Abnormal Psychology The scientific study of abnormal behavior, with the objective to  Describe  Explain  Predict  Control So what are abnormal behaviors?

The Movies… Obsessive compulsive personality disorder Schizophrenia Dissociative Identity Disorder

The narrator has dissociative identity disorder. Teddy experiences dissociative amnesia (amnesia due to a traumatic event), hallucinations and delusions. Bipolar Disorder It is speculated that Alan Turing may have had autism, although he had not been diagnosed. Patrick most likely has narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder--the combination of which could be referred to as psychopathy.

Myths of Abnormal Behavior The following are common myths about those suffering from mental illness:  Easily recognized as deviant  Disorder due to inheritance  Incurable  Weak willed  Never contribute to society  Always dangerous

What is Abnormal Behavior? Abnormal behavior departs from some norm and harms the affected individual or others

Perspectives and Disorders Psychological School/PerspectiveCause of the Disorder Psychoanalytic/PsychodynamicInternal, unconscious drives HumanisticFailure to strive to one’s potential or being out of touch with one’s feelings. BehavioralReinforcement history, the environment. CognitiveIrrational, dysfunctional thoughts or ways of thinking. SocioculturalDysfunctional Society Biomedical/NeuroscienceOrganic problems, biochemical imbalances, genetic predispositions.

DSM V LATEST… Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: the big book of disorders. DSM will classify disorders and describe the symptoms. DSM will NOT explain the causes or possible cures.

Surgeon General & DSM-IV “A clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress (e.g., a painful symptom) or disability (i.e., impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom”

Two Major Classifications in the DSM Neurotic Disorders Distressing but one can still function in society and act rationally. Psychotic Disorders Person loses contact with reality, experiences distorted perceptions. John Wayne Gacy

Frequency of Mental Disorders

Psychology Student Syndrome Many psych students find that the various disorders apply to them  Abnormal behavior is not qualitatively different from “normal” behavior  Many of us will exhibit similar symptoms  Behaviors are only problematic when they harm or interfere with your daily functioning  Diagnosing friends and romantic partners may lead to conflict

Mental Health Professions Who studies abnormal behavior?  Clinical Psychologist Ph.D. and internship  Psychiatrist M.D. and internship  School Psychologist M.A. or Ph.D.  Social Worker M.S.W.

Who Do People Go See?

Interrater Reliability

Issues of Classification Helps  To making treatment decisions  To communicate among clinicians  Research advancing knowledge of disorders diagnosis as a first step to understanding mechanisms and developing treatments Hinders  By stigmatizing patients  Because different labels can mean different things to different people  By biasing how we see the patient  By focusing on one point in the patient’s development Patient may outgrow the label

Assessment Observation Self-Report Inventories Biological Measures  Psychophysiological Measures  Neuroimaging Techniques Projective Tests  Rorschach Ink Blots  Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Rorschach Ink Blots

Therapy It used to be that if someone exhibited abnormal behavior, they were institutionalized. Because of new drugs and better therapy, the U.S. went to a policy of deinstitutionalization

Psychoanalytic Therapy Psychoanalysis (manifest and latent content through…. hypnosis free association, dream, interpretation). Unconscious Transference

Humanistic Therapy Client-Centered Therapy by Carl Rogers These are non-directive therapies and use active listening. Self-actualization, free-will and unconditional positive regard. Gestalt Therapy by Fritz Perls encourage clients to get in touch with whole self.

Behavioral Therapies Counter conditioning Classical Conditioning 1. Aversive Conditioning 2. Systematic desensitization 3. Flooding Operant Conditioning Token Economy

Cognitive Therapy Change the way we view the world (change our schemas) Aaron Beck Albert Ellis and Rational Emotive Therapy

Somatic Therapies Psychopharmacology Antipsychotics (thorazine, haldol) Anti-anxiety (valium, barbiturates, Xanax) Mood Disorders (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) Bipolar (lithium)

Somatic Therapy Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)- for depression Psychosurgery 1. Prefrontal lobotomy

Group Therapy