Psychological Disorders
Introduction
What is ABNORMAL?
Write
about a time when you did
something you thought was abnormal.
Why
did/do you consider this
abnormal?
Criteria of Abnormal Behavior
 Deviance
Behavior that is outside the socially acceptable
norms
 Varies among cultures

 Maladaptive
Impairment of adaptive everyday behavior
 Interferes with social and occupational functioning

 Personal

distress
Self reported troubles; subjective pain and suffering
Medical Models of Psychopathology:
Look for BIOLOGICAL causes
 Diseases
 Neurotransmitter abnormalities
 Genetic factors
 Brain defects
Treatments emphasize ORGANIC treatments
 Drugs
 Neurosurgery
 ECT, DBS, TMS
Thomas Szasz - “Illness can affect only the body.”
Problems with the medical model:
 Allows deviant behavior to
be locked into conformity
 Labels are derogatory
 Forces those with a disorder
to take a passive role as
medical patient
Psychological Models of Psychopathology:
Look for PSYCHOLOGICAL causes
 Early life experiences
 Traumatic events
 Illogical thinking
 Maladaptive learning experiences
Treatments emphasize PSYCHOLOGICAL treatment
 Psychoanalysis (Freudian approach)
 Psychotherapy (Cognitive and Humanistic approach)
 Behavior therapy (Classical/Operant Conditioning)
Sociocultural Models of Psychopathology:
Look for social and cultural influences on behavior
 Societal norms and expectations
 Sub-group influences
 Family dynamics
Treatment emphasizes a “systems” approach
 Family therapy
 Couples therapy
 Group therapy
 Community interventions
the Asylum
1950’s – the height of institutionalization
David Rosenhan – “Being Sane in Insane Places”
Classification of Disorders


1952 – first Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM)
2013 – DSM-5
Anxiety and Anxiety-Related Disorders:
 DSM-5
recognizes 12 types
 Four common anxiety disorders include:
 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 Panic Disorder
 Specific Phobia
 Social anxiety disorder
Etiology of Anxiety Disorders:
 Biological
factors:
deficient GABA neurotransmitters (GAD/Panic)
 deficient serotonin (Social)
 respiratory abnormalities (GAD/Panic)

 Psychological
and sociocultural
harsh self-standards (GAD/Social)
 strict and critical parents (GAD/Social)
 automatic negative thoughts (GAD/Social)
 classically conditioned responses (Panic/Phobia)

Related, but not classified as anxiety disorders:
 Obsessive-compulsive disorder
 overactive frontal cortex and basal ganglia
 deficient serotonin and dopamine levels
 inability to turn off negative thoughts

OCD-related disorders added in DSM-5

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Hoarding
Excoriation
Trichotillomania
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Integrity Identity Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
 DSM-5
expands criteria
 Symptoms may vary, but often:
flashbacks
 memory and concentration
 impulsive behavior
 excessive arousal response
 reduced affect

Emotion and Mood Disorders:
 Depressive
Disorders
Major depressive
disorder
 Persistent depressive
disorder

 Biological
factors
genetics
 serotonin and
norepinephrine

 Psychological
factors
learned helplessness
 self-defeating beliefs
 rumination
 pessimistic attribution
style
 contagions

 Sociocultural
SES
 gender

Bipolar Disorder:

Two extremes – mania and
depression



often cycles multiple times
through depression and mania
NOT extreme mood swings in
a 24 hour period
Biological factors



Genetic link
Norepinephrine and serotonin
Glutamate
Somatoform Disorders

Somatization
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Conversion

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pain
neurologic problems
gastrointestinal complaints
sexual symptoms
paralysis
blindness
hearing loss
loss of sensation or numbness
Hypochondriasis
Dissociative Disorders:
 Dissociative
Amnesia
 Dissociative
fugue
 Dissociative
Identity Disorder
 Depersonalization
Schizophrenia:

Catatonic; Paranoid; Disorganized; Undifferentiated
Psychosis
Symptoms:
 Positive

Hallucinations; delusions; disordered thought;
referential thinking; word salad
 Negative

Flat affect; inability to read emotions; deficient
in planning and goal-behavior; catatonia
Causes of Schizophrenia:
Biological factors
 Structural brain
abnormalities
 Problems with
neurotransmitters
 Dopamine
 Psychological factors
 Diathesis stress model

Diathesis Stress Model
- THOMAS WIDIGER, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGIST
“The patterns found in personality
disorders really are traits that are
distributed throughout the population,
and we all have them to greater or
lesser degree.”
Treatment Methods
Psychotherapy
Insight
Action
Biomedical therapy
Drugs
Surgical procedures
Psychoanalysis (Freudian Approach)
Insight therapy
 Direct techniques
 Dream interpretation

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manifest content
latent content
Free association
Examination of:

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Resistance
Transference
More likely to help…
 Anxiety disorders
 Somatoform disorders
 Dissociative disorders
Humanistic Therapy/Approach
Insight therapy
 Carl Rogers
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Real vs. Ideal self
NON-directive
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Person-centered
active listening
Four key elements

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reflection
unconditional regard
empathy
authenticity
More likely to help…
 Individuals who can
express their thoughts
and feelings in a
logical manner
Cognitive Therapy/Approach
Action therapy

Albert Ellis
 Rational-emotive
therapy


More likely to help…
 Depression
 Stress disorders
 Anxiety disorders
 Some aspects of
schizophrenia
Main concepts:
 Disconfirmation
 Reconceptualization
C.B.T.
Distorted/Unhelpful Thinking Style
Distorted/Unhelpful Thinking Style
Distorted/Unhelpful Thinking Styles
Behavior Therapy/Approach
Action Therapy
May be helpful…
 Abnormal behavior  Eating disorders
is not a symptom,  Drug and alcohol
addiction
but a problem itself
 Phobias
 Behavior
modification

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Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Behavior Therapy/Approach
Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning
 Systematic desensitization  Participant modeling
 Aversion therapy
 Token economy
 Flooding
 Contingency contract
 Extinction techniques
Biomedical Therapy/Treatment

Psychopharmacology

Antipsychotic drugs

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Antianxiety drugs

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MAOI, Tricyclic, SSRI
Lithium


Benzodiazepines – Xanax, Ativan, Valium
Antidepressant drugs


GENERALLY decrease dopamine levels
Treats bipolar MANIC symptoms
Electroconvulsive Therapy

Depression, Mania, Schizophrenia