Abnormal Psychology Intro
Pg 531-537
Abnormal Psych
 Psych
Disorders (D/O) manifest in people’s
thoughts and behaviors. It’s difficult to
determine what constitutes “abnormal.” What’s
the difference between odd, little quirks we all
have and a legitimate mental illness?
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M – Maladaptive – makes it difficult to function – in
work, school or relationships
A – Atypical – most people don’t do it; unusual
I – Irrational – there is no logical explanation for the
behavior
D – Disturbing – it is disturbing to self or others
DSM - V
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How do we know when someone has a D/O?
Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
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Has hundreds of disorders
Doesn’t discuss cause or treatment
Only discusses symptoms for diagnosis/labeling
Highly reliable (80%...what does this mean?)
David Rosenhan
Being Sane in Insane Places:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=D8OxdGV_7lo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=j6bmZ8cVB4o
What do YOU think of Rosenhan’s
study?
Pros and Cons of Labeling
Pros
 Get help – you know what
you have and can deal
with it - meds, counseling,
treatment
 Insurance – once officially
diagnosed, insurance will
help cover costs
 Reliability/consistency
among professionals
 Legal competence –
“insanity” is a legal, not
medical term
Cons
 Self-fulfilling prophecy
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Stigma – mistreated by
society (?)
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David Rosenhan Study
Always have label
Perspectives – Approach
treatment differently
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Psychoanalytic – childhood, fixation, unconscious
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Humanistic – low self esteem, failure to reach potential, needs
not being met
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Behavioral – environment, conditioning, modeling
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Cognitive – dysfunctional thoughts
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Socio-cultural – dysfunctional culture, society
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Biomedical/Physiological – chemical imbalance, gene, inherited
ANXIETY D/O
All Anxiety D/O share the common symptom
of anxiety. Abnormalities may be….
1.) Level of Anxiety – excessive
2.) Irrational trigger for anxiety
3.) Prolonged timing for anxiety
PANIC ATTACKS
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Acute episodes of intense anxiety without any
apparent provocation (you feel like you are in a life or
death emergency situation – but you are not)
 Sympathetic NS kicks in
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Choking sensation
Trembling
Hyperventilating
Distress
Sweating or peaked
PHOBIAS
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Intense unwarranted fear of a situation or object. Fear is way
out of proportion to real danger. Some stimuli are easier to
avoid and therefore less debilitating)
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Claustrophobia – fear of small places, confinement
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Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
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Agoraphobia – fear of public places – may refuse to leave home and
world becomes smaller and smaller
Social Phobia – fear of embarrassing oneself in public
Many phobias are created from a panic attack and classical conditioning
(remember the story of my nephew and the elevator)
GENERALIZED ANXIETY D/0
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6 months or more of unwarranted, excessive, constant,
unrealistic worry
 Person always feels jittery, nervous, worried
 Unusual not in the level of anxiety but in the duration – i.e.
symptoms are commonplace, persistence isn’t
 2/3 sufferers are women
 Often associated with perfectionist personality
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Insomnia
Ulcers
Irritable bowel
Muscle aches
Head aches
GAD Prevalence
Obsessive Compulsive D/O (OCD)
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Obsessions: persistent, recurring, disturbing,
unwanted thoughts – cause extreme anx
Compulsions: ritual or routine that relieves the anx
temporarily (compulsions are negative reinforcement –
removes/reduces anx temporarily)
Most with OCD realize their obsessions are irrational
and their compulsions are unnecessary, but cannot
stop
Prevalence @ 3% of population
Usually appears in late teens, early adulthood
Men and women =
OCD – Common compulsions
 Cleaning
 Checking
 Repeating
 Hoarding
 Compulsions
can become extremely
maladaptive and interfere with normal
functioning (school, work, relationships)
Post Traumatic Stress D/O
PTSD
 Flashbacks/nightmares
after a person’s
involvement in a troubling
or disturbing event
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Relive the trauma
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Experience extreme anx
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Common for soldiers
coming back from war
Theories of Cause - ANX
– unresolved uncon conflict,
overactive superego
 Behaviorist – classical conditioning (phobias),
modeling (anx – likely had overly anxious,
worrisome parents/environment)
 Cognitive – dysfunctional thoughts, unrealistic
expectations, fears
 Biology/physiology – genetic predisposition
 Psychoanalysis
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Meds – anti-anxiety (depressants)
Xanax, Valium
MOOD D/O
(Affect D/O)
Experience extreme or
inappropriate emotions
Major Depression
 “common
cold” of psychology (highest
prevalence of any mental illness)
 2 weeks of symptoms with no clear reason
 Disrupts normal functioning
 Symptoms – loss of appetite, fatigue, change in
sleep patterns, lack of interest in previously
enjoyable activities, feelings of worthlessness,
hopelessness, tired/lethargic, suicidal thoughts
 Women 2X as likely as men
 Rate of depression increased with each
generation and diagnosed at earlier age
Suicide
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3-1 suicide – homicide
Women more likely to attempt, but men twice as likely
to succeed….why?
Suicide rates higher among white, rich, nonreligious,
single, widowed, divorced….why?
People seldom commit suicide while in depths of
depression (lack energy and initiative). Suicide
attempt actually more likely when person experience
slight upswing from depths of depression
TED talk Kevin Briggs – Bridge Between Suicide and
Life:
https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_briggs_the_bridge_be
tween_suicide_and_life
Manic Depression (Bipolar)
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1% of population
Men and women =
Extreme mood swings
Depression – looks like
major depression
Mania – high energy,
racing thoughts,
grandiose ideas, soaring
confidence, sense of
invincibility, risky
behaviors
Link between MD and
creativity/genius?
Manic Depression
Manic Depression
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Treatment – lithium
Left untreated –
symptoms get worse and
mood swings get more
dramatic
 Fires of Mind – Manic
Depression
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Ki6QOfZfCSk
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Seasonal Affect D/O (SAD)
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Depression during winter
months – cold, dark
 Normal depression
symptoms that follow
seasonal patterns
 Almost non-existent in
ward, sunny climates
 Treated with special light
bulbs
SAD
Causes of Mood D/O
 Psychoanalytic
– uncon conflict, over powerful
superego
 Behaviorist – social modeling;
reinforcement/attention
 Biology – lower levels of serotonin cause
depression
anti-depressants – increase
serotonin levels by blocking
reuptake
Ex: Zoloft or Prozac
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Causes of Mood D/O - Cognitive
Beck – depression results from
unreasonable thoughts about your cognitive
triad – yourself, your world, and your future
 Aaron
Causes of Mood D/O –
Cognitive – Attribution Style
Failures
Successes
 Internal
– I suck
 External
– I got
lucky
– I suck at
everything
 Global
 Stable
suck
– I’ll always
– on just
this one test
 Specific
 Unstable
last
– it won’t
Causes of Mood D/O
Cognitive Learned Helplessness
Martin Seligman
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Prior experiences cause
person to believe they are
unable to control aspects
of their future that are
indeed controllable
When undesirable things
occur person feels unable
to improve situation
Leads to passivity and
depression
Learned Helplessness
Schizophrenia
One of more severe and
debilitating mental D/O
Cooper CNN –
Schizophrenia simulation
Anderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=yL9UJVtgPZY
Schizophrenia
– literally means a split mind or break
from reality (NOT multiple personality)
 Surfaces in young adulthood
 Exists in 1% of population – strong genetic
component
 Nature/Nurture
at work
 Schism
Schizophrenia - Symptoms
– beliefs with absolutely no basis in
reality. Cannot be corrected with logic
 Delusions
Delusions of Grandeur –
possess great power or
influence
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Delusions of Persecution – people out to get you –
makes schizophrenia very difficult to treat – don’t
trust anyone, don’t take meds
Schizophrenia - Symptoms
– False sensory perceptions (you
see or hear things that are not really there)
 Hallucinations
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Auditory Hallucinations most common – hear voices
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Inappropriate Language
• Word Salad
• Neologisms
• Clang Associations
Schizophrenia - Symptoms
 Catatonia
– catatonic state
Emotion – laugh at something
sad, cry at something funny
 Inappropriate
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Flat Affect – no emotion
Schizophrenia - Symptoms
Positive – addition of
atypical behaviors
Negative – subtraction of
normal behaviors
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Delusions
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Flat Affect
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Hallucinations
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Inappropriate Emotion
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Inappropriate Language
Causes – Biological/Nature
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Dopamine hypothesis –
higher levels of Dop
Anti-psychotic drugs act as
antagonists for dopamine –
they block receptor sites to
lower dopamine levels
 Haldol/Thorazine
 Help control + symptoms of
hallucinations and delusions
 Side effects – muscle
stiffness/tremors, weight
gain, slow cognitive
functioning
Causes – Biological/Nature
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Brain abnormalities –
schizophrenics have
large ventricles and
more brain asymmetry
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Family prevalence
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1% general prevalence
10% if parent is schizo
45% if both parents
Almost 50% identical twin
How do you know it’s not
ALL nature???
Schizophrenia – Nature/Nurture
 1st
Hit = genetics
 2nd
Hit – Nurture/Environment
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Viruses
Drugs
Brain trauma
Stress
Etc…….
Personality D/O
Well established, maladaptive
ways of behaving that negatively
affect people’s ability to function.
Personality D/O are less
maladaptive than other mental
illnesses– may function in school
or work but typically strain close,
long-term relationships.
Narcissism
selfishness – cannot see others’
perspective
 Difficulty with empathy
 Entitlement
 Extreme
for adoration – power
 Fantasy of beauty or ideal love
 Exaggerates talents/accomplishments to
appear superior
 Manipulation/exploitation of others
 Need
Anti-Social Personality D/O
 Disregard
for safety of self or others
 Lack of remorse/guilt – lack moral conscience
 Deception – lie easily
 Risky impulsive behavior
 No empathy – little regard for others’ feelings
 Disregard societal rules/authority
 Aggressive or violent behavior
 Unable to maintain close relationships
Anti-Social Personality D/O
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More prevalent among males
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High incidence in
criminal/incarcerated
population
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Must be 18 to get diagnosis
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Teen boy exhibiting same
symptoms =
Conduct Disorder
Not all ASPD become serial killers but all
serial killers are ASPD
Dependent Personality D/O
 See
self as helpless/incompetent; lack
confidence
 Look to others to take the lead, make decisions,
or provide support
 Inability to make decisions – even common,
every day ones
 Overly sensitive to criticism
 Fear being alone – stay in bad/abusive
relationships, go from one relationship to
another
 Avoid disagreeing with others – fear conflict
Histrionic Personality D/O
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Overly dramatic – as if performing for others
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Display of excessive emotions and yet seems shallow/fake
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Need for attention
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Dresses provocatively, excessive flirt
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Overly concerned with physical appearance
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Needs constant approval/reassurance
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Easily swayed of influenced by others
Personality D/O –
Causes/Treatment
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Often caused by family dynamics, parenting styles
 Deeply ingrained, chronic habits
 Stronger basis in Nurture/Environment
 Difficult to treat
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Often no magic medicine
Person themselves rarely sees that they have a problem
Often able to function at work or school
Greatest fall-out is in close, long-term relationships – family,
marriage
Somatoform D/O
Patient manifests with a
physical problem but
there is no physiological
cause – underlying
cause is psychological
Hypochondriasis
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Physical complaints with
no physiological cause
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Chronic
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Often feel poorly, sick
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Absent from work/school
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Always convinced have
illness
Conversion D/O
Acute
Wake
up blind or partially
paralyzed
Test
after test reveals no
physiological cause
Dissociative D/O
Involve dysfunction of
memory or altered sense
of identity
 Psychogenic
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Amnesia - no biological cause
Cannot remember things
Periods of time blacked out
Unfamiliar with environment
May be brought on by traumatic event
Psychogenic Fugue – sudden and complete loss of
identity
Caused by severe stress
Assume new identity – leave home, find new
identity elsewhere
Dissociative Identity D/O (DID)
 Multiple
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Personality
Appearance of 2 + distinct identities in one person
Identities may or may not be aware of each other
Identities may vary in age, gender, handedness
Much more common in women
Often from severely traumatic, abusive or neglectful
environment
Difficult to treat – extensive, long term therapy
Some Psychologists question if it is a real D/O
Often confused with schizophrenia – NOT same
thing – Oprah Clip – DID patient
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2atzoaA2NI
DID
Remember other D/O
 Sexual
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Fetishes, pedophilia, zoophilia
Voyeurs
Sadists/Masochists
 Eating
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D/O
D/O
Anorexia
Bulimia
Abuse – Alcohol, Drugs
 Developmental D/O
 Substance
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Autism, ADD/ADHD (both higher in boys)
Commonalities of all D/O??
 MAID
 Stress
- makes D/O surface or makes it worse
 Most a combo of nature/nurture
 Many surface in young adulthood (late teens,
early 20s)
 Strain on families
 Difficulty finding right medicine, right dosage,
and almost always unwanted side effects
D/O and Gender Skews
Males
 Alcohol/drug abuse
Females
 Depression
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ADD/ADHD
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Generalized Anxiety
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Anti-social or conduct
D/O
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DID
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Anorexia or Bulimia
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Autism
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ADD/ADHD