College Board - “Acorn Book” Course Description 7-9% Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology XII. Abnormal Psychology

Summary Outline Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology A. Definitions of Abnormality B. Theories of Psychopathology C. Diagnosis of Psychopathology D. Anxiety Disorders E. Somatoform Disorders F. Mood Disorders G. Schizophrenic Disorders H. Organic Disorders I. Personality Disorders J. Dissociative Disorders

A. Definitions of Abnormality Statistical Sternberg Unusual Behavior Non-adaptive Behavior Labeled as Abnormal by Society Characterized by some degree of perceptual or cognitive distortion Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology

MyersBernstein Atypical Maladaptive Disturbing Unjustifiable Infrequency Norm Violation Personal Suffering Impaired functioning

Activity Using the previous authors and other authors to create a list of all of the words/terms/catagories they use to define abnormal Then combine them into groups of similar words

A Walk Around the Block 6 Volunteers – Rest of class becomes “city block” Give cards with roles 1 actor waiting for bus 5 actors acting assigned roles First actor “waits at bus stop” Remaining actors walk around “block” acting in “character” All characters may interact with other characters At end show the following chart:

Character Person Just Robbed a Bank Is Getting Married this afternoon His/Her spouse had just left him/her Just escaped from a mental hospital Has a job interview in 30 minutes

Discussion Discuss the stereotypes that the class might have used to identify someone as mentally ill. violent behavior Paranoid Depressed Etc. Discuss the ideas of normal and abnormal behavior. Are their differences in ideas among the class? Will we be normal on our wedding day? during a job interview? etc.

B. Theories of Psychopathology Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology Biological Approach Psychodynamic Approach Behavioral Approach Cognitive-Social Approach Diathesis – Stress Model

Biological Approach Mental disorders are seen as caused by the combination and interaction of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors Ancient Greece (Hippocrates) – imbalance between four humors, or bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) Ancient China - imbalance of yin and yang Modern view – disturbancess in the anatomy and chemistry of the brain and in other biological processes, including genetic influences

Psychodynamic Approach Ancient Greece – psyche Disorders are a result of the mind’s struggles to resolve inner conflicts or to overcome the effects of stressful events. Freud Disorders are the result of unresolved, mostly unconscious conflicts that begin in childhood Humanistic Approach Disorders appear when a person’s natural tendency toward healthy growth is blocked, usually by a failure to be aware of, and to express, true feelings

Behavioral Approach Classical conditioning Responses associated with stimuli as a result of previous experience Example: Phobias Operant conditioning Responses associated with consequences as a result of previous experience Behaviors that have been learned and continue even though they are maladaptive Social-cognitive theorists, also known as social learning theorists see most psychological disorders as resulting from the interaction of past learning and current situations

Cognitive-Social Approach What is “appropriate” and “expected” depends on age, gender, and culture, as well as on the particular situation and historical era in which people find themselves Depression higher in women Alcohol abuse higher in men Cultural differences Behaviors that are acceptable in one culture but not in another culture Culture specific disorders (such as koro or amok

Diathesis - Stress Diathesis - the suggestion that inherited characteristics, biological processes, and early learning experiences combine to create a predisposition for a psychological disorder Whether or not a person actually develops symptoms of a disorder depends on the nature and amount of stress the person encounters

Peanut Butter, Jelly and the Diathesis-Stress Model Materials needed: 8 slices of bread (4 slices cut up into 3 pieces each) Creamy peanut butter Jelly 8 baking cups 4 butter knives Stopwatch

Peanut Butter, Jelly and the Diathesis-Stress Model Low Predisposition-Low Stress: The ingredients are perfect and the student has as much time as needed. This should result in a perfectly normal sandwich. High Predisposition-Low Stress: The student has perfect ingredients except for the cut up bread. He/she has ample time to make the sandwich. Though the bread is cut up, the result should resemble a common sandwich.

Low Predisposition-High Stress: The ingredients are perfect, but the student only has 25 seconds to make the sandwich. While the sandwich may not be flawless, it is near normal. High Predisposition-High Stress: The student has perfect ingredients except for the cut up bread, but he/she only has 25 seconds to put all the ingredients together. The result should not be normal. The result should be pieces of what could be a typical sandwich, if the high predisposition and high stress were not there. (Hint: Do not give the student the ingredients until his/her turn. This forfeits any opportunity for prior planning or strategy in making the sandwich.)

C. Diagnosis of Psychopathology Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology DSM-IV Axis I-V Dangers of Labeling

Axis I Clinical Syndromes Other Conditions that may be a focus of Clinical Attention Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence (excluding mental retardation) Delirium, Dementia, Amnestic and Other Cognitive Disorders Mental Disorders due to a General Medical Condition Substance-related Disorders Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Somatoform Disorders Factitious Disorders Dissociative Disorders Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Eating Disorders Sleep Disorders Impulse-Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified Adjustment Disorders Other

Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology Axis II Personality Disorders Mental Retardation Paranoid Personality Disorder Schizoid Personality Disorder Schizotypal Personality Disorder Antisocial Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder Histrionic Personality Disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder Avoidant Personality Disorder Dependent Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (Other) Mental Retardation Axis III General medical conditions Axis IV Psychosocial and Environmental Problems Problems with primary support group (childhood, adult, parent- child). Specify: Problems related to the social environment Educational problem Occupational problem Housing problem Economic problem Problems with access to health care services Problems related to interaction with the legal system/crime Other

Axis V Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF Scale) Consider psychological, social, and occupational functioning on a hypothetical continuum of mental health/illness Unit XII. Abnormal Psychology. 100 Superior functioning in a wide range of activities 90 Absent or minimal symptoms, good functioning in all areas 80 No more than slight impairment in social, occupational or school functioning 70 Some mild symptoms or some difficulty in social, occupational, or school functioning 60 Moderate symptoms or moderate difficulty in functioning 50 Serious symptoms or any serious impairment in functioning 40 Some impairment in reality testing or communication or major impairment in several areas 30 Behavior is considerable influenced by delusions or hallucinations, or serious impairment in communication, or judgment, or inability to function in almost all areas 20 Some danger of hurting self or others or occasionally fails to maintain minimal personal hygiene, or gross impairment in communication 10 Persistent danger of severely hurting self or others (e.g., recurrent violence), or persistent inability to maintain minimal personal hygiene 0 Inadequate information

The Classification of Disorders Worksheet DSM-IV stands for: The Multi-axial System Doctors make judgments about individuals on five separate dimensions, or “axes.” What kind of information goes on each axis? Identify the 9 areas of disorders that can go on Axis I