Steven Crane Compiled Section Handouts. Human Behavioral Biology 2012

Things to Know for Depression

• 
  The broad symptoms.
  
• 
  Know (in some detail) the evidence that depression is a biological disorder.
  
• 
  Which neurotransmitter systems are functioning abnormally in depression, what is the evidence for such dysfunction, what are the functional consequences of those abnormalities.
  
• 
  The relationship between reproductive physiology and depression in women.
  
• 
  What does stress have to do with depression? Know this on multiple levels (epidemiological, endocrine,
  

psychological, genetic….).

• 
  What learned helplessness is about.
  

Schizophrenia

What do the behaviors of schizophrenia look like?

Is schizophrenia a disease with hidden blessings?

• 
  Not really, no. Comes with misery and suicide and social isolation
  

What are the positive symptoms?

• The symptoms that most people don't have but schizophrenics have MORE of

• Loose associations in thinking patterns

• Extreme concreteness of thought

• Delusions (especially paranoid ones)

• Hallucinations (usually auditory)

• Disordered sense of self and action (they can't tickle themselves)

What are the negative symptoms?

• Social isolation

• Emotionally flat

• Elderly have more negative symptoms than positive symptoms

Is disordered thought caused by the delusions/hallucinations first?

• 
  Seems like they aren't causally connected because drugs can take care of the delusions/hallucinations but the disordered thought symptoms are still present. So they're independent symptoms.
  

What's the demography of schizophrenia?

• 
  1-2% worldwide. No culture bias. No gender bias.
  
• 
  Onset is usually in late adolescence
  
• 
  No SES bias in incidence, but once you get schizophrenia, a SES downward spiral often follows