Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
“

A woman's mother died. After the funeral
everyone went to the mother's house where
everyone ate and remembered the mother.
At the reception the woman noticed a man
and fell head-over-heels in love with him.
People kept occupying her time, talking to
her about her mother. When she finally got
free, she searched all over but the man had
left.
The woman was so upset as she hadn't
even gotten his name, she was so taken
with him. Two weeks later, she killed her
sister. Why did she kill her sister?
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Answer: She killed her sister because she
thought that since the man knew her mother
and was at her funeral, maybe he knew her
sister and would come to her funeral also.
Then she could meet him.
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A
form of “hypochondriasis” can occur when
learning about abnormal psychology.
 You may find that some of the symptoms we
discuss in this chapter sound like something you
have experienced.
 This is normal; happens with medical students,
too!
 Note, though, that all psychological disorders
involve exaggerations of normal tendencies.
 If you can answer, “no” to the question, “Is this
out of the norm for me?”, then you probably do
not have a disorder! 
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Psychopathology –
Any pattern of emotions, behaviors, or
thoughts inappropriate to the situation and
leading to personal distress or inability to achieve
important goals (aka: mental illness, mental
disorder)
classic signs of severe disorder:
•Hallucinations
•Delusions
•Severe affective disturbances
 Three
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 Diagnosis
depends on clinical judgment;
typically, two or more indicators are cause
for concern:
Distress
Unpredictability
Maladaptiveness
Unconventionality
and undesirable
behavior
Irrationality
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Prolonged
anxiety
Overwhelmed to the point of
losing concentration.
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

Others are afraid of the person due
to person’s acts or behaviors
Person’s behavior interferes with
own well-being (e.g. drinking
heavily  job loss or endangerment
to others on the road)
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Irrational
speech (e.g. talking to
someone who’s not there)
Talking in ways that are
incomprehensible (e.g. “word salad”)
Behavior or emotional responses
inappropriate to the situation (e.g.
laughing at scene of a tragedy)
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Erratic
& inconsistent behavior from
one event to next (e.g., happy one day
then irritable/abusive the next  on a
continual basis, not just one day)
Individual
acts as though they are
experiencing loss of control.
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 Person
behaves in ways that are
statistically rare & violate social
norms
 Being
“unusual” is not a sign of
abnormality (e.g., green
mohawk); however, if running
around town wearing a green
mohawk and nothing else, then
that is abnormal.
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The medical model takes a
“disease” view, while
psychology sees
psychological disorder as an
interaction of biological,
cognitive, social, and
behavioral factors
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

Good: Says mental disorders are diseases that
require specific treatments  created
supportive “asylums” for the “insane”
Bad: “Doctor knows best”; patient has no part
in helping with a treatment program 
creates dependence on the doctor; drug
therapy; little help with coping skills, etc.
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
Behavioral perspective –
Abnormal behaviors acquired through
behavioral learning – operant & classical
conditioning
 Cognitive perspective –
Abnormal behaviors influenced by mental
processes – how people perceive themselves
and their relations with others
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Although most psychologists have
reservations about the medical model, they
do not deny the influence of biology on
thought and behavior.
Genetic factors, brain injury, infection, and
learning can lead to psychopathology
Believe there are links to GENETICS with
MENTAL DISORDERS!
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Most widely used system,
found in the DSM-V,
classifies disorders by their
mental and behavioral
symptoms (Slide 1)
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 DSM-V:
(just replaced DSM-IV)
Fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders
 In
multi-axial diagnosis, professionals
look at entire person, not just
“abnormal” behavior
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
Axis I – Clinical Disorders (can be changed through medication or

Axis II – Personality disorders and Mental Retardation (cannot be

Axis III – General Medical Conditions

Axis IV – Psychosocial and Environmental Problems

Axis V – Global Assessment of Functioning (on a scale of 1-100 how
symptoms can be treated)
changed)
the person is functioning at the time they are first seen – used as a
comparative throughout treatment).
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
Neurotic Disorder or Neurosis: originally someone
who was unhappy or dissastified, but not out of
touch with reality
◦ “Neurosis” term now called “disorder”

Psychotic Disorder or Psychosis: originally
someone who was more severe than neurotic; had
disturbances in perception & rational thinking
◦ “Psychotic” now refers to having a loss of contact with
reality
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Ideally, accurate diagnoses
lead to proper treatments, but
diagnoses may also become
labels that depersonalize
individuals and ignore the
social and cultural contexts in
which their problems arise
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Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2007

Insanity –
A legal term, not a psychological or
psychiatric one, referring to a person who is
unable, because of a mental disorder or
defect, to confirm his or her behavior to the
law
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
Major depression –

Bipolar disorder –

Unipolar disorder – Staying in one state (usually
Form of depression, does not alternate with
mania
Mental abnormality involving swings of mood
from mania to depression
depression) for an extended period of time 
MOST COMMON!
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) –
Believed to be caused by deprivation of sunlight
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acon 2007
 Generalized
anxiety disorder –
Persistent and pervasive feelings of
anxiety, without any external cause
 Panic
disorder – Panic attacks that
have no connection to events in a
person’s present experience
 Agoraphobia
– Fear of public
places/open spaces
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 Phobias–
Group of anxiety disorders involving a
pathological fear of specific object or
situation
 Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder –
Condition characterized by patterns of
persistent, unwanted thoughts and
behaviors
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 Somatoform
disorders –
Psychological problems appearing in
as bodily symptoms or physical
complaints
1. Conversion disorder –
Marked by paralysis, weakness, or loss
of sensation, but with no discernable
physical cause
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
Glove Anesthesia
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2.
Hypochondriasis –
Somatoform disorder involving
excessive concern about health and
disease
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 Dissociative
disorders –
Group of pathologies involving
“fragmentation” of the personality
Dissociative
amnesia
Dissociative
fugue
Depersonalization
disorder
Dissociative
identity disorder
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Dissociative
amnesia
Dissociative fugue
Depersonalization
disorder

A
psychologically
induced loss of
memory for
personal
information
Dissociative
identity disorder
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Dissociative
amnesia
Dissociative fugue
Depersonalization
disorder

Dissociative
amnesia with the
addition of “flight”
from one’s home,
family, and job
Dissociative
identity disorder
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Dissociative
amnesia
Dissociative Fugue
Depersonalization
disorder
Dissociative
identity disorder

Abnormality
involving the
sensation of mind
and body having
separated
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Dissociative
amnesia
Dissociative Fugue
Depersonalization
disorder
Dissociative
identity disorder

Condition in which the
individual displays
multiple identities
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
Schizophrenia –
Psychotic disorder involving
distortions in thoughts, perceptions,
and/or emotions
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Disorganized
Catatonic
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual
Positive
Negative
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Disorganized
Catatonic

Features incoherent
speech, hallucinations,
delusions, and bizarre
behavior
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual Type
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Disorganized
Catatonic

Involves stupor or
extreme excitement
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual Type
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Disorganized
Catatonic
Paranoid
Undifferentiated

Prominent feature:
combination of
delusions and
hallucinations
Residual Type
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Disorganized
Catatonic
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual Type

Persons displaying a
combination of
symptoms that do not
clearly fit in one of the
other categories
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Disorganized
Catatonic
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual Type

Individuals who have
had a past episode of
schizophrenia but are
free of symptoms
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Positive
Schizophrenia
Negative
Schizophrenia

Any form in which the
person displays active
symptoms
(e.g. delusions,
hallucinations)
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Positive
Schizophrenia
Negative
Schizophrenia

Any form distinguished
by deficits, such as
withdrawal and poverty
of thought processes
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 Variety
of factors including genetics,
abnormal brain structure, and
biochemistry
 Diathesis-stress
hypothesis –
Genetic factors place the individual at
risk, but environmental stress factors
transform this potential into an
actual schizophrenic disorder
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 VIDEO
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1.
Personality disorders –
2.
Narcissistic personality disorder –
Chronic, pervasive, inflexible, & maladaptive
pattern of thinking, emotion, social
relationships, or impulse control
Grandiose sense of self-importance; a
preoccupation with fantasies of success and
power, & need for constant attention
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3.
Antisocial personality disorder –
4.
Borderline personality disorder –
Long-standing pattern of
irresponsible behavior, lack of
conscience, & diminished sense of
responsibility to others
Unstable personality given to
impulsive behavior
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Mild depression
Physical
complaints
Parent-child
problems
Marital
problems
Academic
problems
Job problems
Bereavement
Malingering
(intense grief)
(fake illness to avoid work)
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1.
Autism –
2.
Dyslexia –
Developmental disorder marked by
disabilities in language, social
interaction, & ability to understand
another person’s state of mind
Reading disability, thought by some
experts to involve a brain disorder
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3.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder –
Developmental disability involving
short attention span, distractibility, &
extreme difficulty in remaining
inactive for any period
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

Johnny has been
hearing voices that
are not his own and
not coming from
other people. These
voices are mean and
tell him that people
are out to get him.
Johnny is
experiencing what?

SCHIZOPHRENIA

Sally has been telling
people that she is
the President of the
United States when
she clearly is not.
She fully believes
that she is and even
goes to the White
House and insists to
the Secret Service
that she be let in.
Sally is experiencing
what?
DELUSIONS