Etiologies of Depression
Etiologies of Depression
Biological Etiologies
Evolution -it signifies to others around you that you need help (Hagen); the symptoms are a call for help from others -a survival instinct to help the species continue on -suicide or threat of suicide: a cry for social help -enhancing the helping instinct in next generations -natural selection -helps find potential mates to decide what genes to pass on
Genes -twin studies (Nurnberger and Gershon) -5HTT -a short allele that predisposes to depression -hinders serotonin reuptake -longer alleles are less likely to have depression (Levinson)
Hormones -cortisol -levels raise and fall rapidly; they remain under stress longer (Burke) -study of homeless children a correlation with high levels of cortisol and negative life events; their mothers were depressed; these children have more stress (Cutuli) -glucocorticoids -often a decrease of receptors in hippocampus and prefrontal lobe in suicides
Neurotransmitters -serotonin -lack of serotonin led to depressive symptoms (serotonin hypothesis) -no baseline and cannot prove that Prozac works (Lacasse and Leo) -dopamine -norepinephrine -tianeptine -the has the opposite function of Prozac (with the baseline and Lacasse and Leo)
Cognitive Etiologies
Cognitive Biases -Information Processing Style (Beck 1976) -negative thinking style -Over-Generalization -being dramatic; “I always…” “I never…” -Selective Abstraction -focusing on the negative parts -Polar Reasoning -not appreciating ambiguity in interpretations of life -everything is black and white; no gray area -no middle ground
Beck’s Work -doesn’t give cause -just another description of depressive thinking
Hankin and Abramson -extension of Beck -account for gender differences and depression prevalence -consider or help explain traumatic experiences in the construction of the negative schema
Biological Etiologies
Evolution -it signifies to others around you that you need help (Hagen); the symptoms are a call for help from others -a survival instinct to help the species continue on -suicide or threat of suicide: a cry for social help -enhancing the helping instinct in next generations -natural selection -helps find potential mates to decide what genes to pass on
Genes -twin studies (Nurnberger and Gershon) -5HTT -a short allele that predisposes to depression -hinders serotonin reuptake -longer alleles are less likely to have depression (Levinson)
Hormones -cortisol -levels raise and fall rapidly; they remain under stress longer (Burke) -study of homeless children a correlation with high levels of cortisol and negative life events; their mothers were depressed; these children have more stress (Cutuli) -glucocorticoids -often a decrease of receptors in hippocampus and prefrontal lobe in suicides
Neurotransmitters -serotonin -lack of serotonin led to depressive symptoms (serotonin hypothesis) -no baseline and cannot prove that Prozac works (Lacasse and Leo) -dopamine -norepinephrine -tianeptine -the has the opposite function of Prozac (with the baseline and Lacasse and Leo)
Cognitive Etiologies
Cognitive Biases -Information Processing Style (Beck 1976) -negative thinking style -Over-Generalization -being dramatic; “I always…” “I never…” -Selective Abstraction -focusing on the negative parts -Polar Reasoning -not appreciating ambiguity in interpretations of life -everything is black and white; no gray area -no middle ground
Beck’s Work -doesn’t give cause -just another description of depressive thinking
Hankin and Abramson -extension of Beck -account for gender differences and depression prevalence -consider or help explain traumatic experiences in the construction of the negative schema