Psychological Disorders- Lesson 1

Defining Abnormality
1. Deviation from average/most people
2. Ability to adjust emotionally, physically, socially
3. Strive for self-actualization

Problem Of Classification Disorders
o DSM-IV- fifth version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
1. Essential Features- define disorders
2. Associated Features- usually present
3. Differential Features- differentiating between similar disorders
4. Diagnostic Criteria- full list of symptoms necessary to diagnose
o How do we describe someone’s mental functioning?
 AXIS I- Current Symptoms
 AXIS II- Developmental Disorders
 AXIS III- Physical Disorders
 AXIS IV- Current Stress Levels
 AXIS V- Highest Adaptive Functioning Level

Anxiety Disorders
o Anxiety- general state of dread or uneasiness that a person feels in response to danger
o Most common psychological disorder
o Types Of Anxiety Disorders
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 Fear unknown and unforeseen circumstances
 Physical Symptoms
2. Phobic Disorder
 Phobia- an intense and irrational fear of a particular object or situation
3. Panic Disorder
 An extreme anxiety that manifests itself in the form of panic attacks
 Feelings of inevitable doom or fear of death
4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
 Uncontrollable pattern of thoughts
 Repeated coping behavior
5. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
 Victims of traumatic events experience the original event in the form of
dreams or flashbacks.
 Overwhelms reality and ability to cope
Psychological Disorders- Lesson 2

Somatoform Disorders- a condition in which there is no apparent physical cause
1. Conversion Disorders- changing emotional difficulties into a loss of a specific
voluntary body function
o La belle indifference- calmness
o Invention to gain freedom from unbearable conflict
o I.e. Turrets No Speech
2. Hypochondriasis- completely healthy person becomes preoccupied with imaginary
ailments
o Spends time looking for signs of fatal illness
o Repression of emotions

Dissociative Disorders- disorders in which a person experiences alterations in memory,
identity, or consciousness
1. Dissociative Amnesia- inability to recall important personal events or information
(related to stress)
2. Dissociative Fugue- suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home or work and
is unable to recall the past
o May establish new identity
o Escape from conflict/stress
3. Dissociative Identity Disorder- exhibits two or more personality states, each with its
own patterns of thinking and behaving
o Dissociating from stressful events
o I.e. Sybil

Schizophrenia- a group of disorders characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts,
emotions, and perceptions
o No single cause or cure (collection of symptoms)
o Delusions- false beliefs that a person maintains in the face of contrary evidence
o Hallucinations- perceptions that have no direct external cause
o Types
1. Paranoid
o Grandeur
o Persecution
2. Catatonic
o Remain motionless
o “Melting limbs”
3. Disorganized
o Incoherent language
o Inappropriate emotions (giggling)
o Disorganized motor behavior
4. Remission
o No symptoms for a time

o Causes
o Genes
o Chemical Imbalances
 Excess Dopamine
 Deteriorating Brain tissue
o Unhealthy Family Situation (Sigmund Freud)
Mood Disorders
1. Major Depressive Disorder- severe form of lowered mood in which a person
experiences feelings of worthlessness and diminished pleasure or interest
2. Bipolar Disorder- individual alternates between feelings of mania (euphoria) and
depression
o Manic Phase- exaggerated everything
o Depressive Phase- feelings of failing, sinfulness, worthlessness, despair
3. Season Affective Disorder (SAD_
o Deep depression in winter
o Lack of Melatonin hormone
Psychological Disorders- Lesson 3

Personality Disorders- maladaptive or inflexible ways of dealing with others and one’s
environment
o Antisocial Personality- a personality disorder characterized by irresponsibility,
shallow emotions, and lack of conscience
 Disregard for others’ rights
 No shame/guilt
 Intelligent Gets away with destructive behavior
 Types
1. Dependent- excessive need to be taken care of
2. Histrionic- excessively seeking attention
3. Obsessive-Compulsive- strives for perfection/order
4. Paranoid- distrusts others
5. Schizotypal- intense discomfort in relationships; distorted feelings

Drug Addiction
o Psychological Dependence- use of drug to such an extent that a person feels
nervous/anxious without it
o Addiction- pattern of drug abuse characterized by an overwhelming and compulsive
desire to obtain and use the drug
o Tolerance- physical adaptation to a drug so a person needs an increased amount for
original effect
o Withdrawal- symptoms that occur after a person discontinues the use of a drug to
which he or she has become addicted
 i.e. Alcoholism

Psychotherapy- any treatment used by therapists to help troubled individuals overcome
problems (“healing of the soul”)
o Functions
 Helping with patients’ realization, examination, and understand of the issue
 Proving current short-term cures are long-term problems
 Placebo Effect- hopes  therapy
o Types
1. Eclectic Approach- method that combines various kinds of therapy or
combinations of therapy
2. Psychoanalysis
3. Humanistic Therapy
4. Cognitive Therapy
5. Behavior Therapy