Types of Psychological Disorders
Obsessions
Compulsions
• Recurrent thoughts,
impulses and images
• Repeated, irresistible
behaviors that often
follow the experience
of obsessions
Behavioral
View:
• The compulsions act to reduce the anxiety
• experienced as a consequence of the
obsessions and are thus reinforcing.
Biological
(Medical)
View:
• Genetic component
• The frontal lobe (responsible for thinking
and
• planning), and the basal ganglia
(responsible partly for motor movement)
are affected in OCD patients.
Brains of OCD patients
What is Dissociative
Identity Disorder?
,
Often occurs in people who
were sexually
A condition in which an
individual develops
two or more distinct
identities.
Dissociative Identity
Disorder
Previously known as
Multiple Personality
Disorder
Extremely Rare
abused as children.
When faced with extreme
abuse, they disconnect from
selves and become someone
else for preservation
The famous patient “Sybil”
was really Shirley Mason
and the film is a fictionalized
account.
Severe Personality Disorders
Paranoid Personality
Disorder
Schizoid Personality
Disorder
• Suspicious
• self-destructive but
not psychotic;
difficult to
• get along with;
always questioning,
always
• examining every
single detail
• psychotic; high
degree of aloofness,
distance
• secretiveness; not
lonely but loners.
Borderline
Personality Disorder
• Instability in one’s
self-image, mood,
and social
relationships
• lack of clear
identity.
• Very codependent
Antisocial Personality
Disorder:
• Chronic
• pattern of selfcentered,
manipulative,
• destructive behavior
toward others; lack
of remorse; zero
chance of recovery.
• One-fourth
• are women– most
men
What is the difference between a sociopath and
a psychopath? It depends who you ask.
The terms "sociopath" and "psychopath"
describe pretty much the same personality
disorder—people who feel no emotional
connections to others and have zero regard for
the rules and regulations of society. When most
people think of a "psychopath," they think of a
serial killer. Although some people with this
disorder are killers, the vast majority are not.
Today they are referred to as “Antisocial
Personality Disorder”
Signs of A.S.P.D.
• Impulsivity or failure to plan
ahead
• Irritability and aggressiveness, as
indicted by repeated physical
fights or assaults
• Reckless disregard for safety of
self or others
• Consistent irresponsibility, as
indicated by repeated failure to
sustain consistent work behavior
or honor financial obligations
• Lack of remorse, as indicated by
being indifferent about having
hurt, mistreated or stolen from
another
• Lying or stories don’t add up
• Will slowly and subtly separate
you from people who may
question his plans. He may
intercept phone calls from your
friends. He may refuse to
associate with your family.
• Sociopathic con artists often
exhibit a "predatory stare"—
unblinking, fixated and
emotionless. It's not a sign of
empathy—it's an effort to assert
control.
• Extreme and sudden “love” when
they hardly know you. Lavish
flattery
14 Signs of a potential serial killer
Over 90 percent of serial killers are male
They tend to be intelligent, with IQ's in the "bright normal" range
They do poorly in school, have trouble holding down jobs, and often work
as unskilled laborers.
They tend to come from markedly unstable families.
As children, they are abandoned by their fathers and raised by
domineering mothers.
Their families often have criminal, psychiatric and alcoholic histories.
They hate their fathers and mothers.
They are commonly abused as children: psychologically, physically and
sexually. Often the abuse is by a family member.
Many serial killers spend time in institutions as children and have records
of early psychiatric problems.
They have high rates of suicide attempts.
From an early age, many are intensely interested in voyeurism, fetishism,
and sado-masochistic pornography.
More than 60 percent of serial killers wet their beds beyond the age of 12.
Many serial killers are fascinated with fire starting.
They are involved with sadistic activity or tormenting small creatures
Source: Internal Association of Forensic Science, an article written by FBI Special Agent
Robert K. Ressler
"The Serial Killer," Harold Schechter