Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 1
Psychological Disorder - behavior patterns or mental processes that cause serious
personal suffering or interfere with person’s ability to cope with everyday life.
What is Normal?
Equal with what is average for the majority of people
Deviation from the majority becomes criterion for abnormality
Symptoms of Psychological Disorder (4 criteria)
1.
Typical - how typical the behavior is of people in general
2.
Maladaptive - behavior impairs you to function adequately in everyday life
(behavior hazardous to oneself and others) ex. Suicide, attacking others
3.
Emotional Discomfort - behavior causes emotional discomfort ex. Anxiety,
depression
4.
Socially Unacceptable Behavior - Culture-Bound Syndromes - cluster of
symptoms that define or describe an illness
ex. Evil eye - electrical power in eye, called by jealous, hatred affects people;
makes them sick, violent, out of blue, not themselves; 1054 - Church believes a
general prayer wards off evil spirits
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 1
Most people who commit violent crimes DO NOT have PD because aware of what
doing. Behavior known to be illegal and held responsible. Majority of those with PD
are not violent or dangerous.
Classifying Psychological Disorders
DSM V - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder
6 Major Types
1. Anxiety
2. Dissociative
3. Somotoform
4. Mood
5. Schizophrenia
6. Personality
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 2 -Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety - general state of dread or uneasiness that occurs in response to a vague or
imagined danger.
Differs from fear - response to real danger to threat
ex. Nervousness, inability to relax, concerned about losing control
Physical signs and symptoms of anxiety
trembling
sweating
rapid heart rate
shortness of breath
increased blood pressure
feeling faint
Over activity of autonomic system - some people feel anxiety all the time; may
interfere with effective living
Anxiety disorder - mostly found in US
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 2 -Anxiety Disorders
Types of Anxiety Disorder
1. Phobic
2. Panic
3. Generalized Anxiety
4. OCD
5. Stress ***
Simple Phobia - most common of all anxiety disorders
persistent excessive or irrational fear of a particular object or situation; usually don’t
seek treatment for disorders
Phobic Disorder - fear must interfere with person’s normal life
Common Phobia’s
claustrophobia
arachnophobia
zoophobia
snakes, blood, needles, storms, dental procedures, driving, air traveling
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 2 -Anxiety Disorders
Social Phobia - fear of situation where you would be exposed to close scrutiny of
others and be observed doing something embarrassing or humiliating
All social situation - public speaking eating in public, dating
Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia - continuous panic attacks
Panic Attacks - short period of intense fear or discomfort; shortness of breath,
dizziness, rapid heart rate, trembling, shaking, sweating, choking, nausea
People feel they are dying, going crazy and fear another attack.
Usually panic disorder have AGORAPHOBIA - fear of being in places in which
escape may be difficult or impossible; crowded pubic places - theaters, malls,
buses, trains
Agoraphobia - most common phobia among adults; lead to avoidance behaviors
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 2 -Anxiety Disorders
GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorder - excessive or unrealistic worry about life
circumstances that lasts for 6 months. Most common anxiety disorder. Few people
seek treatment.
ex. Finances, work, interpersonal problems, illness
Difficult to distinguish GAD from other anxiety disorders.
OCD - Obsession Compulsive Disorder
Obsession - unwanted thoughts, ideas mental images that occur over and over
again.
Thoughts are often senseless or repulsive. Most people try to ignore or suppress
them.
Compulsion - repetitive ritual behavior often involve cleaning and checking
ex check and recheck if doors and windows are locked, washing hands 8 hrs. a day
People who experience obsessions usually are aware that the obsessions are
unjustified.
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 2 -Anxiety Disorders
Stress Disorder
PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder
Intense and persistent feeling of anxiety caused by a traumatic experience
ex. Rape, severe accident, airplane crash, war, child abuse, assault
Symptoms
Flashbacks, nightmares of trauma, numbness of feeling, avoidance of stimuli
associated with trauma,
increase tension, lead to sleep disturbance
Symptoms occur 6 or more months after traumatic event
Acute Stress Disorder
Short term disorder following by traumatic event
Lasts few days, weeks
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 2 -Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorder
Psychological Views
Psychoanalytic theory
anxiety is result of forbidden childhood wages that have been repressed
If surface lead to obsessions and compulsive behaviors
Learning theorists believe phobias are conditioned or learned in childhood, and
avoid situation to reduce anxiety
Biological Views
Heredity plays a role in PD
Genetically inclined to fear things that were threats to ancestors
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 3 – Dissociative Disorders
Disassociative Disorder
Separation of certain personality components or mental processes from conscious
thought
ex. Someone engrossed in reading, can’t hear his name; daydreaming
Dissociation occurs to avoid stressful events or feelings
Lose memory or event, forget identity, occurs when individuals faced with stressful
experience
Types of Dissociative Disorder
1. Dissociative Amnesia
2. Dissociative Fugue
3. Dissociative Identify Disorder (Multiple Personalities)
4. Depersonalization Disorder
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 3 – Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Amnesia (psychogenic amnesia) (can’t be explained biologically)
sudden loss of memory following stressful/traumatic event
can’t remember any event that occurred for certain period of time surrounding
event
less common forgot identity
may last few hours or years
Dissociative Fugue
characterized not by forgetting personal information and past events but also
relocating from home or work and taking a new identity
Follows traumatic event that is stressful; reported mostly during war time or natural
disaster
Usually takes on new identity
people with dissociative fugue travel away from home and take a new name,
residence, occupation. Become socially active in new identity - when fugue ends no longer remember what happened during fugue state.
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 3 – Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities)
Involves the existence of two or more personalities within a single individual
Various personalities may or may not be aware of others
At least two of the personalities take turns controlling the individual’s behavior
Each personality different - voice, facial expression, age, gender
usually severely abused as a child - physical, sexual, psychological abuse
Depersonalization Disorder
feelings of detachment from one’s mental processes or body
caused by stressful event
Explaining dissociative disorder
Psychological views - people dissociate in order to repress unacceptable urges
Learning theorist - avoid thinking of disturbing events to avoid feelings guilt, shame,
pain
Cognitive/Biological have evidence for dissociative disorder.
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 4 - Somatoform Disorders
Somatization - psychological distress through physical symptoms
People with this have psychological problems like depression or anxiety but
experience symptoms (paralysis/pain)
6 Types of Somatoform Disorders
2 most common
1. Conversion Disorder
2. Hypochondriasis
Conversion Disorder
experience change or loss of physical functioning in a major part of the body
functioning in a major part of the body
no medical explanation
ex. Can’t see at night; can’t move their legs; Those who have symptoms show little
concern
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 4 - Somatoform Disorders
Hypochondriasis
person fears they have serious disease
Psychological view - occur when individuals repress emotions associated with
forbidden urges express them with physical symptoms
Physical symptom represents compromise between the unconscious need to
express feelings and fear of actually expressing them
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 5 - Mood Disorders
2 general categories
1. Depression - involves feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, sadness
2. Bipolar Disorder - involves cycles of mood changes from depression to elation
Types of Mood Disorders
1. Major Depression - most common PD
5 out of 9 symptoms experienced
1. Persistent depressed mood
2. Loss of interest or pleasure in all activities
3. Significant weight loss or gain
3. Sleeping more or less than usual
4. Sleeping more or less than usual
5. Speeding up or slowing down of physical and emotional reactions
6. Fatigue of worthlessness or unfounded guilt
7. Feelings of worthlessness or unfounded guilt
8. Reduced ability to concentrate or make meaningful decisions
9. Consideration of suicide
**One of first 2 symptoms and additional symptoms must be present for at least 2
weeks and occur daily.
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 5 - Mood Disorders
2. Bipolar Disorder - Manic depression
Dramatic up/downs in mood
Mania - extreme excitement characterized by hyperactivity and chaotic behavior
can change into depression quickly for no reason
Manic moods have following traits:
inflated self-esteem
inability to sit still or sleep restfully
pressure to keep talking and switching from topic/topic
racing thoughts
difficulty concentrating
-Severe cases may have delusions (beliefs have no basis in reality) about their own
superior abilities or about being jealous of them.
-May experience hallucinations - hearing voices and seeing things not really there
-May engage impulsive behaviors - spending sprees, quitting job to pursue wild
dreams
-Manic phase of bipolar disorder - very disruptive to an individual’s life.
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 5 - Mood Disorders
Explaining Mood Disorders/Depression
Psychological View
suffer real or imagined loss of loved object or person in childhood
child feels anger toward lost object/person instead of expressing anger, internalizes
and directs it toward himself
Feelings of guilt and loss of self-esteem
Learning Theorists
learned helplessness makes people prone to depression
argue people have learned through experience to believe that previous events in
their lives were out of control
leads them to expect the future is like this as well
when something negative happens they feel helpless – depression
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 5 - Mood Disorders
Explaining Mood Disorders/Depression
Cognitive theorists
people who are depressed explain their failures on internal, stable and global
causes they feel helpless to change
this thinking gives rise to helplessness which leads to depression
Biological View
20-25% people with mood disorder also have a family member with mood disorder
2 neurotransmitters or chemical messengers in the brain - serotonin and
noradrenaline may explain point of connection between genes and mood
Low levels create mood disorders
develop drug therapy to treat mod disorders
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 6 - Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - most serious psychological disorder
lost of contact with reality; affects person’s inability to function independently
1st appears as young adult
develops gradually, sometimes suddenly
difficult to treat
Symptoms
1. Hallucinations - auditory (Dan’s sister experienced) (tell individual what to do or
comment on their behavior - voices inflict name to oneself)
2. Delusions - belief superior to others
ex. Being pursued by CIA; chosen to save the world
3. Thought disorders - problems in organization of content
ex. May skip from topic to topic; shown through speech
sounds disorganized and confused
may repeat words/phrases continuously or invent new words
4. Social withdrawal -lack social skills, loss of normal emotional responsiveness
5. Catatonic Stupor - immobile, expressionless; coma-like state
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 6 - Schizophrenia
Types of Schizophrenia
1. Paranoid Schizophrenia
have delusions
hallucinations relating to same theme
ex. Delusions of grandeur, persecution, jealously
Tend to have less disordered thoughts and bizarre behavior. May be agitated,
confused and afraid.
2. Disorganized Schizophrenia
incoherent in their thought ad speech
disorganized in their behavior
usually have delusion and hallucinations but are fragmented and unconnected
emotionless or show inappropriate emotions
are silly, speak nonsense, neglect hygiene
lose control of bladder
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 6 - Schizophrenia
Types of Schizophrenia
3. Catatonic
most obvious symptom is disturbance of movement
individuals hold uncomfortable body positions for long periods of time
Psychological Views
overwhelming of EGO by urges from the ID
Urges threatened the EGO and cause intense conflict
individual responds to early stage of development
he becomes confused can’t separate reality
leads to hallucinations and delusions
Other is Family Environment
parents express intense emotions and has pushy critical attitude
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 6 - Schizophrenia
Biological Views
Genetic factors - higher of those who have relatives of people with disorder
more likely suffered an injury or other trauma around birth
born during winter - risk of viral infections
Structural brain abnormalities including enlargement of ventricles, decrease in size
of frontal lobe, change in brain cells
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 7 - Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders
inflexible traits that disrupt social life or work and/or distress the individual
discover by late adolescence, affect all aspects of individual’s personality
including: thought process, emotions, behavior
Types of Personality Disorder
1. Paranoid Personality Disorder
distrustful and suspicious of others
interpret others motives as harmful or evil
difficult to get along with - argumentative
not confused about reality; just distorted
2. Schizoid Personality Disorder
have no interest in relationship with other
lack normal emotional responsiveness
tend to be loners
do not have delusions or hallucinations; they stay in touch with reality
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 7 - Personality Disorders
3. Anti-Social Personality Disorder
show persistent behavior, pattern of disregard for rights of others
don’t feel guilt or remorse
ex. Skip school, run away, hurt others, lie, steal
In adulthood
can be aggressive/reckless
hard time keeping a job
fail to pay bills
break law
4. Avoidant Personality Disorder
desire relationships but can’t form them because afraid of the disapproval of others
act shy and withdraw in social situations
afraid will say or do something embarrassing
Similar symptoms to social phobia and avoidant personality disorder
Chapter 18 – Psychological Disorders
Section 7 - Personality Disorders
Psychological Views
Freud’s antisocial personality - problem in the development of the conscience or
SUPEREGO
Children who are rejected by adults and harshly punished lack a sense of guilt
Learning theorist
suggest childhood experiences “teach” children how to relate to other people
If not reinforced for good behavior and only receive attention when behave badly
learn anti-social behaviors or lack appropriate role models
Biological View
Heredity - may be another factor
The exact link between genes and antisocial behavior is still under investigation