What the exam asks
- Symptom and timeline matching (MCQ): Reading a short case description and identifying which disorder the symptoms are most consistent with based on duration (e.g., 2 weeks vs. 2 years) and symptom intensity (full mania vs. hypomania).
- Etiology and perspectives (MCQ & EBQ): Linking specific causal factors—such as neurotransmitter levels, maladaptive explanatory styles, or reduced environmental reinforcement—to the maintenance of depressive or bipolar symptoms.
- Research evaluation (AAQ & EBQ): Analyzing summarized peer-reviewed studies on mood disorders, operationalizing symptoms (such as scores on a depression inventory), and using psychological concepts to explain how study data support a claim.
Core ideas
Depressive disorders
Depressive disorders are characterized by the presence of a sad, empty, or irritable mood, accompanied by both physical (somatic) changes and cognitive changes that significantly impair a person’s ability to function in daily life.
- Physical changes: Significant weight or appetite changes, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation (noticeable slowing of thought and physical movement), and fatigue or loss of energy.
- Cognitive and emotional changes: Anhedonia (markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities), feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, diminished ability to think or concentrate, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
| Disorder | Core Diagnostic Features | Minimum Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) | Severe depressive symptoms (5 or more, including depressed mood or anhedonia) causing significant functional impairment, without a history of manic or hypomanic episodes. | At least 2 weeks |
| Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) | Chronic, generally milder (though sometimes overlapping with severe) depressed mood that is present for most of the day, for more days than not. | At least 2 years in adults (1 year in children and adolescents) |
Bipolar disorders
Bipolar disorders involve bipolar cycling—alternating periods of emotional lows (depression) and emotional highs (mania or hypomania).
A manic episode is a distinct period (lasting at least 1 week) of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally increased goal-directed activity or energy. Symptoms include:
- Grandiosity or inflated self-esteem
- Decreased need for sleep (e.g., feeling rested after only 3 hours)
- Pressured speech (rapid, uninterruptible talking)
- Flight of ideas or racing thoughts
- High distractibility and impulsive, high-risk behavior (e.g., reckless spending)
A hypomanic episode involves the same symptoms as mania, but it is less severe, is shorter (at least 4 consecutive days), and does not cause marked impairment in social or occupational functioning or require hospitalization.