Psychological Disorders
nA
“harmful dysfunction” in which
behaviour is judged to be atypical,
disturbing, maladaptive, and
unjustifiable.
Classification
n DSM-IV:
The American Psychiatric
Association’s Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders
(4th edition).
The Axes System
n
n
n
n
n
Axis I: The particular maladaptive
symptoms, or clinical psychiatric
syndromes.
Axis II: Any long-standing personality
problems or specific developmental
problems.
Axis III: Any medical or physical
disorders that may also be present.
Axis IV: The severity of psychosocial
stressors.
Axis V: The level of adaptive
functioning.
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Criticisms of the DSM-IV
n Too
broad in defining psychiatric
disorders.
n The labels for psychiatric disorders
are arbitrary.
n Categorical vs. Dimensional
classification?
Anxiety Disorders
n
n
Psychological disorders characterized
by distressing persistent anxiety or
maladaptive behaviours that reduce
anxiety.
Examples
n Generalized Anxiety Disorder
n Panic Disorder
n Phobia
n Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
n Continually
tense
n Apprehensive
nA
state of autonomic nervous
system arousal
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Panic Disorder
n Marked
by minutes-long episode of
intense dread in which a person
experiences terror and frightening
sensations.
Phobias
n Marked
by a persistent, irrational
fear and avoidance of a specific
object or situation.
Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder
n Characterized
by unwanted
repetitive thoughts and/or actions.
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Causes of Anxiety Disorders
n Fear
Conditioning
Generalization
n Reinforcement
n Observational Learning
n Biological Perspective
n Stimulus
Mood Disorders
n Psychological
disorders
characterized by emotional
extremes.
n Examples
n
n
Major Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder
n No
apparent reason
or more weeks of depressed
moods
n Feelings of worthlessness and
diminished interest or pleasure in
most activities
n Two
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Bipolar Disorder
n Alternates
between the
hopelessness and lethargy of
depression and the overexcited
state of mania.
Causes of Mood Disorders
n Biological
Perspective
Perspective
n Socio-cognitive
Negative thoughts feed negative
moods
n Negative moods feed negative
thoughts
n Depression’s vicious cycle
n
Socio-cognitive Perspective
Brain Chemistry
Cognition
Mood
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Depression’s Vicious cycle
Stressful
Experience
Negative
Explanatory
Style
Cognitive &
Behavioural
Changes
Depressed
Mood
Schizophrenia
nA
psychotic disorder in which a
person loses contact with reality,
experiencing grossly irrational
ideas or distorted perceptions.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
n Disorganized
n Disturbed
n
thinking
perceptions
i.e., hallucinations
n Inappropriate
emotions and actions
Flat affect
n Catatonia
n
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Subtypes of Schizophrenia
n Paranoid
n Disorganized
n Catatonic
n Undifferentiated
n Residual
Causes of Schizophrenia
n Brain
Abnormalities
Influences
n Psychological Factors
n Genetic
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