Depressive and Bipolar Disorders
Mental Health Essentials: Mood, Eating, Sleep, and Stress
Psychology of Anxiety, Mood, Substance Use, and Addictive Behaviors
Psychology of Substance Use, Depressive Disorders, and Trauma
PsycLearn Essentials
May 2024
Depressive and bipolar disorders are a global health problem affecting more than 400 million people. This course is relevant to anyone suffering, or who knows someone who is suffering from depression or bipolar disorder. This course will discuss diagnostic criteria and global prevalence for common depressive and bipolar disorders, including dysthymic disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, peripartum depressive disorder, as well as bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and cyclothymic disorder.
The course begins with an introduction to psychological mood disorders and explains the process of diagnosis before describing the two dominant diagnostic schemes, ICD-11 from the World Health Organization and DSM-5-TR from the American Psychiatric Association. The course will also explain how clinicians take culture into account in diagnosis and treatment.
The course will then cover the biological contributing factors for depressive and bipolar disorders, including genetics, epigenetic, and neurobiological factors. Following this, psychological contributing factors will be introduced. These factors include feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, environmental conditions, childhood trauma, poverty, prejudice, and discrimination.
The next part of the course addresses biological and psychological treatments for depressive and bipolar disorders. These treatments include pharmacological therapies, brain stimulation, and various cognitive-behavioral therapies, as well as integrated approaches that combine biological and psychological treatments.
Finally, this course includes comprehensive review material and self-paced assessments to help you excel in your study of these mood disorders.
Learning objectives
- Compare and contrast common mood disorders.
- Discuss options for treating mood disorders.
- Explain cultural influences on treatment for mood disorders.
- Evaluate how treatments for mood disorders are related to suicide prevention.
This program does not offer CE credit.
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