Introducing Psych Disorders
Psychological disorders are frequently depicted in TV programs & movies.
What programs/movies can you think of that have depicted psychological
disorders?
Monk – OCD
ConAir (John Malkovich’s character – anti-social behavior)
As Good as it Gets – Jack Nicholson’s and Greg Kinnear’s
characters - depression
Copy Cat – Sigourney Weaver’s character – panic disorder with
agoraphobia
Where should we draw the line between normal & abnormal?
Defining Psychological Disorders
ALL 4 criteria must be met
1. Atypical
2. Disturbing
3. Maladaptive (harmful)
4. Unjustifiable
Being a homosexual is not a psychological disorder – however, nicotine
dependence is!
Understanding Psychological Disorders
Medical Perspective
Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
Culture-bound disorders
Susto – Latin America (anxiety, depression, fear of black magic)
Latah – Malaya – uneducated women – fear
Amok – Philippines & parts of Africa – jump around violentlydepression
Winigo – Algonquin Indians – fear of being turned into a cannibal
Classifying Psychological Disorders
DSM-IV – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Labeling Psychological Disorders
Bias in labeling. – examples?
The Effects of Labeling- Exercise
Rates of Psychological Disorders
Recent studies indicate that there are even higher rates of psychological
disorders than those reported in the text. 22% of Americans 18 & older
suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder – 1 in 5.
Nearly ½ of people ages 15-54 have experienced at least one bout with a
psychiatric disorder.
Psychological disorders peak between the ages of 25 and 34. Many
mental disorders are mild and people recover from them without help.
Most common disorders:
Major Depression
Alcohol Dependence
Social Phobia
Simple Phobia – fear of a particular object
MOOD DISORDERS
Mood Disorders – emotional extremes
Major Depressive Disorder
Lasts 2 weeks or more without notable cause
Mood Disorders Survey
In scoring, students should reverse their responses to items 2,5, 6,
11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18 & 20 (that is, 1=4, 2=3, 3=2, 4=1). They should then add
all the numbers to obtain a total score, which can range from 20-100. Scores in
the 50-59 range suggest mild to moderate depression, from 60-69 indicate
moderate to severe depression and 70 and higher indicate severe depression.
Revised Facts on Suicide Survey
T= 2,3,7,9,12,14,17,18 all other are False (13 was formerly True –
now is the 11th highest cause of death)
BiPolar Disorder
Alternates between depression & overexcited state of mania (formerly
known as manic-depressive)
Explaining Mood Disorders
The Biological Perspective
Genetic
Depressed Brain – biochemical neurotransmitters
Less active brains
Smaller Frontal Lobes
Social Cognitive Perspective
Self-defeating beliefs – magnify bad experiences, minimize good
ones – may arise from “learned helplessness”
Depressed people tend to explain bad events in terms that are:
Stable – it’s going to last forever
Global – It’s going to affect everything I do
Internal – it’s my fault
ANXIETY, DISSOCIATIVE AND PERSONALITY DISORDERS
ANXIETY DISORDERS: Psychological disorders characterized by distressing,
persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce
anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder & Panic Disorder – continually tense &
jittery – 2/3rds are women
Panic Disorder – intense terror and accompanying physical pain – chest
pain, etc…
Phobias – focus anxiety on a specific object, activity or situation
Top 10 fears:
Snakes – M & F
Buried Alive – M & F
Heights – M & F
Bound or Tied up - F
Drowning - M
Public Speaking - M & F
Hell
Cancer
Tornadoes/Hurricanes
Fire
Psychologists have labeled over 700 specific fears & estimate there are
thousands more. – Santa Claustrophobia (fear of getting stuck in a
chimney)!
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – unwanted repetitive thoughts
(obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions) – 4 million Americans have/will
have OCD in their lifetime.
Explaining Anxiety disorders: - 2 perspectives – “Learning” & “Biological”
The Learning Perspective
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov – students may not have covered
this yet, but it is a relatively easy concept to explain in this situation)
Stimulus Generalization (falling off ladder may not only lead to
fear of heights, but a fear of flying)
Reinforcement avoiding or escaping reduces anxiety, thus
reinforcing the phobic behavior. Compulsive behaviors reduce
anxiety…
Observational Learning
The Biological Perspective
Natural Selection
Genes
Physiology – fear-learning experiences can traumatize the briain by
creating fear circuits within the amygdale
Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale - SURVEY
Scores of 14 or 15 are average for college students (# of
true responses)
DISSOCIATE DISORDERS – where conscious awareness becomes separated
(dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts & feelings
Dissociative identity disorder (split personality)
Post-traumatic stress disorders
The Curious Experiences Survey
Scores range from 17 to 35 – higher scores reflect more experience
with dissociation.
PERSONALITY DISORDERS – characterized by inflexible and enduring
behavior patterns that impair social functioning
Antisocial personality disorder – (sociopath / psychopath) – where a
person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing. May
be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.
Personality Inventory Survey
For research – not diagnosis - one point for each yes answer
Avg score for drug treatment men – 8.33
Avg score for rock climbers – 6.06
Avg score for policemen – 5.15