Additional Topic: Depression
Cover the complete Depression option while recognising that candidates select only one additional topic.
How to study Higher Psychology
Build each answer from accurate psychological knowledge, named evidence, application to behaviour, analysis and justified evaluation.
Core concepts
Concept 1
Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder
Exam cue: Treat biological and cognitive explanations as models supported by evidence.
Concept 2
neurochemistry, hormones and diathesis–stress
Exam cue: Link each treatment to the proposed process it targets.
Concept 3
SSRIs, tricyclics, SNRIs, MAOIs and ECT
Exam cue: Use aims, method, results, evaluation and conclusions for selected studies.
Concept 4
Beck’s cognitive triad, negative self-schema and faulty processing
Concept 5
one biological and one cognitive study
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Presenting one neurotransmitter as a complete diagnosis.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Confusing a vulnerability in diathesis–stress with the triggering stressor.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Offering clinical advice instead of analysing course content.
Guardrail: Avoid deterministic claims, unsupported causation and generic evaluation disconnected from the named evidence.
Memory anchors
Diathesis–stress
A vulnerability may contribute to depression when combined with environmental stress.
Cognitive triad
Negative views of the self, world and future.
Negative self-schema
An enduring negative framework that biases how self-related information is processed.
SSRIs
A course-specified biological treatment that alters serotonin reuptake.
ECT
A biological treatment considered through mechanism, evidence, effectiveness and ethical implications.
Study analysis
Link the chosen study’s result to the biological or cognitive explanation before evaluating it.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Which distinction best reflects the course treatment of Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder?
Why should low mood after one disappointing day not automatically be labelled a depressive disorder?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
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