While reading the chapter on mood disorders I thought back to a few of my experiences in forensic psychology. We once discussed how suicidal children are an underreported phenomena and the risk for suicide is often overlooked in children under the age of 13 years old. I realized even the book stated that suicide prior to adolescence is rare because it is often associated with substance abuse. My question is, why is it common to overlook the risk of suicide in children with depression?
In a short peer reviewed journal I found a section where the author reviews suicidal children. The author acknowledges that the risk of suicide in children before adolescence is, in fact, often overlooked. He stated that older people often believe that children prior to adolescence are too young to grasp the concept of death. This lack of understanding is used to conclude that since children do not understand death, it would not be reasonable for them to wish to die. The author counters this argument with the same evidence by saying that because of their lack of understanding it may increase the risk of a child harming or killing himself or herself because they do not realize they can die. The author cites several case studies of children in stressful household situations who took it upon themselves to resolve the stress through self-harm. I believe the author is critiquing the belief that children cannot be suicidal and showing that the common reasoning behind overlooking the risk is not sufficient.
I found this author's perception of childhood depression and suicidal risk more open-minded and reasonable. I think it is unreasonable to assume that a child with depression won't act on that depression in a physical way, including self-harm. I would like to see more studies on suicidal children because the author showed many cases that prove children, though rare, may have suicidal thoughts and behaviors when suffering depression.
Combrinck-Graham, L. (1980). Suicidal children. Clinical Pediatrics, 19(7), 447-448.
This was an intriguing post! I have not thought to look further into suicidal children and their acts of self-harm. Did you look into the studies the author cited to back up his/her argument? It would be very interesting to learn about the various methods implemented to test some of those ideas. This is a sobering topic that should not be overlooked, and you did a great job by digging deeper into the material! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Alex-Marie, That was a very interesting post. I have also discussed in previous psychology classes how childhood suicide is underreported. I remember being shocked during that class discussion, because I did not even know that childhood suicide was an issue, as it is out of mainstream media. I agree that more research needs to be done on a very important topic. There should also be research done on how best to educate parents and teachers the warning signs of depression in children. This alone could help prevent the deaths of children and adolescents from suicide.
Hey Alex-Marie, This is very interesting because you're right, very rarely do we ever hear of a child younger than 13 committing or attempting suicide. I always thought it was because the amount of cognitive ability required to plan their suicide, and comprehend that there is no coming back if they succeed in their attempt. Do you think that assuming that young children don't have these cognitive abilities is why many individuals over look this topic?
Good Post! I like that the topic you choose is outside the box thinking and that the article was also open minded in nature. Your point of children not really understanding that death is permanent and the consequences is valid. I agree that this topic is overlooked and deserves more research. It could potentially help alot of kids and parents in how to better deal with the situation.
This dovetails really well with what I know about externalizing behavior problems. People think that because children are capable/allowed to externalize their feelings, they don't or aren't capable of turning it inward. What you're citing initially feels almost Freudian. However, it would be interesting to look into what factors--personal or environmental--make internalizing, rather than externalizing, symptoms more likely. Is there something unique about mood disorders and their etiology, or is it about temperament, or some form of "oppressive" environment?
I remember talking about this in forensic psychology! It is insane to hear that the reason they are so underreported is because they can't grasp the concept of death, so "why would they want to harm themselves?". I really agree with the open-minded and more reasonable response the author had- they don't grasp the concept, so that would be the reason they would harm themselves. I know at a young age death did not seem too scary to me, but as I get older, thinking about death scares me. We don't really know what happens after we die. I think more studies should be done as well as more outreach programs.
This post was very interesting and I actually enjoyed reading it. I think it is so crazy that people do not think that children with depression will commit suicide. If a person is experiencing depression there is always a risk they may try to harm themselves and may end up killing themselves. I believe people need to take child suicide very seriously because, like you said in your post, they may not realize that what they are doing might actually kill them. Very interesting post.
This is actually something really great to have brought up! Unfortunately I do know of children that have suffered with depression at a young age, and have personally suffered with it for awhile. The understanding that children under 13 are overlooked is actually something that I could see because of people believing "they're just too young". Children at this age still have a lot of development milestones to reach and probably do not understand what they're feeling.
When reading the chapter on mood disorders, I became interested in the intellectual and academic functioning in children with depression. This section of the chapter seemed to lack a consensus on whether or not depression is the cause or the outcome of learning difficulties. It raised the question for me of what can be done to help those children who suffer from depression succeed academically? In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Applied Neuropsychology, researchers attempt to alleviate the unknown in neurocognitive difficulties in children and adolescents with depression. The researchers developed a battery of neuropsychological computerized tests that can ascertain cognitive difficulties in those children and adolescents with depression. This battery consisted of seven tests and 23 tests scores and five domain scores. The five domains are:Memory, Psychomotor Speed, Reaction Time, Complex Attention, and Cognitive Flexibility. Children with depression scored low on memory, reaction time, and complex attention. I believe that this battery of tests could alleviate some of the negative outcomes of a child or adolescent suffering from a mood disorder in an academic setting. If a psychologist is able to correctly identify whether or not the child with depression has a cognitive deficit, then perhaps accommodations could be made to help the child succeed academically.
Brooks, B. L., Iverson, G. L., Sherman, E. S., & Roberge, M. (2010). Identifying cognitive problems in children and adolescents with depression using computerized neuropsychological testing. Applied Neuropsychology, 17(1), 37-43.
I like how your topic begins with addressing both sides of the question whether depression results in academic difficulties or if academic difficulties result in depression. This study seems very interesting, though it also seems extensive. I wonder, since children lack the attention span of a mature adult, if the number of tests impacted their scores. I doubt it, in this case, but it could be possible. It is interesting to see that memory is impacted by depression. I have seen a study in the past on reaction time and the relation between depression and preoccupied thoughts but memory seems interesting to learn more about.
This was a great post! I like how you looked at this topic from a problem-solving angle, because prevention/treatment early on is crucial when it comes to mental illness in children. I thought the computerized test was an intelligent and creative way to highlight specific problem areas in cognition with children with depression. It made me wonder whether teachers are informed of this study and the academic deficits that come with depression, because teachers would be a great tool in detecting struggling children early on. Overall, this post was great!
Lauren, This was a really interesting post, I've never considered how depression can have a direct impact on a child's academic capabilities/achievements. Did they account for the possibility of anxiety and/or other possible disorders that children could have that might have a direct impact on their academic career (i.e. ADHD)? I only ask because if they didn't then the chances that it is purely just depression affecting academics comes into question, test anxiety or GAD in children could affect their grades.
Liked the topic and how it could potentially help kids with depressive symptoms. I think the correlation the research found between academics and depression is a step in the right direction for research. I agree with you that accomodations should be made for kids with depressive symptoms. If they can identify some of the weaknesses they have academically, they can start to correct them. Which could not only help their grades but, maybe lessen some of the depressive symptoms as well.
This is a good thought. I know that I've heard of doctors saying "maybe you can't concentrate because of your depression so you must not have ADHD". Though this may be the case, there should still be a way to figure out what it is exactly causing this.
I thought this was a great thing to look up. When talking about depression the main connection I can make between the symptoms and their success academically would be that their attention would be shorter than the average child. I think the research article that you found brings up an interesting way of identifying what problems the child has. I think this is important because then the psychologist and the child and possibly their teacher can work together to target those areas that the child is struggling in. Great question!
I also find this interesting. In class today, while discussing the cognitive abilities and neurophysiological aspect of depression, I had a thought about the possibility of a heighten cognitive abilities and depression. While a child already has difficulties expressing certain abstract emotions, how can a child express depressive emotions, without the awareness? Could the child's heighten awareness and cognitive abilities be a risk factor for depression?
While reading this chapter something that came up as a question was that I was wondering if individuals who are diagnosed at such a young age with a depressive disorder had similar or different predictors for the onset of depression as did adolescents and adults?
In the study I found, the experimenters took a large group of children ages 3 to 6 years old and conducted a multi-informant longitudinal study to find out if these children had similar or different predictors of the on set of depression as adolescents and adults had. Predictors for the on set of depression for individuals who were 6 years old were taken from 5 domains when children were three years old, these domains were: 1) child psychopathology, 2) observed child temperament, 3) teacher ratings of peer functioning, 4) parental psychopathology, and 5) psychosocial environment.
The predictors that were discovered within these children were the history of the child's anxiety disorders, poor peer functioning, parental history of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, early and recent stressful life events, and less parental education. All of these predictors were found to be similar for individuals who were adolescents or adults who were diagnosed with depression.
Now knowing some of the predictors as being the same for young children as they are for adolescents and adults it will be easier for us to intervene when children starting exhibiting a depressive disorder especially if any of the previous predictors are seen in combination with each other.
Buffered, S.J., Dougherty, L.R., Olino, T.M., Dyson, M.W., Laptook, R.S., Carlson, G.A., & Klein, D.N. (2014). Predictors of the onset of depression in young children: a multi-method, multi-informant longitudinal study from ages 3 to 6. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 55(11), 1279-1287.
I found that these predictors were interesting since all children, adolescents, and adults exhibited them as part of depression. It was interesting to note that they found out that these were experienced by all 3 and that it would make it easier to be able to diagnose a child now since they are seen in adults too. I'm glad that this was found so that way we can start intervention at a younger age and hopefully get the child the attention they need in order to combat depression early on. Most of these factors seem to be environmental causes for depression so it just shows how environment can heavily influence depression and how social support at home is important for a child's health.
Hi Mariah, I found your post really interesting. I was surprised to learn that the predictors for depression are the same in children as they are in adolescents or adults. This study can really change how parents respond to their children showing depressive symptoms and hopefully address this issue early on to avoid the impairment children with depression suffer. This information also seems essential for counselors and teachers to know as well to help identify these issues in children at school to help them.
Mariah, You made a very good point when you mentioned that because the predictors for depression were similar in younger children as in adolescents and adults, it would be easier to detect depression at a younger age. After reading your post, I wondered why some people with depression have an earlier onset than others. Perhaps there are certain environmental factors that can trigger a person"s genetic disposition to depression at an earlier age I also wondered, do those who have an onset of depression as a young child have more severe depression than those who have an onset in adolescents?
Mariah, The study you found was really interesting. I, personally, think the earlier we can implement therapy and coping factors into a child's life the better they will be later on when dealing with adversities. Because children's brains are so malleable until the age of 5, or so, if we can implement these things, it could help later on in life with relapses in depression and mood disorders. I'm glad to hear this study making progress towards that!
When reading this chapter, I thought about how many people with mood disorders are given anti-depressants and other drugs to help them cope with their disorder. I think every anti-depresant commercial i've ever seen has very serious side-effects including suicidal thoughts and alot of the times death? I wanted to look at some research on the side effects.
The research I found was from 2015 and looked at a popular drug Aripiprazole. Aripiprazole is a antipsychotic drug that is often given to people with bi-polar disorder, depressive symptoms, and is a mood stabilizer. While Aripiprazole has been shown to be really effective in treating acute mania. The drug was also found to be effective for depression and anxiety when combined with other anti-depressants. The main problem with this drug is that it Akathisia was prevalent (18%) in patients with bi-polar 1 disorder. Akathisia consists of a subjective feeling of restlessness or nervousness, a need to move about, and an inability to relax. A serious side effect that often worsens other symptoms as well.
What would happen if the dose was increased or if it was combined with another anti-depressant for severe cases. When the dose of Aripiprazole, was increased in some patients not only did the prevalence of Akathisia increase but, patients reported increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or attempts. These same side effects were found in patients that combined it with Lamotrigine an anti-depresant which is often prescribed together.
It seems that prescribing this kind of anti-psychotic drug or others is really risky. While it has been shown to be effective in some cases, the severe side effects that some people develop leave you wondering if its worth the risk.
I like that you brought up a good point about some of these drugs that are used in the market today. I've also heard those commercials about how some anti-depressants may give you suicidal thoughts and it just makes me wonder about what goes on inside our brain on an anatomical level for this to happen. I think that this is an issue in the medical field that should have more drug trials instead of trying to throw stuff out in the market to make a profit. I also wonder about how many people hide the feelings of depression/suicide even when taking medication just so they won't be judged or labeled in today's society. Hopefully, more drugs without heavy risks are produced in the near future to help people with these conditions.
Shawn, Your post caught my attention because I too see the advertisements for the medications that are meant to treat depression. I feel that those might be one of the most common forms of medication to be advertised on television. The results from your study stunned me because of the severe side effects those prescribed medication can cause. It is interesting that when increasing the dosage of one of the medications actually increased one's anxiety and depression. That seems extremely anti-productive. I wonder, after reading all of the risks that are involved in taking these medications, how common is it for patients with depression to be treated with drugs? What sort of other approaches can one take to treat their depression that do not involve taking medication?
I like that you brought attention to the use of pharmaceuticals to treat mood disorders. There is a lot of research out there in favor of it and the contrasting research is very compelling. From my understanding, drugs claiming to mend mood disorders function on an individual basis. Since everyone's chemistry is uniquely their own, I wouldn't expect there to be a drug that works across the board in every case. I find it important that you pointed out the negatives. In my personal experience, I have seen more negative outcomes from the use of mood adjusting medication than I have seen positive outcomes. I find it interesting that the side effects are so severe and yet doctors continue to push these drugs. Great topic.
I liked reading your post because I see those ads on TV too where it has the medication and then lists a bunch of possible side effects. I always wonder why people would take those medications if there are such serious side effects like suicidal thoughts. I found it very interesting reading the study you found and how they found that this specific medication had side effects and even more serious ones when paired with drugs it is usually paired with. It makes me wonder if the medication is even worth it for these people with bipolar disorder.
When reading the chapter, I thought about the different things that children could experience as part of depression and a big topic was bullying. I thought about how growing up, children could be in a situation that involves bullying and how it can negatively impact them by causing them to be depressed. My question is, how does bullying play a role in depression?
The article I read, aimed to answer the question as to how youth reacted to bullying. They measured various groups that included categorizing children into a bully only, victim only, or bully & victim, or neither category in order to assess depression levels. Results showed that the category ‘neither’ had the highest percentage of children followed by ‘bully only’, ‘victim only’, and ‘bully & victim’ categories, with boys being mostly part of the ‘bully only’ and girls part of the’ victim only’ categories. Children were asked to complete a Depression-Self Rating Scale, in which the ‘bully & victim’ group scored higher compared to the other groups. Additionally, children were asked to complete a Youth Self Report that also assessed various psychiatric symptoms to which ‘victim & bully’ scored the highest, with ‘bully only’ being the second. Interestingly, ‘victim only’ and ‘bully & victim’ reported the higher levels of suicide. Overall, this study found that ‘victim & bully’ had the highest psychological problems and it makes sense due to the fact that these children experience both degrees of aggression towards them and towards others. These children had the higher reports of psychiatric symptoms caused from bullying and it was interesting to see that this group was the most affected compared to ‘victim only’ since these children could at least have some kind of ‘power’ and take off some of the anger built from bullying into someone else. This just shows how bullying can be such a powerful factor that can affect depression during the child’s developmental stages and could potentially impact their future and how prone they are to depression.
Ivarsson, Tord. et al. (2005). Bullying in adolescence: Psychiatric problems in victims and bullies as measured by the Youth Self Report (YSR) and the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS). Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 59 (5), 365-373.
Aaron, This is a really interesting! I would have thought that the 'victim only' category would have the most psychiatric symptoms, because they probably feel like they are more of a target. Although, I can see that the 'victim and bully' category can express their frustration with being bullied by bullying others. Bullying is such a big issue in adolescence and if it is constant I can definitely see it being linked to depression or depressive symptoms.
While I was reading the chapter over mood disorders, I became curious whether children of parents with mood disorders were more predisposed to also have a mood disorder and which mood disorders were more prevalent.
The article I found studied children of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The study found that children of parents with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were actually had a higher prevalence to being diagnosed with ADHD instead of the same mood disorders as their parents. However; children of schizophrenia-diagnosed parents were more likely to have ADHD than children of bipolar disorder diagnosed parents. Those with bipolar parents were more likely to be diagnosed with depression. They concluded that ADHD was more prevalent in children with schizophrenia parents, because there is a neurological development process that happens and affects both disorders. This study was interesting, because it did not find that children with parents of bipolar disorder are more predisposed to also being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but are more predisposed to other mood or anxiety disorders. It is also interesting how children are more likely to be diagnosed with depression if their parent has bipolar disorder. I can see how extreme mood swings could have an effect on children, especially since they're more impressionable during childhood. The one thing I wish this study had addressed is if the bipolar disorder in the parents was directed at the child and if that could be why depression is more prevalent.
Sanchez-Gistau, V., Romero, S., Moreno, D., de la Serna, E., Baeza, I., Sugranyes, G., & ... Castro-Fornieles, J. (2015). Psychiatric disorders in child and adolescent offspring of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A controlled study. Schizophrenia Research, 168(1-2), 197-203. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2015.08.034
Lauren, I found your post very interesting! Parents have such an affect on their kids lives and looking into this relationship is super interesting. I also thought it was interesting that parents with bipolar disorder children are more likely to be diagnosed with depression. I wonder how old the children were when they analyzed them and wonder if they older they got if the depression severity was different at different ages.
Lauren, You bring up an interesting question that I didn't personally think of. In class we talk about the hereditary affects that the disorders have but I like that you also took into account their home life. Now after reading the results of the research you found it makes sense to me the relationship between the disorders of the parents and of the children. With the children of parents with schizophrenia I feel that ADHD reflects some of the more physical aspects of the disorder. I also think that it is interesting that children of parents with bipolar disorder are more likely to have depression. I think the children easily relate to the manic side because of them being children who I tend to believe are more positive in comparison to adults. That being said, the depression aspect is much more affecting on them. Great post!
This is super interesting! It really brings into question how different these issues are from a hereditary standpoint. Could it be that all of these issues either 'hang out" genetically as well, so either the presence or the predilection for one illness raises the diathesis for another?
I like what you said about the environment created by parents with mood disorders as well, and it makes sense. I would want to approach it from astudy that worked only with parents with mood disorders (say bipolar disorder) and analyzed their parenting techniques. Is it just the presence of bipolar disorder, or the associated possible parenting deficiencies that result in poorer outcomes in children? I helped with a dissertation recently that looked at PCIT in depressed mothers, but the sample was small and I don't know what the end results were.
Reading through the textbook chapter on mood disorders, I was very interested in childhood depression and the comorbidity that comes along with it. Specifically, I was curious as to how depression presented itself with the additional presence of an eating disorder. I questioned whether that specific combination of comorbidity would have an effect on a child’s diagnostic process/clinical assessment when compared to a child with only depression. I started to wonder: What impact does depression and an eating disorder have on a child or adolescent?
It is found common that children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) often suffer from depression and anxiety. In fact, one study on children with early-onset AN found that 56% of them had comorbid depression. The academic journal article I found did not have sufficient research to specifically identify how comorbid depression and AN impact one another in the presentation of symptoms or treatment plans, but some interesting concepts were still presented in the text. For example, the diagnosis of depression is difficult in people with AN because many AN symptoms resemble depression (i.e. self-hatred, lethargy, lack of appetite/energy, social isolation). Depression is also found to begin after the onset of AN (during the process of weight gain), while anxiety occurs before the onset of AN and continues throughout the recovery process. Some studies found that depression can hinder the AN recovery process, but study results varied. Similarly, severe malnourishment due to AN can interfere with cognitive behavioral therapy (used to treat depression/anxiety). Overall, I enjoyed this article because it went very in-depth on comorbid AN, depression, and anxiety. It was also interesting to learn about some minor impacts the disorders have on each other; however, more research (especially regarding children and adolescents) is needed to make specific and valid conclusions.
Hughes, E. (2012, March). Comorbid depression and anxiety in childhood and adolescent anorexia nervosa: Prevalence and implications for outcome. Clinical Psychologist, 16(1), 15-24. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from PsycINFO.
While reading, I became very interested in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), a new disorder in the DSM-5. I have honestly not heard about it until this class. It is a chronic, severe persistent irritability, and the symptoms and scenarios talked about made me think about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as ASD individuals experience chronic irritability. I wondered if there was an comorbidity at all between these two?
This article stated how a third of children with ASD experience the temper tantrums, chronic irritability, and conduct and aggression, and long term studies have found persistent presence of DMDD in ASD. Researchers took the developmental trajectory from ASD and DMDD and found that the chronic irritability in ASD followed along very similar to DMDD. Results from research found that family history of mood disorders is more prevalent in ASD child who has co-morbid mood dysregulation, suggesting ASD children might be genetically "pertinent" too mood disorders and see early onset in mood dysregulation.
Pan, P., & Yeh, C. (2016). The comorbidity of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatry Research, 241108-109. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.05.001
Morgan, I had never heard of DMDD either before this class. I agree with it being similar to ASD. I think it's interesting that children with ASD may see early onset with ASD. Did the article say anything about how to treat DMDD?
I have learned throughout the chapter reading and class that while the DSM has specific criteria for any and all disorder, each disorder is going to have a very high comorbidity to another specific disorder. It seems to me that one disorder can best explain a child's abnormalities while other similar disorder or co-morbid disorders can explain the outliers. Yet this makes a lot of sense, especially DMDD co-morbid to ASD. Some aspects of these disorders complement each other, giving better explanations, and hopefully detailed and helpful diagnosis for treatment.
I have never even heard of DMDD until this class as well! Since DMDD and ASD are so closing related are they treated close to the same ways? Or is it a completely different process?
Children and adolescents with MDD most often have another co-existing disorder. The text mentioned that one of the most common disorders that is co-morbid with depression as a mood disorder is anxiety. To be more specific, these anxieties that children with MDD often deal with include general anxiety, specific phobias, and separation anxiety (Mash & Wolfe, p. 317). This made me want to know more about the co-morbidity of anxiety and mood disorders. According to the text, anxiety disorders are the “most frequent” co-morbid disorder with MDD, but what specifically might that mean? One study I found tested for the comorbidity of OCD and other anxiety disorders in children who had been diagnosed with mood disorders according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. There were a total of 100 patients all under the age of 18, and there was no difference in their education level and onset of their mood disorders. The results showed that 22% of the sample group had co-morbid anxiety along with their mood disorder. This means that one fifth of the children who participated in this study had both a mood disorder as well as anxiety. Of the 22% with co-morbid anxiety, 8% had panic disorder, 7% had GAD, 4% had OCD, 3% had SAD, 2% had subthreshold obsessive-compulsive symptoms, 1% had social phobia, and 3% had multiple anxiety disorders (Paul, Praharaj, Sarkhel & Sinha, 2015). The results from this study also included several interesting findings as well. For example, the article stated that the majority of the 22% of co-morbid anxiety participants were female. When compared to the portion of the participants who did not have any co-morbid anxiety with their mood disorder, those with co-morbid anxiety had more children with a family history of psychiatric illnesses. All of the participants who had OCD had a family history of psychiatric illnesses. What I found most interesting about these results was the amount of variety these co-morbid anxiety disorders had. Whether it was OCD, GAD, SAD, or social phobia, these children with mood disorders had all different types of anxieties; some of these children even had more than one anxiety disorder. Anxiety is the most common co-morbid disorder to have with a mood disorder, and that can take form in many different types of anxiety.
Paul, I., Praharaj, S.K., Sarkhel, S., Sinha, V.K. (2015). Co-morbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders with child and adolescent mood disorders. East Asian Arch Psychiatry. Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists. 25:58-63.
After reading this chapter the one thing I became interested in was MDD known as Major Depressive Disorder. I wanted to know how likely kids with this disorder have thoughts of suicide.
I found a study that studied MDD patients who were diagnosed before puberty. They initially looked at kids 6-15 and upon follow up those kids were 17- 28. The study found that these children had higher risks of suicide later in life, and were also more likely to fall into the habits of alcohol or drug consumption. These children were also more at risk to getting bipolar 1 disorder and CD. These children were also more likely to have continuous outpatient treatment or hospitalization.
Its not hard for me to believe that kids with MDD would want to end their life later on. I cannot imagine living day to day as if everything was wrong, continually feeling sad as if there was nothing I could do about it. Its also easy for me to see how these kids could later become dependent on drinking and drugs to help to take the age off. Alcohol and drugs are a form of a depressant, they may help at the time, but revisiting and revisiting the depressant can lead to addiction which won't help the MDD it would just add to it.
Weissman, M. M., Wolk, S., Wickramaratne, P., Goldstein, R. B., Adams, P., Greenwald, S., & ... Steinberg, D. (1999). Children with prepubertal-onset major depressive disorder and anxiety grown up. Archives Of General Psychiatry, 56(9), 794-801. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.56.9.794
Did your study happen to say if any of the children were on medication or therapy to help combat the MDD? If they were, their chances of being suicidal might be reduced. It would be interesting to compare a group of medicated and/or in therapy to a group of children without any treatment of their survival rates later on in life.
Regan- I can easily see how children and adolescents with depression can lead a hard life and have higher risks of suicide. I think it is common to see people with depression also be dependent on drugs or alcohol because they find joy in it. I view depression as an absence of feeling so substances can be viewed as pleasure by people who have the disorder. Overall great post! I found it very interesting how adolescents who have depression have a higher risk of suicide in the future.
I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live with MDD. Not being able to do anything about the way you feel and feeling like there is no hope would be terrible. If they were on any medication would they just take it for the rest of their lives or would it eventually and gradually improve throughout their years?
While reading the chapter, I was curious about the functioning level of children who are diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). I was interested in the executive functioning (EF) and wondered if their prefrontal cortex is as developed as children without MDD.
The study that I chose involved children ages 8-17with MDD and many of the children were comorbid with other disorder. The children all tested average for intelligence before starting the study. The control group was comprised of children ages 9-17 with no psychopathology evidence currently or lifetime. The study found that there was statistical significance for processing speed index and that children with MDD decreased compared to the control group. There was no statistically significance in intelligence like spelling, reading, or math. There was not statistical evidence of children with MDD having lower EF than the control group. I think this is interesting that they didn’t find any differences except through the processing speeds. Neuroimaging studies have shown that people with MDD typically have abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, which is where higher processes are, so one would think there would be a difference in EF.
Favre, T., Hughes, C., Emslie, G., Stavinoha, P., Kennard, B., & Carmody, T. (2009). Executive functioning in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 15(1), 85-98. doi:10.1080/09297040802577311
Hey Toria, I see where you're coming from in thinking that it's odd that there isn't much difference in the EF of people with MDD. You would think that if their processing speeds are lower that they might have some kind of significantly different scores in other executive functioning. That being said, I can see why MDD may not produce those outcomes as well because it is more of an internal disorder and revolves a lot around experience and other factors and does not specifically require that the prefrontal cortex be underdeveloped in a child/adolescent.
Toria, your post brought up some very good points, I as well wrote about functioning and MDD. I would have wanted to known the exact specifics of the abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex as in if it were smaller or the same mass as normal child's but was misshapen. The findings about the same EF between the two groups is compelling. I am interested in figuring out how processing speeds are slower in children with MDD, maybe it has something to do with the chemical imbalance or not enough serotonin . I liked your post and the research you intergraded went very well with the question you asked!
Toria, very interesting question! One would think that the functioning of someone with MDD would be a lot lower do of the lack of caring so, it was shocking to see that there really was not much of a difference. This only leads me to think that people perceive the because of the depression that functioning would be much lower when in fact it is not. I wonder if more people knew this, such as teachers in school, if they would still treat these kids differently.
While reading about the genetic and family risks of depression, I began to think about a child’s prenatal development if the mother has major depression disorder. Also I became interested in the mental and developmental affects of SSIRs and antidepressants in child who take these medications for depression. I find it very interesting that some of the effects of these medications can cause suicidal thinking when if fact it is suppose to help with depression. While the effects of these medications are interesting, I would like to know the effects of these medications upon pregnant women. Specifically how the child’s development is effected by the disorder and the antidepressants or SSRIs the mother is taking. One study examined pregnant depressed women on tricyclic antidepressants or fluoxetine, and untreated pregnant depressed women. Each woman was examined by severity of major depressive disorder (MDD), stage of pregnancy, and treatment of MDD. After the birth of these women’s children, each child was assessed through cognitive abilities (IQ), language and temperament. The study results showed that children exposed to these antidepressants or fluoxetine during gestation had higher cognitive abilities and language achievement when compared to the untreated depression pregnant women. The treatment of antidepressants in these women were only present in the first trimester, as other studies have concluded that the use of these drugs can affect the child’s brain development in the second and third trimester. This study is mostly proving that the correct and moderate medical treatment of MDD can and should be acquired as a mother. More specifically it points out the more control the mother has over MDD the better possibly that their child’s cognitive and language development will sustain normally.
Nulman, I., Rover, J., Stewart, D.E., Wolpin, J., Pace-Asciak, P., Shuhaiber, S. & Koren, G. (2002) Child development following exposure to tricyclic antidepressants or fluoxine throughout fetal life:a prospective, controlled study. Am J Psychiatry, 159(11), 1889-1895. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.11.1889
Kyleigh, I was wondering, did your study mention the ages the children were assessed? I think it's pretty cool that there was a measurable difference between the mother's that took the antidepressants v. the one's that didn't. Now i'm interested in what the effects may be if they take the medication during the second and third trimester.
Emotional regulation was a subject that struck me as very interesting during the chapter. I wanted to know more on the relationship between ER and anxiety disorders. The common aspect I have found between ER and anxiety disorder is the use of Reappraisal. To put it simply, this is perceiving an emotional provoking situation or thing and then changing the emotional impact it has on one’s self. Anxious children seem to not be able to do this as well as non-anxious children and they practice it in their everyday life less often. Appraisal is an adaptive strategy for people. The high usage of this strategy is associated with a reported greater well-being. Anxious children have a lower self-efficacy as a contributing factor also. There has been some research that the anxious subjects did not rely on their reappraisal strategies because of not being able to construct the results of their efforts as how they really were produced. As a consequence, would make them less likely to use them. The main understanding I come to is being aware of the emotional response you have from anxiety disorder and learning to control it can make the perceived stimuli that gives anxiety symptoms to have less of an effect.
Carthy, T., Horesh, N., Apter, A., Edge, M. D., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Emotional reactivity and cognitive regulation in anxious children. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 48(5), 384-393. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.12.013
After reading the chapter and talking to a close friend of mine, my question is if PMS and MDD are related. This may be an odd question, but after speaking to my friend who was telling me she was felt as though she was feeling depressed, then later telling me she was on her period I thought nothing of it. It came back to me though, maybe they can co-occur, and if so is it the neurochemicals that are the same or is it that they just have the same symptoms?
The study I found was a data analysis from women under the age of 55 who answered questions about PMS symptoms. It turns out the prevalence of Major depression was 24.6% in women that screened positive for severe PMS. That being said, the research also talked about how sometimes the distinction between PMDD (premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) and depression is not always clear as they both show symptoms of depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness, lack of energy, etc. It also says that although a lot of the symptoms overlap, irritability is more prominent in PMS than is depressed mood. Overall, more studies need to be done on the two disorders because as of right now they suggest to have differing causes. While there are some risk factors (such as low self rated health) that seem to connect the two disorders, more research has to be conducted to learn more about their co-occurences.
I found this research interesting because, although it was done in older women, I think some young women who suffer from horrible PMS may feel as though they are depressed. I think this should be studied more so we can determine is severe PMS is a potential risk factor for later depression, or even vice versa, what if MDD causes severe PMS because of the stress on the body?
Forrester-Knauss, C., Zemp Stutz, E., Weiss, C., & Tschudin, S. (2011). The interrelation between premenstrual syndrome and major depression: Results from a population-based sample. Retrieved October 11, 2016, from BMCPublicHealth
Ashley, your question is a very interesting one! Your last question in the post is what I would definitely like to see more research on. if I had to make an inference I would think that severe PMS could be a precursor for MDD. Maybe there could be some info on first menstrual cycle and how that effects women later on with life stressors. I enjoyed your post!
When reading the section of the chapter about Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), it was brought to my attention that there is some controversy surrounding the addition of DMDD to the DSM-5 as its own independent disorder. It is even noted that more research is sorely needed in order to determine whether or not this diagnosis will be reliable. My first reaction to this reading is that DMDD sounds a lot like ODD. This raised the question of why are we not just calling this a specific form of ODD? I could see how the moodiness involved in DMDD would possibly differentiate it from ODD, but then couldn’t it just be Bi-polar disorder? These options are discussed in the text but it is reiterated that there is not yet a conclusion. With that being said, I at least wanted to take a look at some of the research done so far. I found exactly what I expected to find; there is still not enough research and the research we do have overlaps ODD and DMDD significantly enough that one article suggests having DMDD as a modifier to ODD since almost all youth diagnosed with DMDD also meet the criteria for ODD. By not attributing ODD to those who are diagnosed with DMDD, the importance of the impact of argumentative and vindictive behavior is neglected. At this point, I am not convinced that there would be any benefit to having DMDD as its own diagnosis. Especially since the diagnostic criteria states that it cannot coexist with ODD, which it is shown to be most related to. There are still many questions left unanswered due to lack of research, but I definitely plan to stay on the look-out for upcoming studies.
Baweja, R., Mayes, S., Hameed, U., & Waxmonsky, J. (2016, August 24). Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: Current insights. Dovepress, 2016(12), 2115-2124. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S100312
Interesting point! I assume that there must be some sort of difference for them to distinguish it as a mood disorder instead of a disruptive behavior disorder. Did your article state why they made the difference in the first place?
Kristen, After reading the chapter I also thought that DMDD seemed to be like ODD. Its interesting to see that more research is needed to see if the two over lap. I would what kind of research could be used to test this, because I feel like a questionnaire wouldn't give you the conclusive results you would need.
While reading about the various mood disorders, major depressive disorder became very interesting to me. I started to question if the brain size or volume could be affected by those who have the disorder. I found a study that was conducted that found numerous differences in the volume of many parts of the brain. These parts of the brain included the hippocampus, amygdala, and temporal lobes just to name a few. The study group consisted of 16 patients who had a history of depression based on the criteria from the DSM-IV. The 16 patients included 10 men and 6 women, all of which had experience with antidepressants and inpatient hospitalizations. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to analyze the hippocampus and volume changes by two blind raters. The results showed a high percentage of internal reliability. A 19% decrease of volume change in the left hippocampus and 12% difference in the right was found. There was no correlation between weeks in remission or number of hospitalizations for depression. However, a possible confounding variable could have been elevated levels of glucocorticoids that caused hippocampal damage which in return caused a reduction in overall volume. Overall, I would think that there are a lot more variables that could affect the study as a whole, but having a smaller hippocampus makes sense because it controls emotions and memory. I would be interested to look into other studies to find if the results are similar. I found this study very intriguing and hope to find more.
Bremner, J. D., Narayan, M., Anderson, E. R., Staib, L. H., Miller, H. L., & Charney, D. S. (2000). Hippocampal volume reduction in Major Depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(1), 115–118. doi:10.1176/ajp.157.1.115
I loved reading your post! I really like learning about the brain- it is incredible. Depression is what made me want to study psychology in college, and wanting to learn more about the brain with depression- hopefully learning about finding future solutions to depression. I was shocked to see such a big decrease in volume change in left hippocampus and the difference between the right. I could see hippocampus being smaller, but I wonder what other regions of the brain we see affected? I really enjoyed reading your post- good job!
Thank you for posting! I enjoyed reading your post. I did not know about the differences in sizes of regions in the brain in relation to major depressive disorder. I was familiar with the chemical imbalance when it comes to neurotransmitters, but it is very interesting that there is a difference in volume of the hippocampus, amygdala, and temporal lobes of the brain. I wonder if the decrease in volume of these areas are correlated to the decrease in the release of neurotransmitters and the chemical imbalance that occurs in the brain?
When reading chapter 11, I found it interesting that families with depressed children display more anger, conflict, and less warmth and support. Then, the book went on to state that when the parents are clinically depressed, they are less likely to provide for the basic physical and emotional needs of their children. This explains why children might become depressed from environmental reasons after birth. However this led me to wonder, if the mother is depressed during pregnancy, could this produce an environment in-utero that increases the probability of the child developing depression later in life? I found a study that focused on whether there is an association between offspring exposure to the mother’s depression during pregnancy and the child’s depression later in life. The study also looked at whether this association is because of child maltreatment during child development after birth. The study found that those who were exposed to maternal depression during pregnancy were 3.4 times more likely to become diagnosed with depression later in life. They are also 2.4 times more likely to have endured child maltreatment as opposed to people who were never exposed to maternal depression in-utero. The study concluded that child maltreatment increases the likelihood for the child to develop depressive disorder after being exposed to the mother’s depression during pregnancy. Therefore, maternal depression during pregnancy is a significant factor in the child developing depression later in life.
Plant, D. T., Pariante, C. M., Sharp, D., & Pawlby, S. (2015). Maternal depression during pregnancy and offspring depression in adulthood: Role of child maltreatment. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 207(3), 213-220. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.114.156620
Rachel- Interesting post! It is intriguing to see how a mother can make her child more susceptible to depression because of their depression. Overall it makes sense how the disorder itself can be passed down because of the bond between the mother and child. I know how being around people who are sad can affect others around them, so I can only imagine how easily it is to be passed down in-utero.
Rachel, This was a great connection that I hadn't ever considered! Children who are exposed to their mother's maternal depression while in-utero can possibly be more predisposed to have depression later in life. I wonder if the same affects can be brought about in children whose parents did not have maternal in-utero depression, but just had Postpartum depression. Since Postpartum depression just occurs after childbirth. Are the Postpartum children treated differently than those that had mothers with just maternal depression? Also, are those children with mothers who have/had Postpartum just as likely as the maternal in-utero children to develop depression later in life?
While reading the chapter on mood disorders I thought back to a few of my experiences in forensic psychology. We once discussed how suicidal children are an underreported phenomena and the risk for suicide is often overlooked in children under the age of 13 years old. I realized even the book stated that suicide prior to adolescence is rare because it is often associated with substance abuse. My question is, why is it common to overlook the risk of suicide in children with depression?
ReplyDeleteIn a short peer reviewed journal I found a section where the author reviews suicidal children. The author acknowledges that the risk of suicide in children before adolescence is, in fact, often overlooked. He stated that older people often believe that children prior to adolescence are too young to grasp the concept of death. This lack of understanding is used to conclude that since children do not understand death, it would not be reasonable for them to wish to die. The author counters this argument with the same evidence by saying that because of their lack of understanding it may increase the risk of a child harming or killing himself or herself because they do not realize they can die. The author cites several case studies of children in stressful household situations who took it upon themselves to resolve the stress through self-harm. I believe the author is critiquing the belief that children cannot be suicidal and showing that the common reasoning behind overlooking the risk is not sufficient.
I found this author's perception of childhood depression and suicidal risk more open-minded and reasonable. I think it is unreasonable to assume that a child with depression won't act on that depression in a physical way, including self-harm. I would like to see more studies on suicidal children because the author showed many cases that prove children, though rare, may have suicidal thoughts and behaviors when suffering depression.
Combrinck-Graham, L. (1980). Suicidal children. Clinical Pediatrics, 19(7), 447-448.
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DeleteAlex-Marie,
DeleteThis was an intriguing post! I have not thought to look further into suicidal children and their acts of self-harm. Did you look into the studies the author cited to back up his/her argument? It would be very interesting to learn about the various methods implemented to test some of those ideas. This is a sobering topic that should not be overlooked, and you did a great job by digging deeper into the material! Thanks for sharing.
Erin Cameron
Hi Alex-Marie,
DeleteThat was a very interesting post. I have also discussed in previous psychology classes how childhood suicide is underreported. I remember being shocked during that class discussion, because I did not even know that childhood suicide was an issue, as it is out of mainstream media. I agree that more research needs to be done on a very important topic. There should also be research done on how best to educate parents and teachers the warning signs of depression in children. This alone could help prevent the deaths of children and adolescents from suicide.
Hey Alex-Marie,
DeleteThis is very interesting because you're right, very rarely do we ever hear of a child younger than 13 committing or attempting suicide. I always thought it was because the amount of cognitive ability required to plan their suicide, and comprehend that there is no coming back if they succeed in their attempt. Do you think that assuming that young children don't have these cognitive abilities is why many individuals over look this topic?
Good Post! I like that the topic you choose is outside the box thinking and that the article was also open minded in nature. Your point of children not really understanding that death is permanent and the consequences is valid. I agree that this topic is overlooked and deserves more research. It could potentially help alot of kids and parents in how to better deal with the situation.
DeleteThis dovetails really well with what I know about externalizing behavior problems. People think that because children are capable/allowed to externalize their feelings, they don't or aren't capable of turning it inward. What you're citing initially feels almost Freudian. However, it would be interesting to look into what factors--personal or environmental--make internalizing, rather than externalizing, symptoms more likely. Is there something unique about mood disorders and their etiology, or is it about temperament, or some form of "oppressive" environment?
DeleteAlex,
DeleteI remember talking about this in forensic psychology! It is insane to hear that the reason they are so underreported is because they can't grasp the concept of death, so "why would they want to harm themselves?". I really agree with the open-minded and more reasonable response the author had- they don't grasp the concept, so that would be the reason they would harm themselves. I know at a young age death did not seem too scary to me, but as I get older, thinking about death scares me. We don't really know what happens after we die. I think more studies should be done as well as more outreach programs.
Alex,
DeleteThis post was very interesting and I actually enjoyed reading it. I think it is so crazy that people do not think that children with depression will commit suicide. If a person is experiencing depression there is always a risk they may try to harm themselves and may end up killing themselves. I believe people need to take child suicide very seriously because, like you said in your post, they may not realize that what they are doing might actually kill them. Very interesting post.
Alex,
DeleteThis is actually something really great to have brought up! Unfortunately I do know of children that have suffered with depression at a young age, and have personally suffered with it for awhile. The understanding that children under 13 are overlooked is actually something that I could see because of people believing "they're just too young". Children at this age still have a lot of development milestones to reach and probably do not understand what they're feeling.
When reading the chapter on mood disorders, I became interested in the intellectual and academic functioning in children with depression. This section of the chapter seemed to lack a consensus on whether or not depression is the cause or the outcome of learning difficulties. It raised the question for me of what can be done to help those children who suffer from depression succeed academically?
ReplyDeleteIn a 2010 study published in the Journal of Applied Neuropsychology, researchers attempt to alleviate the unknown in neurocognitive difficulties in children and adolescents with depression. The researchers developed a battery of neuropsychological computerized tests that can ascertain cognitive difficulties in those children and adolescents with depression. This battery consisted of seven tests and 23 tests scores and five domain scores. The five domains are:Memory, Psychomotor Speed, Reaction Time, Complex Attention, and Cognitive Flexibility. Children with depression scored low on memory, reaction time, and complex attention.
I believe that this battery of tests could alleviate some of the negative outcomes of a child or adolescent suffering from a mood disorder in an academic setting. If a psychologist is able to correctly identify whether or not the child with depression has a cognitive deficit, then perhaps accommodations could be made to help the child succeed academically.
Brooks, B. L., Iverson, G. L., Sherman, E. S., & Roberge, M. (2010). Identifying cognitive problems in children and adolescents with depression using computerized neuropsychological testing. Applied Neuropsychology, 17(1), 37-43.
Lauren,
DeleteI like how your topic begins with addressing both sides of the question whether depression results in academic difficulties or if academic difficulties result in depression. This study seems very interesting, though it also seems extensive. I wonder, since children lack the attention span of a mature adult, if the number of tests impacted their scores. I doubt it, in this case, but it could be possible. It is interesting to see that memory is impacted by depression. I have seen a study in the past on reaction time and the relation between depression and preoccupied thoughts but memory seems interesting to learn more about.
Lauren,
DeleteThis was a great post! I like how you looked at this topic from a problem-solving angle, because prevention/treatment early on is crucial when it comes to mental illness in children. I thought the computerized test was an intelligent and creative way to highlight specific problem areas in cognition with children with depression. It made me wonder whether teachers are informed of this study and the academic deficits that come with depression, because teachers would be a great tool in detecting struggling children early on. Overall, this post was great!
Erin Cameron
Lauren,
DeleteThis was a really interesting post, I've never considered how depression can have a direct impact on a child's academic capabilities/achievements. Did they account for the possibility of anxiety and/or other possible disorders that children could have that might have a direct impact on their academic career (i.e. ADHD)? I only ask because if they didn't then the chances that it is purely just depression affecting academics comes into question, test anxiety or GAD in children could affect their grades.
Lauren,
DeleteLiked the topic and how it could potentially help kids with depressive symptoms. I think the correlation the research found between academics and depression is a step in the right direction for research. I agree with you that accomodations should be made for kids with depressive symptoms. If they can identify some of the weaknesses they have academically, they can start to correct them. Which could not only help their grades but, maybe lessen some of the depressive symptoms as well.
Good Post
This is a good thought. I know that I've heard of doctors saying "maybe you can't concentrate because of your depression so you must not have ADHD". Though this may be the case, there should still be a way to figure out what it is exactly causing this.
DeleteI thought this was a great thing to look up. When talking about depression the main connection I can make between the symptoms and their success academically would be that their attention would be shorter than the average child. I think the research article that you found brings up an interesting way of identifying what problems the child has. I think this is important because then the psychologist and the child and possibly their teacher can work together to target those areas that the child is struggling in. Great question!
DeleteI also find this interesting. In class today, while discussing the cognitive abilities and neurophysiological aspect of depression, I had a thought about the possibility of a heighten cognitive abilities and depression. While a child already has difficulties expressing certain abstract emotions, how can a child express depressive emotions, without the awareness? Could the child's heighten awareness and cognitive abilities be a risk factor for depression?
DeleteWhile reading this chapter something that came up as a question was that I was wondering if individuals who are diagnosed at such a young age with a depressive disorder had similar or different predictors for the onset of depression as did adolescents and adults?
ReplyDeleteIn the study I found, the experimenters took a large group of children ages 3 to 6 years old and conducted a multi-informant longitudinal study to find out if these children had similar or different predictors of the on set of depression as adolescents and adults had. Predictors for the on set of depression for individuals who were 6 years old were taken from 5 domains when children were three years old, these domains were: 1) child psychopathology, 2) observed child temperament, 3) teacher ratings of peer functioning, 4) parental psychopathology, and 5) psychosocial environment.
The predictors that were discovered within these children were the history of the child's anxiety disorders, poor peer functioning, parental history of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, early and recent stressful life events, and less parental education. All of these predictors were found to be similar for individuals who were adolescents or adults who were diagnosed with depression.
Now knowing some of the predictors as being the same for young children as they are for adolescents and adults it will be easier for us to intervene when children starting exhibiting a depressive disorder especially if any of the previous predictors are seen in combination with each other.
Buffered, S.J., Dougherty, L.R., Olino, T.M., Dyson, M.W., Laptook, R.S., Carlson, G.A., & Klein, D.N. (2014). Predictors of the onset of depression in young children: a multi-method, multi-informant longitudinal study from ages 3 to 6. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 55(11), 1279-1287.
Hello Mariah,
DeleteI found that these predictors were interesting since all children, adolescents, and adults exhibited them as part of depression. It was interesting to note that they found out that these were experienced by all 3 and that it would make it easier to be able to diagnose a child now since they are seen in adults too. I'm glad that this was found so that way we can start intervention at a younger age and hopefully get the child the attention they need in order to combat depression early on. Most of these factors seem to be environmental causes for depression so it just shows how environment can heavily influence depression and how social support at home is important for a child's health.
Hi Mariah,
DeleteI found your post really interesting. I was surprised to learn that the predictors for depression are the same in children as they are in adolescents or adults. This study can really change how parents respond to their children showing depressive symptoms and hopefully address this issue early on to avoid the impairment children with depression suffer. This information also seems essential for counselors and teachers to know as well to help identify these issues in children at school to help them.
Mariah,
DeleteYou made a very good point when you mentioned that because the predictors for depression were similar in younger children as in adolescents and adults, it would be easier to detect depression at a younger age. After reading your post, I wondered why some people with depression have an earlier onset than others. Perhaps there are certain environmental factors that can trigger a person"s genetic disposition to depression at an earlier age I also wondered, do those who have an onset of depression as a young child have more severe depression than those who have an onset in adolescents?
Mariah,
DeleteThe study you found was really interesting. I, personally, think the earlier we can implement therapy and coping factors into a child's life the better they will be later on when dealing with adversities. Because children's brains are so malleable until the age of 5, or so, if we can implement these things, it could help later on in life with relapses in depression and mood disorders. I'm glad to hear this study making progress towards that!
When reading this chapter, I thought about how many people with mood disorders are given anti-depressants and other drugs to help them cope with their disorder. I think every anti-depresant commercial i've ever seen has very serious side-effects including suicidal thoughts and alot of the times death? I wanted to look at some research on the side effects.
ReplyDeleteThe research I found was from 2015 and looked at a popular drug Aripiprazole. Aripiprazole is a antipsychotic drug that is often given to people with bi-polar disorder, depressive symptoms, and is a mood stabilizer. While Aripiprazole has been shown to be really effective in treating acute mania. The drug was also found to be effective for depression and anxiety when combined with other anti-depressants. The main problem with this drug is that it Akathisia was prevalent (18%) in patients with bi-polar 1 disorder. Akathisia consists of a subjective feeling of restlessness or nervousness, a need to move about, and an inability to relax. A serious side effect that often worsens other symptoms as well.
What would happen if the dose was increased or if it was combined with another anti-depressant for severe cases.
When the dose of Aripiprazole, was increased in some patients not only did the prevalence of Akathisia increase but, patients reported increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts or attempts. These same side effects were found in patients that combined it with Lamotrigine an anti-depresant which is often prescribed together.
It seems that prescribing this kind of anti-psychotic drug or others is really risky. While it has been shown to be effective in some cases, the severe side effects that some people develop leave you wondering if its worth the risk.
Pondé, M. P., & Freire, A. C. (2015). Increased Anxiety, Akathisia, and Suicidal Thoughts in Patients with Mood Disorder on Aripiprazole and Lamotrigine. Case Reports In Psychiatry, 20151-4. doi:10.1155/2015/419746
Hello Shawn,
DeleteI like that you brought up a good point about some of these drugs that are used in the market today. I've also heard those commercials about how some anti-depressants may give you suicidal thoughts and it just makes me wonder about what goes on inside our brain on an anatomical level for this to happen. I think that this is an issue in the medical field that should have more drug trials instead of trying to throw stuff out in the market to make a profit. I also wonder about how many people hide the feelings of depression/suicide even when taking medication just so they won't be judged or labeled in today's society. Hopefully, more drugs without heavy risks are produced in the near future to help people with these conditions.
Shawn,
DeleteYour post caught my attention because I too see the advertisements for the medications that are meant to treat depression. I feel that those might be one of the most common forms of medication to be advertised on television. The results from your study stunned me because of the severe side effects those prescribed medication can cause. It is interesting that when increasing the dosage of one of the medications actually increased one's anxiety and depression. That seems extremely anti-productive. I wonder, after reading all of the risks that are involved in taking these medications, how common is it for patients with depression to be treated with drugs? What sort of other approaches can one take to treat their depression that do not involve taking medication?
Hi Shawn,
DeleteI like that you brought attention to the use of pharmaceuticals to treat mood disorders. There is a lot of research out there in favor of it and the contrasting research is very compelling. From my understanding, drugs claiming to mend mood disorders function on an individual basis. Since everyone's chemistry is uniquely their own, I wouldn't expect there to be a drug that works across the board in every case. I find it important that you pointed out the negatives. In my personal experience, I have seen more negative outcomes from the use of mood adjusting medication than I have seen positive outcomes. I find it interesting that the side effects are so severe and yet doctors continue to push these drugs. Great topic.
Shawn,
DeleteI liked reading your post because I see those ads on TV too where it has the medication and then lists a bunch of possible side effects. I always wonder why people would take those medications if there are such serious side effects like suicidal thoughts. I found it very interesting reading the study you found and how they found that this specific medication had side effects and even more serious ones when paired with drugs it is usually paired with. It makes me wonder if the medication is even worth it for these people with bipolar disorder.
When reading the chapter, I thought about the different things that children could experience as part of depression and a big topic was bullying. I thought about how growing up, children could be in a situation that involves bullying and how it can negatively impact them by causing them to be depressed. My question is, how does bullying play a role in depression?
ReplyDeleteThe article I read, aimed to answer the question as to how youth reacted to bullying. They measured various groups that included categorizing children into a bully only, victim only, or bully & victim, or neither category in order to assess depression levels. Results showed that the category ‘neither’ had the highest percentage of children followed by ‘bully only’, ‘victim only’, and ‘bully & victim’ categories, with boys being mostly part of the ‘bully only’ and girls part of the’ victim only’ categories. Children were asked to complete a Depression-Self Rating Scale, in which the ‘bully & victim’ group scored higher compared to the other groups. Additionally, children were asked to complete a Youth Self Report that also assessed various psychiatric symptoms to which ‘victim & bully’ scored the highest, with ‘bully only’ being the second. Interestingly, ‘victim only’ and ‘bully & victim’ reported the higher levels of suicide. Overall, this study found that ‘victim & bully’ had the highest psychological problems and it makes sense due to the fact that these children experience both degrees of aggression towards them and towards others. These children had the higher reports of psychiatric symptoms caused from bullying and it was interesting to see that this group was the most affected compared to ‘victim only’ since these children could at least have some kind of ‘power’ and take off some of the anger built from bullying into someone else. This just shows how bullying can be such a powerful factor that can affect depression during the child’s developmental stages and could potentially impact their future and how prone they are to depression.
Ivarsson, Tord. et al. (2005). Bullying in adolescence: Psychiatric problems in victims and bullies as measured by the Youth Self Report (YSR) and the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS). Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 59 (5), 365-373.
Aaron,
DeleteThis is a really interesting! I would have thought that the 'victim only' category would have the most psychiatric symptoms, because they probably feel like they are more of a target. Although, I can see that the 'victim and bully' category can express their frustration with being bullied by bullying others. Bullying is such a big issue in adolescence and if it is constant I can definitely see it being linked to depression or depressive symptoms.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading the chapter over mood disorders, I became curious whether children of parents with mood disorders were more predisposed to also have a mood disorder and which mood disorders were more prevalent.
ReplyDeleteThe article I found studied children of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The study found that children of parents with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were actually had a higher prevalence to being diagnosed with ADHD instead of the same mood disorders as their parents. However; children of schizophrenia-diagnosed parents were more likely to have ADHD than children of bipolar disorder diagnosed parents. Those with bipolar parents were more likely to be diagnosed with depression. They concluded that ADHD was more prevalent in children with schizophrenia parents, because there is a neurological development process that happens and affects both disorders. This study was interesting, because it did not find that children with parents of bipolar disorder are more predisposed to also being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but are more predisposed to other mood or anxiety disorders. It is also interesting how children are more likely to be diagnosed with depression if their parent has bipolar disorder. I can see how extreme mood swings could have an effect on children, especially since they're more impressionable during childhood. The one thing I wish this study had addressed is if the bipolar disorder in the parents was directed at the child and if that could be why depression is more prevalent.
Sanchez-Gistau, V., Romero, S., Moreno, D., de la Serna, E., Baeza, I., Sugranyes, G., & ... Castro-Fornieles, J. (2015). Psychiatric disorders in child and adolescent offspring of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A controlled study. Schizophrenia Research, 168(1-2), 197-203. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2015.08.034
Lauren,
DeleteI found your post very interesting! Parents have such an affect on their kids lives and looking into this relationship is super interesting. I also thought it was interesting that parents with bipolar disorder children are more likely to be diagnosed with depression. I wonder how old the children were when they analyzed them and wonder if they older they got if the depression severity was different at different ages.
Lauren,
DeleteYou bring up an interesting question that I didn't personally think of. In class we talk about the hereditary affects that the disorders have but I like that you also took into account their home life. Now after reading the results of the research you found it makes sense to me the relationship between the disorders of the parents and of the children. With the children of parents with schizophrenia I feel that ADHD reflects some of the more physical aspects of the disorder. I also think that it is interesting that children of parents with bipolar disorder are more likely to have depression. I think the children easily relate to the manic side because of them being children who I tend to believe are more positive in comparison to adults. That being said, the depression aspect is much more affecting on them. Great post!
This is super interesting! It really brings into question how different these issues are from a hereditary standpoint. Could it be that all of these issues either 'hang out" genetically as well, so either the presence or the predilection for one illness raises the diathesis for another?
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about the environment created by parents with mood disorders as well, and it makes sense. I would want to approach it from astudy that worked only with parents with mood disorders (say bipolar disorder) and analyzed their parenting techniques. Is it just the presence of bipolar disorder, or the associated possible parenting deficiencies that result in poorer outcomes in children? I helped with a dissertation recently that looked at PCIT in depressed mothers, but the sample was small and I don't know what the end results were.
Reading through the textbook chapter on mood disorders, I was very interested in childhood depression and the comorbidity that comes along with it. Specifically, I was curious as to how depression presented itself with the additional presence of an eating disorder. I questioned whether that specific combination of comorbidity would have an effect on a child’s diagnostic process/clinical assessment when compared to a child with only depression. I started to wonder: What impact does depression and an eating disorder have on a child or adolescent?
ReplyDeleteIt is found common that children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) often suffer from depression and anxiety. In fact, one study on children with early-onset AN found that 56% of them had comorbid depression. The academic journal article I found did not have sufficient research to specifically identify how comorbid depression and AN impact one another in the presentation of symptoms or treatment plans, but some interesting concepts were still presented in the text. For example, the diagnosis of depression is difficult in people with AN because many AN symptoms resemble depression (i.e. self-hatred, lethargy, lack of appetite/energy, social isolation). Depression is also found to begin after the onset of AN (during the process of weight gain), while anxiety occurs before the onset of AN and continues throughout the recovery process. Some studies found that depression can hinder the AN recovery process, but study results varied. Similarly, severe malnourishment due to AN can interfere with cognitive behavioral therapy (used to treat depression/anxiety). Overall, I enjoyed this article because it went very in-depth on comorbid AN, depression, and anxiety. It was also interesting to learn about some minor impacts the disorders have on each other; however, more research (especially regarding children and adolescents) is needed to make specific and valid conclusions.
Hughes, E. (2012, March). Comorbid depression and anxiety in childhood and adolescent anorexia nervosa: Prevalence and implications for outcome. Clinical Psychologist, 16(1), 15-24. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from PsycINFO.
While reading, I became very interested in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), a new disorder in the DSM-5. I have honestly not heard about it until this class. It is a chronic, severe persistent irritability, and the symptoms and scenarios talked about made me think about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as ASD individuals experience chronic irritability. I wondered if there was an comorbidity at all between these two?
ReplyDeleteThis article stated how a third of children with ASD experience the temper tantrums, chronic irritability, and conduct and aggression, and long term studies have found persistent presence of DMDD in ASD. Researchers took the developmental trajectory from ASD and DMDD and found that the chronic irritability in ASD followed along very similar to DMDD. Results from research found that family history of mood disorders is more prevalent in ASD child who has co-morbid mood dysregulation, suggesting ASD children might be genetically "pertinent" too mood disorders and see early onset in mood dysregulation.
Pan, P., & Yeh, C. (2016). The comorbidity of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatry Research, 241108-109. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.05.001
Morgan,
DeleteI had never heard of DMDD either before this class. I agree with it being similar to ASD. I think it's interesting that children with ASD may see early onset with ASD. Did the article say anything about how to treat DMDD?
I have learned throughout the chapter reading and class that while the DSM has specific criteria for any and all disorder, each disorder is going to have a very high comorbidity to another specific disorder. It seems to me that one disorder can best explain a child's abnormalities while other similar disorder or co-morbid disorders can explain the outliers. Yet this makes a lot of sense, especially DMDD co-morbid to ASD. Some aspects of these disorders complement each other, giving better explanations, and hopefully detailed and helpful diagnosis for treatment.
DeleteI have never even heard of DMDD until this class as well! Since DMDD and ASD are so closing related are they treated close to the same ways? Or is it a completely different process?
DeleteChildren and adolescents with MDD most often have another co-existing disorder. The text mentioned that one of the most common disorders that is co-morbid with depression as a mood disorder is anxiety. To be more specific, these anxieties that children with MDD often deal with include general anxiety, specific phobias, and separation anxiety (Mash & Wolfe, p. 317). This made me want to know more about the co-morbidity of anxiety and mood disorders. According to the text, anxiety disorders are the “most frequent” co-morbid disorder with MDD, but what specifically might that mean?
ReplyDeleteOne study I found tested for the comorbidity of OCD and other anxiety disorders in children who had been diagnosed with mood disorders according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. There were a total of 100 patients all under the age of 18, and there was no difference in their education level and onset of their mood disorders. The results showed that 22% of the sample group had co-morbid anxiety along with their mood disorder. This means that one fifth of the children who participated in this study had both a mood disorder as well as anxiety. Of the 22% with co-morbid anxiety, 8% had panic disorder, 7% had GAD, 4% had OCD, 3% had SAD, 2% had subthreshold obsessive-compulsive symptoms, 1% had social phobia, and 3% had multiple anxiety disorders (Paul, Praharaj, Sarkhel & Sinha, 2015). The results from this study also included several interesting findings as well. For example, the article stated that the majority of the 22% of co-morbid anxiety participants were female. When compared to the portion of the participants who did not have any co-morbid anxiety with their mood disorder, those with co-morbid anxiety had more children with a family history of psychiatric illnesses. All of the participants who had OCD had a family history of psychiatric illnesses. What I found most interesting about these results was the amount of variety these co-morbid anxiety disorders had. Whether it was OCD, GAD, SAD, or social phobia, these children with mood disorders had all different types of anxieties; some of these children even had more than one anxiety disorder. Anxiety is the most common co-morbid disorder to have with a mood disorder, and that can take form in many different types of anxiety.
Paul, I., Praharaj, S.K., Sarkhel, S., Sinha, V.K. (2015). Co-morbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders with child and adolescent mood disorders. East Asian Arch Psychiatry. Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists. 25:58-63.
After reading this chapter the one thing I became interested in was MDD known as Major Depressive Disorder. I wanted to know how likely kids with this disorder have thoughts of suicide.
ReplyDeleteI found a study that studied MDD patients who were diagnosed before puberty. They initially looked at kids 6-15 and upon follow up those kids were 17- 28. The study found that these children had higher risks of suicide later in life, and were also more likely to fall into the habits of alcohol or drug consumption. These children were also more at risk to getting bipolar 1 disorder and CD. These children were also more likely to have continuous outpatient treatment or hospitalization.
Its not hard for me to believe that kids with MDD would want to end their life later on. I cannot imagine living day to day as if everything was wrong, continually feeling sad as if there was nothing I could do about it. Its also easy for me to see how these kids could later become dependent on drinking and drugs to help to take the age off. Alcohol and drugs are a form of a depressant, they may help at the time, but revisiting and revisiting the depressant can lead to addiction which won't help the MDD it would just add to it.
Weissman, M. M., Wolk, S., Wickramaratne, P., Goldstein, R. B., Adams, P., Greenwald, S., & ... Steinberg, D. (1999). Children with prepubertal-onset major depressive disorder and anxiety grown up. Archives Of General Psychiatry, 56(9), 794-801. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.56.9.794
Regan,
DeleteDid your study happen to say if any of the children were on medication or therapy to help combat the MDD? If they were, their chances of being suicidal might be reduced. It would be interesting to compare a group of medicated and/or in therapy to a group of children without any treatment of their survival rates later on in life.
Regan-
DeleteI can easily see how children and adolescents with depression can lead a hard life and have higher risks of suicide. I think it is common to see people with depression also be dependent on drugs or alcohol because they find joy in it. I view depression as an absence of feeling so substances can be viewed as pleasure by people who have the disorder. Overall great post! I found it very interesting how adolescents who have depression have a higher risk of suicide in the future.
I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live with MDD. Not being able to do anything about the way you feel and feeling like there is no hope would be terrible. If they were on any medication would they just take it for the rest of their lives or would it eventually and gradually improve throughout their years?
DeleteWhile reading the chapter, I was curious about the functioning level of children who are diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). I was interested in the executive functioning (EF) and wondered if their prefrontal cortex is as developed as children without MDD.
ReplyDeleteThe study that I chose involved children ages 8-17with MDD and many of the children were comorbid with other disorder. The children all tested average for intelligence before starting the study. The control group was comprised of children ages 9-17 with no psychopathology evidence currently or lifetime. The study found that there was statistical significance for processing speed index and that children with MDD decreased compared to the control group. There was no statistically significance in intelligence like spelling, reading, or math. There was not statistical evidence of children with MDD having lower EF than the control group. I think this is interesting that they didn’t find any differences except through the processing speeds. Neuroimaging studies have shown that people with MDD typically have abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, which is where higher processes are, so one would think there would be a difference in EF.
Favre, T., Hughes, C., Emslie, G., Stavinoha, P., Kennard, B., & Carmody, T. (2009). Executive functioning in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 15(1), 85-98. doi:10.1080/09297040802577311
Hey Toria,
DeleteI see where you're coming from in thinking that it's odd that there isn't much difference in the EF of people with MDD. You would think that if their processing speeds are lower that they might have some kind of significantly different scores in other executive functioning. That being said, I can see why MDD may not produce those outcomes as well because it is more of an internal disorder and revolves a lot around experience and other factors and does not specifically require that the prefrontal cortex be underdeveloped in a child/adolescent.
Toria,
Deleteyour post brought up some very good points, I as well wrote about functioning and MDD. I would have wanted to known the exact specifics of the abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex as in if it were smaller or the same mass as normal child's but was misshapen. The findings about the same EF between the two groups is compelling. I am interested in figuring out how processing speeds are slower in children with MDD, maybe it has something to do with the chemical imbalance or not enough serotonin . I liked your post and the research you intergraded went very well with the question you asked!
Toria,
Deletevery interesting question! One would think that the functioning of someone with MDD would be a lot lower do of the lack of caring so, it was shocking to see that there really was not much of a difference. This only leads me to think that people perceive the because of the depression that functioning would be much lower when in fact it is not. I wonder if more people knew this, such as teachers in school, if they would still treat these kids differently.
While reading about the genetic and family risks of depression, I began to think about a child’s prenatal development if the mother has major depression disorder. Also I became interested in the mental and developmental affects of SSIRs and antidepressants in child who take these medications for depression. I find it very interesting that some of the effects of these medications can cause suicidal thinking when if fact it is suppose to help with depression. While the effects of these medications are interesting, I would like to know the effects of these medications upon pregnant women. Specifically how the child’s development is effected by the disorder and the antidepressants or SSRIs the mother is taking. One study examined pregnant depressed women on tricyclic antidepressants or fluoxetine, and untreated pregnant depressed women. Each woman was examined by severity of major depressive disorder (MDD), stage of pregnancy, and treatment of MDD. After the birth of these women’s children, each child was assessed through cognitive abilities (IQ), language and temperament. The study results showed that children exposed to these antidepressants or fluoxetine during gestation had higher cognitive abilities and language achievement when compared to the untreated depression pregnant women. The treatment of antidepressants in these women were only present in the first trimester, as other studies have concluded that the use of these drugs can affect the child’s brain development in the second and third trimester. This study is mostly proving that the correct and moderate medical treatment of MDD can and should be acquired as a mother. More specifically it points out the more control the mother has over MDD the better possibly that their child’s cognitive and language development will sustain normally.
ReplyDeleteNulman, I., Rover, J., Stewart, D.E., Wolpin, J., Pace-Asciak, P., Shuhaiber, S. & Koren, G. (2002) Child development following exposure to tricyclic antidepressants or fluoxine throughout fetal life:a prospective, controlled study. Am J Psychiatry, 159(11), 1889-1895. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.11.1889
Kyleigh,
DeleteI was wondering, did your study mention the ages the children were assessed? I think it's pretty cool that there was a measurable difference between the mother's that took the antidepressants v. the one's that didn't. Now i'm interested in what the effects may be if they take the medication during the second and third trimester.
Emotional regulation was a subject that struck me as very interesting during the chapter. I wanted to know more on the relationship between ER and anxiety disorders.
ReplyDeleteThe common aspect I have found between ER and anxiety disorder is the use of Reappraisal. To put it simply, this is perceiving an emotional provoking situation or thing and then changing the emotional impact it has on one’s self. Anxious children seem to not be able to do this as well as non-anxious children and they practice it in their everyday life less often. Appraisal is an adaptive strategy for people. The high usage of this strategy is associated with a reported greater well-being. Anxious children have a lower self-efficacy as a contributing factor also. There has been some research that the anxious subjects did not rely on their reappraisal strategies because of not being able to construct the results of their efforts as how they really were produced. As a consequence, would make them less likely to use them. The main understanding I come to is being aware of the emotional response you have from anxiety disorder and learning to control it can make the perceived stimuli that gives anxiety symptoms to have less of an effect.
Carthy, T., Horesh, N., Apter, A., Edge, M. D., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Emotional reactivity and cognitive regulation in anxious children. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 48(5), 384-393. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.12.013
After reading the chapter and talking to a close friend of mine, my question is if PMS and MDD are related. This may be an odd question, but after speaking to my friend who was telling me she was felt as though she was feeling depressed, then later telling me she was on her period I thought nothing of it. It came back to me though, maybe they can co-occur, and if so is it the neurochemicals that are the same or is it that they just have the same symptoms?
ReplyDeleteThe study I found was a data analysis from women under the age of 55 who answered questions about PMS symptoms. It turns out the prevalence of Major depression was 24.6% in women that screened positive for severe PMS. That being said, the research also talked about how sometimes the distinction between PMDD (premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) and depression is not always clear as they both show symptoms of depressed mood, feelings of hopelessness, lack of energy, etc. It also says that although a lot of the symptoms overlap, irritability is more prominent in PMS than is depressed mood. Overall, more studies need to be done on the two disorders because as of right now they suggest to have differing causes. While there are some risk factors (such as low self rated health) that seem to connect the two disorders, more research has to be conducted to learn more about their co-occurences.
I found this research interesting because, although it was done in older women, I think some young women who suffer from horrible PMS may feel as though they are depressed. I think this should be studied more so we can determine is severe PMS is a potential risk factor for later depression, or even vice versa, what if MDD causes severe PMS because of the stress on the body?
Forrester-Knauss, C., Zemp Stutz, E., Weiss, C., & Tschudin, S. (2011). The interrelation between premenstrual syndrome and major depression: Results from a population-based sample. Retrieved October 11, 2016, from BMCPublicHealth
Ashley,
Deleteyour question is a very interesting one! Your last question in the post is what I would definitely like to see more research on. if I had to make an inference I would think that severe PMS could be a precursor for MDD. Maybe there could be some info on first menstrual cycle and how that effects women later on with life stressors. I enjoyed your post!
When reading the section of the chapter about Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), it was brought to my attention that there is some controversy surrounding the addition of DMDD to the DSM-5 as its own independent disorder. It is even noted that more research is sorely needed in order to determine whether or not this diagnosis will be reliable. My first reaction to this reading is that DMDD sounds a lot like ODD. This raised the question of why are we not just calling this a specific form of ODD? I could see how the moodiness involved in DMDD would possibly differentiate it from ODD, but then couldn’t it just be Bi-polar disorder? These options are discussed in the text but it is reiterated that there is not yet a conclusion. With that being said, I at least wanted to take a look at some of the research done so far. I found exactly what I expected to find; there is still not enough research and the research we do have overlaps ODD and DMDD significantly enough that one article suggests having DMDD as a modifier to ODD since almost all youth diagnosed with DMDD also meet the criteria for ODD. By not attributing ODD to those who are diagnosed with DMDD, the importance of the impact of argumentative and vindictive behavior is neglected. At this point, I am not convinced that there would be any benefit to having DMDD as its own diagnosis. Especially since the diagnostic criteria states that it cannot coexist with ODD, which it is shown to be most related to. There are still many questions left unanswered due to lack of research, but I definitely plan to stay on the look-out for upcoming studies.
ReplyDeleteBaweja, R., Mayes, S., Hameed, U., & Waxmonsky, J. (2016, August 24). Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: Current insights. Dovepress, 2016(12), 2115-2124. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S100312
Kristen,
DeleteInteresting point! I assume that there must be some sort of difference for them to distinguish it as a mood disorder instead of a disruptive behavior disorder. Did your article state why they made the difference in the first place?
Kristen,
DeleteAfter reading the chapter I also thought that DMDD seemed to be like ODD. Its interesting to see that more research is needed to see if the two over lap. I would what kind of research could be used to test this, because I feel like a questionnaire wouldn't give you the conclusive results you would need.
While reading about the various mood disorders, major depressive disorder became very interesting to me. I started to question if the brain size or volume could be affected by those who have the disorder.
ReplyDeleteI found a study that was conducted that found numerous differences in the volume of many parts of the brain. These parts of the brain included the hippocampus, amygdala, and temporal lobes just to name a few. The study group consisted of 16 patients who had a history of depression based on the criteria from the DSM-IV. The 16 patients included 10 men and 6 women, all of which had experience with antidepressants and inpatient hospitalizations. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was used to analyze the hippocampus and volume changes by two blind raters. The results showed a high percentage of internal reliability. A 19% decrease of volume change in the left hippocampus and 12% difference in the right was found. There was no correlation between weeks in remission or number of hospitalizations for depression. However, a possible confounding variable could have been elevated levels of glucocorticoids that caused hippocampal damage which in return caused a reduction in overall volume.
Overall, I would think that there are a lot more variables that could affect the study as a whole, but having a smaller hippocampus makes sense because it controls emotions and memory. I would be interested to look into other studies to find if the results are similar. I found this study very intriguing and hope to find more.
Bremner, J. D., Narayan, M., Anderson, E. R., Staib, L. H., Miller, H. L., & Charney, D. S. (2000). Hippocampal volume reduction in Major Depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(1), 115–118. doi:10.1176/ajp.157.1.115
Christina,
DeleteI loved reading your post! I really like learning about the brain- it is incredible. Depression is what made me want to study psychology in college, and wanting to learn more about the brain with depression- hopefully learning about finding future solutions to depression. I was shocked to see such a big decrease in volume change in left hippocampus and the difference between the right. I could see hippocampus being smaller, but I wonder what other regions of the brain we see affected?
I really enjoyed reading your post- good job!
Christina,
DeleteThank you for posting! I enjoyed reading your post. I did not know about the differences in sizes of regions in the brain in relation to major depressive disorder. I was familiar with the chemical imbalance when it comes to neurotransmitters, but it is very interesting that there is a difference in volume of the hippocampus, amygdala, and temporal lobes of the brain. I wonder if the decrease in volume of these areas are correlated to the decrease in the release of neurotransmitters and the chemical imbalance that occurs in the brain?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading chapter 11, I found it interesting that families with depressed children display more anger, conflict, and less warmth and support. Then, the book went on to state that when the parents are clinically depressed, they are less likely to provide for the basic physical and emotional needs of their children. This explains why children might become depressed from environmental reasons after birth. However this led me to wonder, if the mother is depressed during pregnancy, could this produce an environment in-utero that increases the probability of the child developing depression later in life?
ReplyDeleteI found a study that focused on whether there is an association between offspring exposure to the mother’s depression during pregnancy and the child’s depression later in life. The study also looked at whether this association is because of child maltreatment during child development after birth. The study found that those who were exposed to maternal depression during pregnancy were 3.4 times more likely to become diagnosed with depression later in life. They are also 2.4 times more likely to have endured child maltreatment as opposed to people who were never exposed to maternal depression in-utero. The study concluded that child maltreatment increases the likelihood for the child to develop depressive disorder after being exposed to the mother’s depression during pregnancy. Therefore, maternal depression during pregnancy is a significant factor in the child developing depression later in life.
Plant, D. T., Pariante, C. M., Sharp, D., & Pawlby, S. (2015). Maternal depression during pregnancy and offspring depression in adulthood: Role of child maltreatment. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 207(3), 213-220. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.114.156620
Rachel-
DeleteInteresting post! It is intriguing to see how a mother can make her child more susceptible to depression because of their depression. Overall it makes sense how the disorder itself can be passed down because of the bond between the mother and child. I know how being around people who are sad can affect others around them, so I can only imagine how easily it is to be passed down in-utero.
Great post! Very interesting!
Rachel,
DeleteThis was a great connection that I hadn't ever considered! Children who are exposed to their mother's maternal depression while in-utero can possibly be more predisposed to have depression later in life. I wonder if the same affects can be brought about in children whose parents did not have maternal in-utero depression, but just had Postpartum depression. Since Postpartum depression just occurs after childbirth. Are the Postpartum children treated differently than those that had mothers with just maternal depression? Also, are those children with mothers who have/had Postpartum just as likely as the maternal in-utero children to develop depression later in life?