Psychology Basics

Lenses of Psychology

There are Different Ways to Understand Behavior

• Biological • Developmental• Cognitive • Behavioral• Sociocultural

Biological Psychology

• Concerned with the attempt to understand human behavior from the biological perspective:– Physiological processes in the body– Detailed structure of the brain and

entire nervous system– Treatments involving medication– Physical Sensation

Cognitive Psychology

• Focuses on thinking and other mental processes

• Cognition defined “ the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired.”

• Covers areas including:– Attention– Perception– Learning – Memory– Problem solving– language

Behavioral Psychology

• An individual’s experience with rewards and punishments cause a person’s development of behavior patterns

• How we can “train” people to behave in certain ways

Developmental Psychology

• Concerned with the changes occurring during the course of childhood, and its impact on adult behavior

1. Cognitive and physiological development of children as they develop the ability to complete complex tasks

2. Social development of children as they are able to interact effectively with others and cultivate relationships

Sociocultural

• An individual’s social, cultural, biological, and psychological factors causeunique differences.-How does your what is acceptable in your culture/social setting shape your behavior?-Do you act differently in front of your teacher? Your parents? Your friends? Your grandparents?

There are Different Ways to Understand Behavior

• Biological • Developmental• Cognitive • Behavioral• Sociocultural

LET’S USE THEM TO UNDERSTAND DEPRESSION

A Brief Guide toDepression

Which kind of Pain hurts more?

Emotional Pain

Physical Pain

Depression is Real

• Mental illnesses are often not considered “real”, or just “in your head”

• Mental health disorders are real, and can be as debilitating as any disease or condition

This prejudice leads to:• less money spent on research and treatment

development• less support from society

• difficulty in insurance coverage

• Up to 8% of adolescents have depression

• Suicide is the third largest cause of death in adolescents

• Of the 7.7 million to 12.8 million children with mental disorders, an estimated two-thirds are not getting the help they need.

• About half of all of students diagnosed will be on

medication

Why is it Important to Understand Depression as Students

Criteria in the DSM-IV to Diagnose Major Depressive Disorder

1. Depressed or irritable mood2. Loss of interest or pleasure3. Change in weight or appetite4. Sleep problems (too much or too little)5. Motor agitation or retardation6. Fatigue or loss of energy7. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt8. Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making

decisions9. Thoughts of death or suicidal behavior

5 or more symptoms for at least 2 weeks

Significance of Age of Onset

• Early onset usually means a more severe form of depression, specifically higher rates of:– Comorbidity with other mental health disorders– Substance abuse– Personality disorders– Psychiatric hospitalization– Functional impairment– Increased episodes– Suicide

• 4.3 times higher, about 30% will have attempted

Suicide in Depressed Youth

• Every 2 hours a youth commits suicide• Research suggests that there are 23

suicidal gestures and attempts for every completed suicide

• Youths diagnosed with depression are 4.3 times more likely to commit suicide than adults with depression

• Around 30% of youths with depression have attempted to commit suicide

Other Facts about Depression

• Looks different in men and women–Men have more external behaviors

(rage)–Women more internal less aggressive

(crying)

• High comorbidity with Anxiety Disorder (58%)

• About 30-45% of patients are treatment resistant

Common Treatments

• Talk therapy-– Cognitive Behavioral Therapy– Family Based Therapy

• Medication– Often SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors)• Lexapro• Celexa• Luvox • Paxil• Zoloft• Prozac

WHY ARE WE CONCERNED ABOUT SEROTONIN?

Biological • Biological processes influence behavior

and mental processes so there must be a biological based reason for depression…

So What is REALLY Going on “Up There?

• Hypothesized deficiency in Serotonin Transporter (indicated by a polymorphism in the 5HTTLPR gene)

• What does that mean?–There is a “chemical imbalance”–Related to decreased amounts of serotonin

DEPRESSION IS

REAL

The Neuroscience of Depression and SSRI’s

in 8 Slides

HI, I’M A BRAIN!

The Back of Your Head

The Front of Your Head

HI, I’M A NEURON!(I SEND MESSAGES IN THE BRAIN AND AM A KIND OF CELL)

HI, I AM SEROTONIN (A NEUROCHEMICAL)

!MEEE NEUROCHEMICAL!

I help to regulate cognitive functions, such as sleep (dreaming), eating, and mood.

When you think of me, think of How you feel after A big ThanksgivingMeal, soooo good!

“The Pond of Serotonin versus the Ocean of Serotonin”

Depression

No Depression

Proble

m #

1

Chemical TransmissionChemicals or Neurotransmitters are released fromone neuron andanother neuron picks them up.

Serotonin Transporter TrainIF THIS GUY AIN’T WORKING CORRECTLY IT MESSES UP “COMMUNICATION” & “RECEPTION”Hey, I’m gonna

send over some serotonin, that

cool?

You want to send over

what? I’m on a plane I

really can’t talk right now. And I don’t want anymore of whatever it is you want to send me.

Seriously, I need you to

take this serotonin, now Barb

What do you want me to do with this

stuff?

Drop dead Heidi, I

don’t care

Problem #2

Less Serotonin +Less Effective Transfer of it

Depression

SSRIs like prozac are supposed to….

Make the “Train” (Serotonin Transporter) operate so that it tricks the “Ladies on the Phone” (Neurons)

Barb thinks that she already has taken as much as she has room for, but serotonin is important so she’s going to build more space in the warehouse so she can take more from Heidi anyway.

Heidi is confused…she thought shewas sending Barb all the Serotonin shehad, but apparently Barb isn’t getting itor something, so just to be careful she is going to make more and send more

into produci

ng and

usingmore Seroto

nin

Developmental

• Concerned with the changes that occur during childhood and teenage years and how that shapes behavior

If you were not able to develop normally then that could cause depression

Cognitive

• Thought and perceptions influence behavior– Attention– Perception– Learning–Memory– Problem solving – Language

Cognitive Problems in Depression

Delusional Cognition/Thoug

ht• No one loves me

and I will never have any friends

• This situation is hopeless and it will never get better

Realistic Cognition/Thought

• I will make friends and people care about me

• This situation stinks but is temporary and things will get better

Behavioral

• An individual’s experience with rewards and punishments cause a person’s development of behavior patterns

Every time they try to succeed something happens and they fail…they learn they cannot win and become depressed

Sociocultural

• An individual’s social, cultural, biological, and psychological factors cause unique differences.

-What if the way you behave is not acceptable in your culture/social?

-If you live in a society that puts too much pressure on you, or doesn’t value you- that can play a role in causing depression too.