This free course, Understanding depression and anxiety, explores the causes of these mental health issues, with a particular focus on stress. You will consider some risk and causal factors for some depression and anxiety disorders, and learn about the biology and psychology behind them.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1Â Â Understanding the role of stress
- 1Â Â Understanding the role of stress
- 1.1Â Â What do we mean by stress?
- 1.2Â Â Recent life events and stress
- 1.3Â Â Early life events and stress
- 1.4Â Â Cognition, appraisal and stress
- 1.5Â Â Temperament, personality and heritability
- 1.6 Inheritance of temperament
- 1.7 Familial inheritance and heritability in humans
- 2Â Â Stress and the brain
- 2Â Â Stress and the brain
- 2.1 The operation and control of the HPA axis
- 2.2 Relating stress and depression biologically
- 2.3 Effects on the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex
- 2.4 Relating stress and anxiety biologically
- 2.5 The amygdala and generalised anxiety disorder
- 3Â Â The life cycle model of stress
- 3Â Â The life cycle model of stress
- 3.1 Adaptive value of developmental programming of stress
- 4Â Â Insights from antidepressants
- 4Â Â Insights from antidepressants
- 4.1Â Â The monoamine hypothesis of mood disorders
- 4.2 Evidence for the monoamine hypothesis
- 4.3 Tryptophan depletion experiments
- 4.4Â Â The neurotrophic hypothesis of mood disorders
- 4.5 Depression and levels of BDNF
- 4.6 Stress, depression and neurogenesis in the hippocampus
- 4.7 Antidepressants, BDNF levels and neurogenesis in the hippocampus
- 5Â Â The network hypothesis of mood disorders
- 5Â Â The network hypothesis of mood disorders
- 6Â Â Genes and environment: bringing it all together
- 6Â Â Genes and environment: bringing it all together
- 6.1Â Â The serotonin transporter gene and vulnerability to stressful life events
- 6.2Â Â Genes, environment and development
- 6.3 Epigenetic effects and human mental disorders
- Conclusion
- References
- Acknowledgements
