Chapter 15 pt. 2: Mood Disorders,
Dissociation, Schizophrenia, and
Personality Disorders
Agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Review Questions?
Finish Beth Video/Discussion
Notes: Finish Psychological Disorders (20)
Psychological Disorders in Film (Brief
Clips) (15)
Groups for Project Analysis (5)
1. Explanation of Project.
Mood Disorders Illustrate
Emotional Extremes
 Mood Disorders are characterized
by emotional extremes and come in
variety of forms:
–1. Major Depressive Disorder
–2. Dysthymic Disorder
–3. Seasonal Affective Disorder
–4. Bipolar Disorder
Depression Is Pervasive
 Nearly
everyone will experience at least
some type of mild depression in their life
often due to some external sad event.
 Major Depressive Disorder:
differentiates itself from mild depression
since a person has depressed mood,
feelings of worthlessness, and diminished
interest FOR NO EXTERNAL REASON for 2
or more weeks. .
– Dysthymic Disorder: less severe down
swing in mood but lasts for 2 or more years.
Depression

Seasonal Affective
Disorder: also known as
“winter depression.”
Nearly unknown in the
tropics, but measurably
prevalent in higher
latitudes especially in
polar areas where
daylight becomes rare in
winter.
Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder: mood disorder in which
person alternates between hopelessness and
lethargy of depression and the overexcited,
hyperactive, optimistic state of mania.

Used to be known as Manic Depressive
Disorder.
Somatoform Disorders
Confusion of Mind & Body
Disorders involving physical symptoms or
complaints with no real physical cause or
explanation
 Two types

– Conversion disorder
 May suffer from a loss of movement in a limb or
feeling in a hand or arm or loss of vision
– Hypochondriasis
 You believe something is very wrong with your
health
Gender and Depression
25
Percentage
of population
aged 18-84
experiencing
major
depression
at some
point In life
Around the world
women are more
susceptible to
depression
20
20
15
15
10
10
5
5
0
0
USA Edmonton Puerto
Rico
Males
Females
Paris
West
Florence Beirut
Germany
Taiwan
Korea
New
Zealand
Gender and Depression
10%
Percentage 8
depressed
Females
6
4
2
0
Males
12-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+
Age in Years
Effects on Depression
 Neurotransmitter,
Brain
chemistry
Cognition
Mood
serotonin is scarce
during depression.
 Cognitively, people
tend to have a
negative
explanatory outlook
which helps feed
depression and
lower mood.
Vicious Cycle of Depression
1
Stressful
experiences
4
Cognitive and
behavioral changes
 Breaking
2
Negative
explanatory style
3
Depressed
mood
any of the
links can
often help
eliminate
depression.
Mood Disorders and Suicide
Suicides per 70
100,000 people 60
50
40
The higher suicide rate
among men greatly
increases in late
adulthood
30
20
10
0
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-44 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Males
Females
Explaining Mood Disorders
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Many behavioral and cognitive changes
accompany depression
 Unmotivated, grades decreases, no
sleep, etc.
Depression is widespread
Women at greater risk
 Women more passive
 Men more active
Depression usually goes away
Stressful events usually precede
depression
Depression is striking more and earlier
Explaining Mood Disorders
 Genetic
–Mood disorders are genetic
–Have not found a single
“depression” gene
 The
Brain
–Decrease in serotonin
–Lack of activity in frontal lobe
Dissociative Disorders

In general Dissociative Disorders are
disorders in which a person’s conscious
awareness becomes separated (dissociated)
from previous memories and feelings.

Dissociative Identity Disorder: used to
be known as multiple personality
disorder. Rare disorder where person
exhibits 2 or more distinct and alternating
personalities.
Dissociative Disorders Include
Amnesia
Unlike other forms of memory loss dissociative
memory loss is NOT caused by brain trauma.
 Anterograde Amnesia: loss of memory after a
traumatic event. Cant learn new facts that occur after
incident.
 Retrograde Amnesia: loss of memories from before
a traumatic event. Cant remember anything prior to
the incident.
 Dissociative (Psychogenic) Amnesia: is the loss
of a person’s identity. According to Freud, caused by
intense anxiety. Serves as an escape.

Dissociation Disorders (NOT IN
BOOK)
 Dissociative
(Psychogenic) Fugue
State: when person with amnesia
physically moves away from home and
takes on a new identity somewhere
else.
 Usually temporary and according to
some researchers is caused by
traumatic/stressful episode.
Depersonalization Disorder

Marked by a feeling of detachment or distance
from one's own experience, body, or self.
One can easily relate to feeling as they
are in a dream, or being "spaced out."
A person's experience with depersonalization
can be so severe that he or she believes the
external world is unreal or distorted.
Causes of Dissociative
Disorders

An attempt to escape a traumatic experience
– Protecting the “self”

Highly imaginative children
– Make-believe games become part of real life
Schizophrenia Is Not One Disorder

Schizophrenia is a group of
disorders characterized by
disorganized and delusional
thinking, disturbed perceptions,
and inappropriate emotions.

Schizophrenics often
experience hallucinations
(false perceptions) and
delusions (false beliefs of
grandeur or persecution).
Background
1
in 100 ppl get it
 Typically appears in teens and
twenties
– Men before 25
– Women 25-45
 Men
and women affected equally
Positive vs. Negative
Symptoms
Positive symptoms involve the presence of
inappropriate perceptions behavior.
– Ex: Hallucinations, Delusions, “Word
Salad,” Inappropriate laughter, etc.
 Negative symptoms involves the absence
of appropriate behavior.
– Ex: toneless voices, expressionless, rigid,
mute, etc.

Explaining Schizophrenia:
Brain Chemistry
 Most
psychologists believe disorganized
thinking and hallucinations is caused by a
breakdown in selective attention.
 Selective attention breakdown is most
likely caused by an overabundance of the
neurotransmitter dopamine.
 Abnormal brain chemistry
What Causes it?
 Don’t really know….possibly
– Low birth weight
– Oxygen deprivation
– Viral infections while in the womb
– Genetics definitely play a role
– Environment or parenting is not
thought to cause it
– Environmental events may trigger it
Warning Signs……
A
mother who has schizophrenia
was severe and long lasting
 Birth complications
 Separation from parents
 Short attention span and poor
muscle coordination
 Disruptive or withdrawn behavior
 Emotional unpredictability
 Poor peer relations and solo play
Louis Wain
(Aug. 5, 1860-July 4, 1939)

He was an artist. In his later years he was
diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia and Genetics
Lifetime risk 40
of developing
schizophrenia 30
for relatives of
a schizophrenic
20
10
0
General
population
Siblings
Children
Fraternal Children
Identical
twin
of two
twin
schizophrenia
victims
Personality Disorders
 Personality
Disorders refer to inflexible
and enduring behavior patterns that
impair social functioning.
 Variety of Types:
–1. Avoidant Personality: avoids
personal interaction because they fear
they are inadequate or socially inept.
–2. Paranoid Personality: constant
distrust of others; believe others are
out to get you.
Personality Disorder Types
Continued
3. Borderline Personality: characterized
by mood instability and poor self-image.
Trouble maintaining relationships.
4. Histrionic Personality: must be
center of attention; constantly interrupts
others.
5. Narcissistic Personality: very self
centered personality. Will exaggerate
achievements.
Antisocial Personality Does Not Mean
Shyness/Not Good With People
6. Anti-Social Personality
Disorder: characterized by
a lack of conscience for
wrong-doing toward anyone.
 Often aggressive or con
artists and fearless.
 Murderers like Charles
Manson.
Explaining Antisocial
Personality
 PET
scans illustrate reduced activation in
a murderer’s frontal cortex
Normal
Murderer
Influences on Criminals
35
30
Percentage
of criminal
offenders
25
20
15
10
5
0
Total crime
Childhood
poverty
Thievery
Obstetrical
complications
Violence
Both poverty
and obstetrical
complications
Percentage of Americans Who Have Ever Experienced Psychological Disorders
Ethnicity
Gender
Disorder
White
Black
Hispanic
Men
Women
Totals
Alcohol abuse
or dependence
13.6%
13.8%
16.7%
23.8%
4.6%
13.8%
Generalized anxiety
3.4
6.1
3.7
2.4
5.0
3.8
Phobia
9.7
23.4
12.2
10.4
17.7
14.3
Obsessive-compulsive
disorder
2.6
2.3
1.8
2.0
3.0
2.6
Mood disorder
8.0
6.3
7.8
5.2
10.2
7.8
Schizophrenic
disorder
1.4
2.1
0.8
1.2
1.7
1.5
Antisocial personality
disorder
2.6
2.3
3.4
4.5
0.8
2.6
Disorders Activity
1. Kelsey has been suffering intense mood
swings and cannot get out of bed most
days. She cries often and has thought of
killing herself. A few months ago she was
caught going 90 in a 55 mile zone. She
received a reckless driving ticket and faces
some jail time.
 What disorder does Kelsey have? Explain
why.

Disorders Activity

Tommy has fears of getting sick. He
washes his hands with extremely hot
water that often burns his hands. When
he goes to the grocery store he often
spends hours washing vegetables and
fruits to be sure that they are clean. He is
thinking about quitting his job so he can
have more time to clean his house.
Disorders Activity

Rosa was attacked last summer in a
parking garage. She was able to get away
from her attacker, but he was never
caught by the authorities. Now every time
she leaves the house she panics and
cannot go very far. At stores she looks at
all the faces and worries that her attacker
is around the next corner. She is
increasingly worried about leaving the
house and has stopped going out with