Study of psychological
disorders
Difficult to define due to situation/culture/time
4 COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF ABNORMALITY:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Maladaptive: affects ability to live everyday
Disturbing: to person and others
Unusual: not shared by many people
Irrational: it doesn’t make sense to the
average person
Legal term, not a psychological one
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-not guilty and can’t be held responsible for
actions because of a mental illness-rare
-each psychological perspective has a different
point of view
-Biological: genetic, chemical imbalances,
brain structure
-Psychodynamic: unconscious repression
-Behavioral: learning-normal or abnormal
-Cognitive: maladaptive, illogical thinking
-Humanistic: poor self-esteem, self-concept
Combines biological, psychological, and
sociocultural and they interact with one
another to cause disorders
Mental illness=a combination of the 3
Genetically
predisposed
Poor
impulse
control
Sent to war
Substance
use disorder
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)-2000
-American Psychiatric Association
-handbook to diagnose
disorders
-diagnosis based on
symptoms
-about 250 disorders
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikip
edia/en/d/db/DSM-IV-TR.jpg
Assess a person on all 5 axes:
Axis I: Clinical Disorders
•Contains almost all major disorders including: anxiety, depression, schizophrenia
Axis II: Personality Disorders and Mental Retardation
•Enduring, relatively stable disorders
Axis III: General Medical Conditions
•Illnesses that may have impact on mental health
Axis IV: Psychosocial and Environmental Problems
•Problems person may have that might affect diagnosis or treatment, like employment,
living situation
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning
•Scale of 1-100 on overall functioning. 100=functioning well
Purpose is to provide consistency and accuracy
to diagnosing of disorders-controversial
-no tests prove disorder-like cancer/diabetes
-Labeling creates some consistency, but also
stigma
-once have one, creates preconceived bias in
others and self
David Rosehan Study: pretend to hear voices,
when hospitalized, stopped pretending, but
still seen as ill by hospital staff
CATEGORIES TO BE DISCUSSED:
-Anxiety disorders
-Somatoform disorders
-Dissociative disorders
-Affective disorders
-Schizophrenic disorders
-Personality disorders
-Developmental disorders
Excessive or unrealistic anxiety
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-tension, agitation, apprehension, sweating,
muscle tension, increased heart rate and
blood pressure, worry, distractibility,
rumination
Obsession: persistent,
unwanted thoughts
Compulsion:
ritualistic behaviors
performed
repeatedly, done to
reduce anxiety
created by
obsessions
http://commons.wikimed: ritualistic behaviors ia.org/wiki/File:OCD_handwash.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signs_and_Sym
ptoms_of_Anxiety,_Wikiversity_Motivation_and_emotion
,_Slide_3.jpg
Irrational, intense fear of specific stimuli that
causes a compelling desire to avoid that
stimuli
Common phobias:
agoraphobia: public spaces
arachnophobia: spiders
acrophobia: heights
claustrophobia: tight
spaces
social phobia: embarrassing
self in social situation
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spider-phobia.jpg
PANIC DISORDER: repeated attacks of intense
anxiety with no apparent cause and can
happen at any time.
-can last minutes or hours
-associated with agoraphobia
GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER: less intense
but persistent (at least 6 months) anxiety
-no specific situation, difficulty concentrating
and sleeping, irritability
Physical symptoms caused by psychological
problems, and cannot have a physiological
cause
CONVERSION DISORDER: loss of bodily
function, blind or deaf or paralyzed, without
any physical damage-patient indifferent
HYPOCHONDRIASIS: unrealistic interpretation
of physical symptoms as a serious illness
Involves a break in consciousness, memory or
a person’s sense of identity
DISSOCIATIVE AMNESIA: loss of memory
-must be psychological/not physical in cause
-traumatic event
DISSOCIATIVE FUGUE: loss of personal memory,
flight from home, and establish new identity
-caused usually by major stress, or immediate
danger of embarrassing news
2 or more distinct personalities are present in
the same individual each with their own
memories, behaviors and relationships
http://upload.wikim
edia.org/wikipedia/
commons/thumb/7
/78/Dr_Jekyll_and
_Mr_Hyde_poster
_edit2.jpg
-most common with severe childhood abuse
-controversial-many don’t believe it is real
Inappropriate or extreme moods
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/th
umb/b/b8/Mood_dice.svg/640pxMood_dice.svg.png
DYSTHYMIC DISORDER: mild depression that
lasts for 2 years or more
SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD): type of
depression that reoccurs usually during the
winter months-treated with light therapy
Intensely sad, hopeless,
reduced energy,
change in sleeping and
eating patterns,
suicidal thoughts
- “common cold of
disorders”
- 2x more women than
men
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sadness_2.jpg
Mood swings alternating between periods of
depression and mania (inflated ego, excessive
energy, impulsivity, little need for sleep,
euphoria)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Britney_Spears
_at_VMA_2011.png
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DMX.rapper.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Do
wney_Jr-2008.JPG
Loss of contact with reality and distorted
thinking (psychosis)
-onset of disorder is young adulthood
Positive symptoms: (symptom added by
disease) hallucinations(false sensory
perceptions), delusions(false beliefs)
Negative symptoms: (things lost because of
disease) flat affect (no emotion), social
withdrawal, apathy, lack of communication
DISORGANIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA: incoherent
speech, inappropriate mood, delusions,
childlike behavior
PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA: delusions of
grandeur, persecution
CATATONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA: disordered
movement patterns, sometimes immobility
in odd positions
UNDIFFERENTIATED SCHIZOPHRENIA: doesn’t
fit into any other category but have
thought/behavior disturbances
Longstanding, maladaptive thought and
behavior patterns
-part of personality, affects all aspects of life
-Axis II disorders
3 types:
1.Odd/eccentric: paranoid, schizoid,
schizotypal
2. Dramatic/emotionally problematic:
histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, antisocial
3. Chronic fearfulness: avoidant, dependent,
obsessive-compulsive
DISORDER
SYMPTOMS
PARANOID
Extreme suspicion, mistrust
SCHIZOID
Loners, shy, withdrawn
SCHIZOTYPAL
Odd, eccentric, may hold magical beliefs
HISTRIONIC
Excessively dramatic, attention seeking
NARCISSISTIC
Extremely vain and self-involved
BORDERLINE
Emotionally unstable, lack sense of self
ANTISOCIAL
Lack conscience, morals, guilt
AVOIDANT
Fearful of social relationships
DEPENDENT
Needy, want others to make decisions
OBSESSIVECOMPULSIVE
Controlling, focused on neatness and rules
Disorders of infancy, childhood and
adolescence
ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY
DISORDER: (ADHD) unable to focus attention,
easily distracted, impulsive
-10x more frequent in boys
EATING DISORDERS:
-Anorexia: 85% of body weight, not eating
-Bulimia: binge and purge
Lack of responsiveness to others, impairment
in communication, limited activities and
interests, repetitive
behaviors
-evident early-usually
by 2-3 years old
-range from severe to mild symptoms
-1/88 kids are diagnosed with an ASD
-3-4x more likely in boys
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on-20051114.png