Announcements  Psychological Disorders—this week  Today  How do we define “abnormal?”  Schizophrenia  Thursday  Mood Disorders  Anxiety Disorders

Abnormal Behavior Behavior that causes people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives.

Historical Shift  <1800s – superstitions: witchcraft, demon possession, punishment by God  >1800s – medical & psychological model  What do you think changed as a result?  Treatments: priest v. doctor, exorcism v. therapy/drugs

What is “abnormal” anyway?  Deviation from average  So, is above average bad?  Often being different doesn’t mean something is wrong.  Abnormality as a sense of personal discomfort Some severely mentally ill people report feeling happy.  Abnormality as the inability to function effectively  Most common definition used by mental health professionals Charles Manson murdered people.

Are geniuses “abnormal”?

Be careful!  When evaluating whether or not a behavior is “abnormal” you must be consider these:  Situation  Culture

Is this normal? A man takes off his pants and exposes himself to a woman in a place of business. A. Yes B. No

Is this normal? A man takes off his pants and exposes himself to a woman in a place of business. A. Yes B. No

Is this normal? Mr. Redwood hears voices. He speaks with gods. A. Yes B. No

Is this normal? Mr. Redwood hears voices. He speaks with spirits and talks in tongues. A. Yes B. No

Be careful!  When evaluating whether or not a behavior is “abnormal” you must be consider these:  Situation  Culture

How do psychologists make a diagnosis?

Making a Diagnosis 1. Interview patient. 2. Administer questionnaires.  a. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) 3. Determine whether criteria have been met for any disorder using the DSM-IV.

DSM-IV  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 th Edition  Highly detailed and specific criteria for every disorder recognized by mental health professionals  Each diagnosis requires IMPAIRMENT IN SOCIAL, OCCUPATIONAL, OR EDUCATIONAL FUNCTIONING.

Psychotic Disorders Schizophrenia

Which is another name for schizophrenia? A. Bipolar disorder B. Dissociative identity disorder C. Multiple personality disorder D. None of the above

Schizophrenia is NOT:  Multiple personalities  There is a very rare and controversial disorder called Multiple Personality Disorder or Dissociative Identity Disorder.  Bipolar (mood changes)  Mood tends to be FLAT in people with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia Symptoms  Thought disorder  Thinking does not make sense  Delusions  Firmly held beliefs that are not based on reality  E.g., Beliefs that people on TV are talking to you, beliefs that you are being spied on by the government…  Hallucinations  Seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there (sensory experiences)  E.g., hearing voices, smelling foul odors, seeing aliens…  Withdrawal  Disinterest in others, talking little or not at all, not acknowledging the presence of others

What symptoms of schizophrenia did John Nash exhibit in A Beautiful Mind?

Etiology, Course, & Treatment for Schizophrenia  Etiology  Decreased activity in the frontal lobe  Big ventricles (holes in the brain)  Too much dopamine  Interaction between genes and stress  Course: Chronic  Treatment  Medication  Anti-psychotic medications  Decrease dopamine

Schizophrenia Cases  Gerald Gerald  PQ&feature=related PQ&feature=related  Artist’s story’s story  Jk Jk

When Gerald talks about the egg and the sperm after being asked about the picture on the wall having a headache, what symptom is he displaying? A. Thought disorder B. Delusion C. Hallucination D. Withdrawal

When the artist talks about hearing the voices of alien scientists, what symptom is she describing? A. Thought disorder B. Delusion C. Hallucination D. Withdrawal

When the talked about her belief that aliens were around her, influencing her life, what symptom is that? A. Thought disorder B. Delusion C. Hallucination D. Withdrawal

Schizophrenia Symptoms  Thought disorder  Thinking does not make sense  Delusions  Firmly held beliefs that are not based on reality  E.g., Beliefs that people on TV are talking to you, beliefs that you are being spied on by the government…  Hallucinations  Seeing, hearing, or smelling things that are not there (sensory experiences)  E.g., hearing voices, smelling foul odors, seeing aliens…  Withdrawal  Disinterest in others, talking little or not at all, not acknowledging the presence of others

Case Studies

What are the symptoms?  Raymond was an honors student in high school and is a college sophomore currently. His grades dropped dramatically last semester. He is no longer able to go to school. He used to be an avid reader, but now sits with a book open to the same page for hours. He sometimes gets into the shower with his clothes on and blows on his breakfast cereal because he says it is hot. He talks very little now and has a flat facial expression.

Which is not a symptom described in this case study? A. Thought disorder B. Delusions C. Hallucinations D. Withdrawal

Which is not a symptom of schizophrenia? A. Decreased communication B. Loss of interest in people C. Hallucinations D. Depressed mood

Thank you!