Is Learned Helplessness LH Depression 1 Symptoms 2 Neurochemistry Intervention 3 PTSD Anxiety Stress 1 Behavior Analogies Lethargy a b Disrupted sleep patterns less Some may eat more c Disrupted eating pattern less Social interaction Less grooming d e More stomach ulcers Depressed people do not usually have stomach ulcers This is found only in the dogs with LH 2 Neurochemical Analogies a Less brainstem norepinephrine brains equivalent of adrenaline 1975 Low levels of norepinephrine lethargy Increase the levels in people s brains and patients will be less lethargic 1 We know these things through studies of depression In terms of learned helplessness the dogs exhibit the same symptoms which makes a strong case for a comparison to depression in people b Less serotonin 5HT in prefrontal cortex hypothalamus 1975 Dogs have low levels of serotonin researchers take this information and apply it to people and find that depressed people also have low levels of serotonin 3 Intervention a Pharmacology Two general classes of anti depressants 1 Tricyclic ADs standard until about 1980 o Examples Imipramine clomipramine metaprimine o Increase norepinephrine o Not particularly effective on cognitive processes o They will make you more active less lethargic but they will not improve your outlook on life I m still sad I m just doing it faster 2 Atypical ADs 1980 o Examples Fluoxetine Prozac Bupropion wellbutrin o Act by increasing norepinephrine and serotonin levels o Works by making you more active AND fixing cognitive problems Do NOT work for LH Antipsychotics Anxiolytics o Makes you sleep but does not typically work any other symptoms of LH or depression Phase 1 Test Uncontrollable shock shuttle to avoid shock Perception of the world I m incompetent and cannot do anything to avoid the shock Thinking I m a failure causes the dog to be more lethargic Being lethargic causes the animal to not try new things BUT when you give the animal Prozac its energy level increases and the animal begins to try new things again Seligman Abramson 1970s Let s say two people fail an exam one becomes very depressed and the other does not o If the perceived lack of control over your grade is the only thing that matters why does one become depressed and not the other one Why is some depression acute short lived and others become chronically depressed o Phase 1 o Phase 2 Group 1 moderately difficult puzzle Group 2 impossible puzzle and told that most people cannot solve Group 3 Impossible puzzle and told all can solve Group 1 moderate good Group 2 moderate good Group 3 moderate fail When asked what the source of the failure o Group 1 can do it group 2 associates it with outside influences psychologists gave me an unfair test and group 3 blames it on themselves If you conclude I am inadequate such as group 3 you are likely to continue failing because you are attributing it to yourself