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Definition
| These different patterns of symptoms or features are called specifiers in DSM-5 (see Table 7.1 for a summary of the major specifi- ers). One such specifier is major depressive episode with melancholic features. |
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Term
| Persistent depressive disorder (formerly called dysthymic disorder or dysthymia) |
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Definition
is a disorder characterized by persis- tently depressed mood most of the day, for more days than not, for at least 2 years (1 year for children and adoles- cents). In addition, individuals must have at least two of six additional symptoms when depressed (see the DSM-5 box for diagnostic criteria).
Periods of normal mood may occur briefly, but they usually last for only a few days to a few weeks (and for a maximum of 2 months). These inter- mittently normal moods are one of the most important characteristics distinguishing persistent depressive disor- der from MDD.
Although persistent depressive disorder is distinct from MDD, the two disorders sometimes co-occur in the same person, a condition given the designation double depression |
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Term
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Definition
Although persistent depressive disorder is distinct from MDD, the two disorders sometimes co-occur in the same person, a condition given the designation double depression
People with double depression are moderately depressed on a chronic basis (meeting symptom criteria for persistent depressive disorder) but undergo increased problems from time to time, during which they also meet criteria for a major depressive episode. |
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Term
| classic observations revealed that there are usually four phases of normal response to the loss of a spouse or close friend |
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Definition
| classic observations revealed that there are usually four phases of normal response to the loss of a spouse or close family member: (1) numbing and disbelief, (2) yearning and searching for the dead person, (3) disorga- nization and despair that sets in when the person accepts the loss as permanent, and (4) some reorganization as the person gradually begins to rebuild his or her life. |
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Term
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Definition
| POSTPARTUM “BLUES” Although you might think the birth of a child is always a happy event, postpartum depression sometimes occurs in new mothers (and occa- sionally fathers) and it is known to have adverse effects on child outcomes (e.g., Ramchandani et al., 2005). In the past it was believed that postpartum major depression in moth- ers was relatively common, but more recent evidence sug- gests that only “postpartum blues” are very common |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| dysfunctional beliefs, known as depressogenic schemas |
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Definition
| dysfunctional beliefs, known as depressogenic schemas, which are rigid, extreme, and counterpro- ductive. An example of a dysfunctional belief (that a person is usually not con- sciously aware of) is “If everyone doesn’t love me, then my life is worthless.” Accord- ing to cognitive theory, such a belief would predispose the person holding it to develop depression |
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Term
| Negative Cognitive Triad (Beck) - Theory for depression |
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Definition
Although they may lie dormant for years in the absence of significant stressors, when dysfunctional beliefs are activated by current stressors or depressed mood, they tend to fuel the current thinking pattern, cre- ating a pattern of negative automatic thoughts—thoughts that often occur just below the surface of awareness and involve unpleasant, pessimistic predictions. These pessi- mistic predictions tend to center on the three themes of what Beck calls the negative cognitive triad, which include negative thoughts about (1) self (“I’m worth- less”); (2) world (“No one loves me”); and (3) future (“It’s hopeless because things will always be this way”)
Beck’s theory originally proposed that stressors are necessary to activate depressogenic schemas or dysfunc- tional beliefs that lie dormant between episodes, but more recent research has shown that stressors are not necessary to activate the latent depressive schemas between epi- sodes. Indeed, simply inducing a depressed mood (e.g., through listening to sad music or recalling sad memories) in an individual who was previously depressed (that is, at risk) is generally sufficient to activate latent depressogenic schemas |
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Term
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Definition
| learned helplessness might pro- vide a useful animal model of depression. In the late 1960s, Seligman and his colleagues (Maier et al., 1969; Overmier & Seligman, 1967) noted that laboratory dogs who were first exposed to uncontrollable shocks later acted in a pas- sive and helpless manner when they were in a situation where they could control the shocks. In contrast, animals first exposed to equal amounts of controllable shocks had no trouble learning to control the shocks. |
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Term
Pessimistic attributional style
(The Hopelessness Theory of Depression ) |
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Definition
| Abramson and colleagues (1978) proposed that people who have a relatively stable and consistent pessimistic attributional style have a vulnerability or diathesis for depression when faced with uncontrollable negative life events. This kind of cognitive style seems to develop, at least in part, through social learning |
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Term
| Bipolar and manic difference |
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Definition
As discussed earlier, bipolar disorders are distinguished from unipolar disorders by the presence of manic or hypo- manic episodes, which are nearly always preceded or fol- lowed by periods of depression.
A person who experiences a manic episode has a markedly elevated, euphoric, and expansive mood, often interrupted by occasional outbursts of intense irritability or even violence—particularly when others refuse to go along with the manic person’s wishes and schemes. Hypomanic episodes can also occur; these involve milder versions of the same symptoms. Although the symptoms listed are the same for manic and hypo- manic episodes, there is much less impairment in hypoma- nia, and hospitalization is not required. |
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Term
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Definition
Cyclothymic disorder refers to the repeated experience of hypomanic symptoms for a period of at least 2 years. This is a less serious version of full-blown bipolar disorder because it lacks the extreme mood and behavior changes, psychotic features, and marked impairment seen in bipolar disorder.
Individuals with cyclothymia are at greatly increased risk of later developing full-blown bipolar I or II disorder ( |
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Term
| Distinguishing Between Bipolar I and Bipolar II Disorder |
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Definition
Bipolar I:
• Person has full-blown mania.
• Person experiences episodes of mania and periods of depression. Even if the periods of depression do not reach the threshold for a major depressive episode, the diagnosis of bipolar I disorder is still given.
Bipolar II:
• Person experiences periods of hypomania, but his or her symptoms are below the threshold for full-blown mania. • Person experiences periods of depressed mood that meet the criteria for major depression. |
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Term
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Definition
| Bipolar I disorder is distinguished from MDD by the presence of mania (see Table 7.2 for a summary). A mixed episode is characterized by symptoms of both full-blown manic and major depressive episodes for at least 1 week, either intermixed or alternating rapidly every few days. Mixed episodes were once thought to be relatively rare, but a recent review of 18 studies found that approximately 28 percent of bipolar patients experience mixed states at least some of the time. |
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Term
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Definition
| does not experience full-blown manic (or mixed) epi- sodes but has experienced clear-cut hypomanic episodes as well as major depressive episodes. Bipolar II disorder is equally or somewhat more common than bipolar I dis- order, and, when combined, estimates are that about 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population will suffer from one or the other disorder (Kessler et al., 2007). Bipolar II disor- der evolves into bipolar I disorder in only about 5 to 15 percent of cases, suggesting that they are distinct forms of the disorder |
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Term
| There has been controversy over whether the symptoms of the depressive episodes of bipolar disorder are clinically distinguishable from those seen in unipolar major depressive episodes |
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Definition
Although there is a high degree of overlap in symptoms, there are some significant differences. The most widely replicated differences are that, relative to people with a unipolar depressive episode, people with a bipolar depressive episode tend to show more mood lability, more psychotic features, more psycho- motor retardation, and more substance abuse (Goodwin & Jamison, 2007). By contrast, individuals with unipolar depression, on average, show more anxiety, agitation, insomnia, physical complaints, and weight loss
that major depressive epi- sodes in people with bipolar disorder are more severe than those seen in unipolar disorder, |
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Term
| Likelihood of bipolar recovery |
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Definition
| Overall, the probabilities of “full recovery” from bipo- lar disorder are discouraging even with the widespread use of mood-stabilizing medications such as lithium, with one review estimating that patients with bipolar disorder spend about 20 percent of their lives in episodes ( |
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Term
| monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) |
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Definition
| The first category of antidepressant medications—developed in the 1950s—is the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) because they inhibit the action of monoamine oxidase, the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of norepinephrine and serotonin once released. The MAOIs can be as effective in treating depres- sion as other categories of medications, but they have potentially dangerous (even potentially fatal) side effects if certain foods rich in the amino acid tyramine are consumed (e.g., red wine, beer, aged cheese, salami). Thus, they are not used very often today unless other classes of medica- tion have failed. Depression with atypical features is the one subtype of depression that seems to respond preferen- tially to the MAOI |
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Term
| Drugs and depressive relapse |
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Definition
| Recall that the natural course of an untreated depressive episode is typically 6 to 9 months. Thus, when depressed patients take drugs for 3 to 4 months and then stop because they are feeling better, they are likely to relapse because the underlying depres- sive episode is actually still present, and only its symp- tomatic expression has been suppressed |
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Term
behavioral activation treatment
(Treating depression, etc) |
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Definition
| behavioral activation treatment. This treatment approach focuses intensively on getting patients to become more active and engaged with their environment and with their interpersonal relationships. These techniques include scheduling daily activities and rating pleasure and mastery while engaging in them, exploring alternative behaviors to reach goals, and role-playing to address specific deficits. |
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Term
| (Treating depression, etc) |
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Definition
One of the two best-known psychotherapies for unipolar depression with documented effectiveness is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (also known as cognitive therapy), originally devel- oped by Beck and colleagues (Beck et al., 1979; Clark, Beck, & Alford, 1999). It is a relatively brief form of treatment (usually 10 to 20 sessions) that focuses on here-and-now problems rather than on the more remote causal issues that psychodynamic psychotherapy often addresses
Therapy Session: “I Can Never Succeed in Life.” patient: I can never succeed in life. therapist: What makes you think that? patient: In my last exam, I put in my best effort. And yet I ranked very low. therapist: Would you like to tell me how you fared last year? patient: I remember I hadn’t really put in so much effort last year, but I had got very good grades. therapist: That’s good. So you did succeed. patient: Yes, well, that’s true. But . . . I just don’t think I can ever do as well now. therapist: Do you think anything went wrong while you were study- ing for your exam this time? patient: I did study . . . but you know, I often took breaks to browse the Internet. And at times, I used to doze off. therapist: It sounds like you were distracted and tired at times. Do you think this could have affected your performance? patient: Yes. I think so. It was hard for me to concentrate. therapist: So it’s fair to say that you are quite capable of being successful when you are able to work without distractions. |
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Term
| The interpersonal therapy (IPT) |
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Definition
| IPT focuses on current relationship issues, trying to help the person understand and change maladaptive interac- tion patterns (Bleiberg & Markowitz, 2008). Interpersonal therapy can also be useful in long-term follow-up for indi- viduals with severe recurrent unipolar depression (Frank et al., 1990; Weissman & Markowitz, 2002). Patients who received continued IPT once a month or who received con- tinued medication were much less likely to have a recur- rence than those maintained on a placebo over a 3-year follow-up period (although those maintained on medica- tion were even less likely to relapse than those treated with monthly IPT) |
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Term
| FAMILY AND MARITAL THERAPY |
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Definition
FAMILY AND MARITAL THERAPY In any treatment program, it is important to deal with unusual stressors in a patient’s life because an unfavorable life situation may lead to a recurrence of the depression and may necessi- tate longer treatment.
For example, for bipolar disorder, some types of family interventions directed at reducing the level of expressed emotion or hostility, and at increasing the information available to the family about how to cope with the disorder, have been found to be very useful in preventing relapse in these situations |
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Term
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Definition
Even without formal therapy, the great majority of patients with mania and depression recover from a given episode in less than a year.
Although relapses and recurrences often occur, these can now often be pre- vented or at least reduced in frequency by maintenance therapy—through continuation of medication and follow- up therapy sessions at regular intervals. |
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Term
| Suicide differences in ethnicity |
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Definition
Racial/ethnic differences are also seen: 90 percent of suicides in the United States are classified as people who are white, 6 percent black, 3 per- cent Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1 percent American Indian or Alaskan Natives
People who become suicidal often come from back- grounds in which there was some combination of a good deal of family psychopathology, child maltreatment, and family instability
Theese early experiences are thought to interact with biological vulnerabilities described below to increase the risk of personality traits such as hopeless- ness, impulsiveness, aggression, pessimism, and nega- tive affectivity, which may in turn increase the risk for suicide
Other symptoms that seem to predict suicide more reliably in the short term in patients with major depression include severe anxiety, panic attacks, severe anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure), global insomnia, delusions, and alcohol abuse
There also is evidence that people who have a strong implicit association between the self and death or suicide are at elevated risk of future suicide attempts, even over and above the effects of other known risk factors
There is strong evidence that suicide sometimes runs in families and that genetic factors may play a role in the risk for suicide
Indeed, only about 40 percent of people with suicidal thoughts or attempts around the world receive treatment ( |
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Term
| Medication with Depressive Disorders and suicide |
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Definition
| A recent review of placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials revealed higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in those receiving antidepressants relative to those receiving placebo. However, the FDA warning has actually backfired and led to an increase in the suicide rate among youth due to a decrease in antide- pressant use |
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Term
| Suicide Prevention and Intervention - --Currently, there are three main thrusts of preven- tive efforts: |
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Definition
| Currently, there are three main thrusts of preven- tive efforts: treatment of the person’s current mental disorder(s) as noted above, crisis intervention, and work- ing with high-risk groups. |
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Term
| Crisis Intervention (Suicide Prevention) |
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Definition
| Emphasis is usually placed on (1) maintaining supportive and often highly directive con- tact with the person over a short period of time—usually one to six contacts; (2) helping the person to realize that acute distress is impairing his or her ability to assess the situation accurately and to see that there are better ways of dealing with the problem; and (3) helping the person to see that the present distress and emotional turmoil will not be endless. |
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Term
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Definition
| Recent research has focused on providing treatment aimed directly at decreasing suicidal thoughts and behaviors among those already experiencing these outcomes. For instance, one recent study tested the effectiveness of cogni- tive therapy for reducing the risk of suicide attempt in adults who had already made at least one prior attempt. |
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