PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISORDERS
AP Psychology
Myers, Ch. 16
With your neighbors…
define “psychological
disorder.” - What are
the key elements?
Psychological Disorder
■ Psychological disorder – behaviors and/or thinking patterns that are
UMAD
•Irrational, does
not make sense
to most people
•Makes oneself
and/or others
uncomfortable
•Harmful to
oneself and/or
others
Unjustifiable
Maladaptive
Disturbing
Atypical
•Unusual, not
shared by many
others
Mentally Ill vs. Insane
■ “Insane” = LEGAL term, not clinical
– Often we say “insane” or “crazy” when we are
confused or uncomfortable.
■ Medical model – the concept that diseases have
physical causes that can be diagnosed and
hopefully cured
Classifying Disorders
■ DSM 5 (May 2013)
– Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders
– Published by the American Psychiatric
Association
– A widely used system for classifying
psychological disorders.
– 1950 – 60 disorders
– Today – 400 disorders
Diagnosing Disorders
■ Disorders are diagnosed based on assessment, interviews,
and observations based on 5 axes in the DSM-IV… less
used in the DSM 5
Axis
Category
Axis I
Clinical psychological syndromes (mood, anxiety, dissociative,
sleep, sexual, substance-related, schizophrenia, eating, etc)
Axis II
Personality disorders
Mental retardation
Axis III
General medical conditions (diabetes, hypertension, arthritis)
Axis IV
Psychosocial or Environmental problems (social/environmental
stressors
Axis V
Global Assessment of functioning
Labeling Disorders
PRO
Anti
■ Communication between
health professionals
about care and therapy.
■ Labels can stigmatize
people.
■ Common vocabulary for
research and treatment.
■ Labels can distort a
person’s perception of
themselves (affecting
their well-being) and
others’ perceptions of
them (affecting
treatment).
ADHD
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder
■ a psychological disorder
marked by the appearance by
age 7 of one or more three key
symptoms:
– Inattention
– Hyperactivity
– Impulsivity
ADHD Debate
Genuine Disorder
Over-Diagnosed
■ ADHD is a real neurological
disorder that is inheritable
■ ADHD diagnoses have been on
the rise for 2 decades
■ can be studied using brain
imaging techniques
■ not caused by too much sugar or
boring classes
■ often co-exists with other learning
disorders
■ treatable with nonaddictive
medications such as Ritalin or
Adderall
■ more children are unnecessarily
on medication
■ ADHD rates differ in different
counties and states
■ adults also accept the diagnosis
and use it to account for life
failings
■ behavioral therapies also help
modify behaviors in the classroom
and at home
Bottom line – ADHD symptoms are disruptive and can be treated with medication.
Famous ADHD Sufferers
■ Walt Disney
■ Whoopi Goldberg
■ Justin Timberlake
■ Will Smith
■ Michael Phelps
■ Jim Carrey
■ Suzanne Somers
■ Cher
ANXIETY DISORDERS
“The natural role of the 20th century man is anxiety.”
- Norman Mailer
Anxiety Disorder
■ Psychological disorders characterized by
distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive
behaviors that reduce anxiety.
– Generalized anxiety disorder
– Panic disorder
– Phobias
– Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
In your packet…
■ Take the first test labeled “Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale.”
(Handout 16-7)
■ Answer True or False as it concerns you.
■ I will read a list of “true” responses – if your response is also
“true” – circle the number.
■ Add all matched “true” responses.
■ Average college student – 14/15
Anxiety Disorders
Disorder
Generalized
Anxiety
Disorder
Characteristics
Continually tense and apprehensive for 6+
months
Cannot identify, avoid, or cope with anxiety
source
Panic
Disorder
Unpredictable minutes long panic attacks
Attacks – several minutes, resembles
heart attack
1 in 75 people
In your packet…
■ Take the test labeled “Handout 16-10.”
■ Follow the instructions and calculate your score.
■ Social phobia – 52.4
■ Anxiety – 28.0
■ No diagnosis – 22.3
Anxiety Disorders
Disorder
Phobias
Characteristics
Persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a
specific object or situation that disrupts
normal life
1. Agorophobia (fear of inability to escape
situation)
2. Social phobia
3. Object phobias
PostTraumatic
Stress
Disorder
Haunting memories, nightmares, social
withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia
that lingers for four weeks or more after a
traumatic experience
Common/Interesting Phobias
Acrophobia
Heights
Aquaphobia
Water
Gephyrophobia
Bridges
Ophidiophobia
Snakes
Aerophobia
Flying
Astraphobia
Lightning
Herpetophobia
Reptiles
Phonophobia
Speaking loudly
Mikrophobia
Germs
Brontophobia
Thunder
Ailurophobia
Cats
Pyrophobia
Fire
Murophobia
Mice
Claustrophobia
Closed spaces
Amaxophobia
Vehicles, driving
Thanatophobia
Death
Numerophobia
Numbers
Cynophobia
Dogs
Anthophobia
Flowers
Trichphobia
Hair
Nyctophobia
Darkness
Dementophobia
Insanity
Anthrophobia
People
Xenophobia
Strangers
Ochlophobia
Crowds
Ornithiophobia
birds
OBSESSIVECOMPULSIVE
DISORDERS
In your packet…
■ Take the test labeled “Handout 16-11.”
■ Follow the instructions and calculate your score.
■ OCD diagnosis: 28+
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
■ Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions)
and/or actions (compulsions).
– Must disrupt everyday life
■ In the DSM 5, OCD has become its own separate
category of psychological disorders including:
– Trichotillomania (hair-pulling)
– Excoriation (skin-picking)
– Hoarding disorder
Obsession vs. Compulsion
OBSESSION (Thought)
COMPULSION (Ritual)
A young woman is continuously
She always walks as far from the street
scared that a car will hit her when pavement as possible and wears red
she walks on the sidewalk.
clothes so that she will be immediately
visible to cars.
A mother is tormented by the
Everyday she sterilizes all cooking utensils
concern that she will contaminate in boiling water, scours every pot and pan
her family’s food while cooking.
before placing food in it, and wears rubber
gloves while handling food.
A college student has the urge to
yell obscenities while sitting
through lectures in class.
Carefully monitoring his watch, he bites his
tongue every 60 seconds to ward off the
inclination to shout.
A young boy worries incessantly
that something terrible might
happen to his mother while
sleeping at night.
On his way to bed each night, he climbs the
stairs in the same sequence of three steps
up, followed by two steps down in order to
ward off the danger.
OCD
% Reporting
Common thought/behavior
Symptom
Concern with dirt, germs, toxins 40
OBESSIONS
Something terrible happening
24
(thoughts)
Symmetry, order, exactness
17
85
COMPULSIONS Excessive hand-washing,
bathing, or grooming
(rituals,
Repeating rituals (in/out of a
51
behaviors)
door, up/down in a chair)
Checking doors, locks,
46
appliances, car brakes,
homework
Famous OCD Sufferers
■ Charles Darwin
■ Howard Hughes
■ Marc Summers
■ Howie Mandel
■ Megan Fox
■ Crash Course
Anxiety/OCD
Explaining Anxiety Disorders
Nature
Nurture
■ Biological to fear certain things:
snakes, spiders, closed spaces,
darkness, heights  natural
selection
■ General anxiety and fear
with classical conditioning
– Ex: :Little Albert
■ Twins show similar anxiety levels
■ Observational learning
– Learning fears
through observing
others
■ Brain activity
– Amygdala – fear
– OCD and overactive anterior
cingulate cortex – monitors
behaviors and checks for
errors
MOOD (AFFECTIVE)
DISORDERS
“I do suffer from depression, I suppose. Which isn’t that unusual.
You know, a lot of people do.”
-Amy Winehouse
In your packet…
■ Take the test on the first page labeled “Handout 16-14.”
■ Read and follow the instructions.
■ Carefully calculate your score.
■ 50-59 = mild depression
■ 60-69 = moderate depression
■ 70-79 = severe depression
Mood Disorders
■ Psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes
– Depression is the number one reason people seek
mental health services.
Mood Disorders
Disorder
Major
Depressive
Disorder
Characteristics
2+ weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of
worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities
Not enough serotonin absorption in the brain?
Must disrupt everyday functioning
Bipolar
Disorder
Periodic fluctuations between depression and mania
Mania - hyperactive, wildly optimistic state (in milder forms can fuel
creativity and production.)
Explaining Mood Disorders
Nature
Nurture
■ Mood disorders run in
families
■
Negative appraisal of events
■
Learned helplessness
■ Scarcity of
norepinephrine and
serotonin
■
Pessimism
■
Rise of individualism and
decline of family/religion?
■
Chicken-or-the-egg:
depressive state and
negative emotions/beliefs
 BREAK the cycle!
■ Left-frontal lobe inactivity
■ 7% smaller frontal lobe
Famous Mood Disorder
Sufferers
Major Depressive Disorder
Bipolar Disorder
■ Abraham Lincoln
■ Kurt Cobain
■ Woody Allen
■ Robin Williams
■ Bob Dylan
■ Russell Brand
■ Winston Churchill
■ Carrie Fischer
■ Audrey Hepburn
■ Ernest Hemingway
■ Marilyn Monroe
■ Amy Winehouse
Crash Course – Depression/Bipolar
DISSOCIATIVE
DISORDERS
Dissociative Disorders
■ Disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated
(disassociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and
feelings
Disorder
Characteristics
Dissociative Identity Two or more distinct and alternating personalities during which
the original personality denies awareness of the others
Disorder (DID)
AKA multiple
personalities
Rare and contested (controversial)
Dissociative Fugue
Reversible amnesia for personal identity
Possibility a coping mechanism for anxiety or PTSD
Sudden, unexpected travel away from home/work/life with
inability to recall one's past
DID Debate
Supporters
■ Different brain and body
states with different
personalities
■ Handedness can also
change with personalities
Skeptics
■
Why so prevalent in the late
20th century?
■
Jump from 3 to 12
personalities?
■
Why not prevalent outside of
North America
■
Disorder created by
therapists and clients in a
certain social context.
SOMATOFORM
DISORDERS
Somatoform Disorders
■ characterized by symptoms that suggest physical
illness or injury but cannot be explained fully by a
medical condition, a drug substance, or another
mental disorder
Somatoform Disorders
Disorder
Hypocondriasis
Characteristics
Excessive preoccupancy or worry about having a serious illness
Often accompanied by other disorders, mainly anxiety disorders
and OCD
Conversion
Disorder
Clip 1
Clip 2
Blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic)
symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation
Mind-over-matter
SCHIZOPHRENIA
“Schizophrenia cannot be understood without understanding despair.”
- R. D. Lang
Schizophrenia
■ A group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized
thinking, disturbed perception, and inappropriate emotions
and actions.
– Literally means “split mind” – split with reality
– 1 in 100 people
– 24 million worldwide
– Typically strikes during young adulthood
– Men are afflicted more often, earlier in life, and more
severely
Schizophrenia’s Characteristics
Disorganized
thinking
Delusions – false BELIEFS (usually about persecution or
grandeur)
•I AM Santa Claus.
•I KNOW the FBI is following me.
Possibly results from a breakdown of selective attention
Disturbed
perceptions
Hallucinations – false PERCEPTIONS (usually auditory voices)
•I FEEL bugs crawling under my skin.
•I HEAR voices telling me the FBI is following me.
Voices can speak in sentences or just words; mostly negative.
Inappropriate
emotions and
actions
Inappropriate emotions
•laughing at a family member’s death
•becoming angry for no reason
•crying for no reason
Compulsive acts
•Rubbing an arm
•Continuous rocking
•Catatonia – remaining
motionless for hours on
Flat effect – an apathetic, zombielike end.
state
Schizophrenia Subtypes (no longer used in DSM 5)
Type
Characteristics
Paranoid
Most common
Auditory hallucinations
Delusions about persecution or conspiracy
Disorganized
Less hallucinations/delusions
Catatonic
Disorganized speech or behavior (word salad)
Difficulty performing basic tasks
Inappropriate emotions
Disturbances in movement
Undifferentiated
Residual
Catatonic state – withdrawal and immobility
Parrotlike repeating of another’s speech or movements
Many and varied symptoms that cannot be categorized into a
particular subtype
After hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms have mostly
disappeared
Managed but may need support
Schizophrenia Symptoms
Positive Symptoms
• Presence of inappropriate
behaviors
• Hallucinations, delusions,
disorganized speech,
inappropriate actions
Baseline for typical behaviors
Negative Symptoms
• Absence of appropriate
behaviors
• Toneless voice, catatonia, flat
effect
Schizophrenia Onset
Chronic or
Process
Schizophrenia
•Slow developing
•Recovery is doubtful
Acute or
Reactive
Schizophrenia
•Quickly developed, possibly
due to stress or traumatic
event
•Recovery is hopeful
Understanding Schizophrenia
Biological Keys
■ Dopamine hypothesis schizophrenia is related to
overactivity of dopamine in the
brain.
– medication (antipsychotics)
can lessen dopamine activity
– amphetamines (like
stimulant drugs) can worsen
symptoms
■ Less frontal lobe activity
■ Paranoid – more activity in
amygdala
■ Shrinkage of tissue and
enlargement of fluid-filled areas
■ Child Schizophrenics, Jani
Understanding Schizophrenia
Fetal Development and
Genes
Early Warning Predictors
■ Mid-pregnancy during flu
season
■ Family history
■ Low birth weight
■ Short attention span and poor
muscle coordination
■ Oxygen deprivation
■ Appears to be heritable –
1 in 10 with a
parent/sibling will
develop schizophrenia
■ Oxygen deprivation and low
birth weight.
■ Disruptive or withdrawn
behavior
■ Emotional unpredictability
Schizophrenia – Nature and
Nurture
■ Diathesis-stress model
– Behaviors are a result of both biological (nature) factors
and life experiences (nurture).
■ Schizophrenia
– Nature – family studies show that schizophrenia is in
part heritable (family studies, 1/10 if parent has
disease; 1/100 if not)
– Nurture – stressful or traumatic events can trigger the
onset of schizophrenia
Famous Schizophrenics
■ There are few famous schizophrenics due to its early-life
development and impairment
■ Mary-Todd Lincoln (possibly bipolar)
■ Jack Kerouac
■ Eduard Einstein (son of Albert)
■ Syd Barrett
■ Crash Course
Schizophrenia/Dissociative
PERSONALITY
DISORDERS
Personality Disorders
■ Psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and
enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning.
■ Several different types – can appear similar to psychological
disorders, however personality disorders are enduring and
inflexible
– Therefore difficult to treat or cure with medication or
psychotherapy
Personality Disorders
Type
Characteristics
Avoidant
Feel inadequate
Sensitivity to others’ opinions
Lack of close relationships – fear of rejection
Dependent
Dependence on other people to meet emotional and
physical needs
View others as more capable
Can seem childlike
Borderline Unstable sense of self
Rapid mood changes
Unstable personal relationships
Suicide attempts and self-mutilation are common
Personality Disorders
Type
Characteristics
Histrionic
Seek emotion and attention
Center of attention, suggestible, emphasized physical
appearance
Rapid changes in emotions
Exaggerated emotions
Inappropriate sexual behavior
Narcissistic
Need for admiration
Lack empathy for others
Extreme arrogance
Believes people are envious of them
Exploits others for self gain
Fantasies of power or success
Sense of entitlement
Personality Disorders
Type
Schizotypal
Characteristics
Schizoid
Lack of close relationships because of lack of
interest and indifference
Emotionless
Lack of close relationships because of discomfort
Eccentric beliefs
Need for social isolation
Likely to experience delusions/hallucinations
Personality Disorders
Type
Antisocial
Characteristics
Superficial charm and intelligence
Lack personal responsibility
No regret, shame, or remorse
Inability to establish close relationships
Poor judgment
Usually male
Appears before age 15
Criminal, con artist, even serial killer
Less frontal lobe activity
Less reactivity with stress hormones
“I didn’t know what made people want to
be friends. I didn’t know what made
people attracted to one another.” – Ted
Bundy
Crash Course – Personality Disorders
Rate of Psychological
Disorders
% of Americans who have experienced selected
psychological disorders in the prior year (2002)
Alcohol abuse
5.2 %
Generalized anxiety
4.0
Phobias
7.8
OCD
2.1
Mood disorder
5.1
Antisocial personality
1.5
Any mental disorder
14.9