Psychological Disorders
Are you mentally ill?
How do we classify
psychological disorders?
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM)
 Used to identify psychological disorders
 Does not explain causes

What is the effect of labeling
psychological disorders?
It biases your perception of the patient’s
behavior
 After you know the diagnosis (label) even
normal behavior is seen as a symptom of
that diagnosis.

What are anxiety disorders?
What is Generalized Anxiety
Disorder?
Vague expectation that something bad will
happen.
 Unfocused, out-of-control negative
feelings.

What is panic disorder?
Panic attack
 Agoraphobia - fear of situations you can
not escape if a panic attack occurs.

What are phobias?

An irrational fear of something
 E.g.
Arachnophobia - fear of spiders
 Social phobia - fear of social situations
 (Shyness
taken to an extreme)
What are obsessive compulsive disorders?

Obsessive = thoughts
 Thoughts

that won’t go away
Compulsive = behavior
 Checking
a locked door
 Straightening books or fringe on a carpet
 Hand washing
 Flashing
What is PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Causes:

War
 Trauma
 Rape

Effects (symptoms)

Nightmares
 Flashbacks
 Social withdrawal
 Anxiety
 Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
Do you remember?
What does the DSM do and not do?
 How can you recognize a panic attack?
 What are examples of phobias?
 What is the difference between an
obsession and a compulsion?
 What are the causes and symptoms of
PTSD?

What are mood disorders?

Depression
“common cold” of psychological
disorders
 Main reason people seek mental health
services
 Symptoms
 The
 Low
energy
 Low self-esteem
 Never happy
What is bipolar Disorder?

Depression to manic episodes
 Alternating
between hopelessness and
unrestrained optimism & overexcitement.
What is schizophrenia?
“Split mind”
 Disorganized speech and thought

 Word
salad
 Flight of ideas

Inappropriate emotions & actions
 Delusions
(“I am God”)
 Hallucinations (see or hear things)
 False beliefs (Someone is poisoning me)
Types of Schizophrenia

Paranoid
 Themes
 “The

of persecution
Russians are after me.”
Disorganized
 Disorganized
speech
 Flat or inappropriate emotion
Types of schizophrenia (cont.)

Catatonic
 Motionless
- for long periods of time
 Parrot like repeating of another’s speech
Types of Schizophrenia (cont.)
Progress of schizophrenia
 Undifferentiated

Many different
symptoms as
discussed before.
Do you remember?
What are symptoms of depression?
 What are the symptoms of bipolar
disorder?
 What is the difference between delusions
and hallucinations?
 Speaking unrelated words and phrases
could be a symptom of what?
 What is the main symptom of catatonic
schizophrenia?

What are some other types of
disorders?
Dissociative disorder
 Personality disorder

What are dissociative disorders?

Conscious awareness becomes separated
(dissociated) from previous memories,
thoughts and feelings.
Dissociative identity disorder
(Multiple personalities)
Two or more distinct identities that control
their behavior.
 Each person has its own voice and
mannerisms.
 One personality is usually unaware of the
others.

What is personality disorder?

Antisocial personality disorder
 Formally
called sociopath or psychopath
 No conscience or guilt feelings - (e.g. serial
killer)
Do you remember?
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (same person)
would be classified as what?
 Ted Bundy (serial killer without guilt) could
be classified as what?
