 Biological Influences  Social Influences  Behavioral Influences  Emotional Influences

 Every normal human cell has 23 pairs of chromosomes, carrying 20,000 genes total  Genes make proteins, which make up our entire body  Everyone is different because they have different genes  What group of people has the same genes?

 Identical twins who are raised apart, but score the same on tests (example, an IQ test), can attribute their test score largely to their genetics.

 Genes create about half of our personality traits and cognitive abilities  Genetic factors make some contribution to all disorders, but account for less than half of the explanation.

 Hypothesis that both an inherited tendency and a specific stressful event are required to trigger and produce a disorder

 Nature vs. Nurture  Genes vs. Environment  Evidence: One study found that those who had parents with schizophrenia, but were adopted out at birth, did not develop a disorder if they were adopted to a high-functioning family. If they were adopted to a dysfunctional family, they were likely to develop schizophrenia

 Central Nervous System (CNS)-sorts out what is important, such as tastes or new sounds, checks your memories to determine if the information is important, and then decides and implements the right reaction

 Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)- coordinates with the brain stem to make sure the body is working properly. It includes the cardiovascular system, the endocrine system, digestion, regulating body temperature, etc.

 With neurotransmitters!!

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 Acetylcholine  GABA  Dopamine  Epinephrine  Norepinephrine  Seritonin  Many disorders are “caused” by too little or too much of these neurotransmitters

 Patients with OCD have increased activity in the frontal lobe of their brain. The neurotransmitter most concentrated here is serotonin.  Serotonin is supposed to regulate our reactions. Without it, we become overreactive.

 Many drugs are made to mimic the effect of neurotransmitters.  AGONISTS-Chemical substance that effectively increases the activity of a neurotransmitter by imitating its effects  ANTAGONISTS-Chemical substance that decreases or blocks the effect of a neurotransmitter (You want to do this when you have to much!)

 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disorder where the individual has symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness.  What do you think is happening with their neurons?  Do you think the drug Ritalin, which is normally prescribed, is an AGONIST or ANTAGONIST?  Ritalin increases the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine

 Social factors actually influence neural learning  Example: Rats that grew in a rich environment, requiring lots of learning and motor behavior, had more nerve cells and more connections between nerve cells.  Social factors can influence how we respond to neurotransmitters and drug therapies  Example: Rats raised in an environment where they were in control, were given GABA, and became aggressive. Rats raised in an environment where they were not in control, were given GABA, and became anxious and scared.

 Learned Helplessness-theory that people become anxious and depressed when they make an attribution that they have no control over the stress in their lives.  What disorder could this lead to?

 Observational learning is learning through observation and imitation of the behavior of other individuals and the consequences of that behavior  How could this contribute to the development of mental disorders?

 We are emotional everday, and these emotions can lead to the development of a mental disorder  Emotions are short-lived temporary states lasting from several minutes to hours  Fear is an emotion that causes fight or flight response, which is an evolutionary, physical response to fear and threats

 When you are experiencing an emotion, there are 3 ways we can describe it. We can describe your: Physiology (brain functioning and your BODY response) Behavior (what are you doing) Cognition (what are you thinking)

 Suppressing emotions can lead to psychopathology  There are several “Mood Disorders” which we will be studying soon  Panic disorder may just be feeling fear at the wrong time

 In many cultures around the world, individuals may suffer from fright disorders, such as in Latin America, where people suffer from Susto. However, there is only one cause: The individual becomes the object of black magic or witchcraft and is suddenly frightened.  Some cultures believe in Voodoo deaths

 Gender roles (not sex) have a strong effect on psychopathology  In our society, it is “unacceptable” for a man to be scared of a spider  Many men turn to alcohol to cope with anxieties and fears  Bulimia nervosa largely affects females. Why?

 Those who have a greater number and frequency of social relationships have a longer life expectancy. Why?  Social relationships seem to protect individuals from many physical and psychological disorders, such as high blood pressure, depression, alcoholism, arthritis, and the progression of AIDS.  Also, get a pet.

 Research has shown the incidence of schizophrenia in men was 38% higher in the city than in the country.  Different countries experience different incidence rates of disorders: Suicide Depression Alcoholism Developmental disorders

 To understand psychopathology, we must appreciate how experiences during different times in our life influence our vulnerability to stress and psychological disorders.  Can we get the same disorders at age 3, 12, 25, 45, and 70?

 Those who become paralyzed have either become: Star athletes Depressed and hopeless  Children who suffer extreme abuse have either become: Resilient, strong, and successful Depressed, criminal, or mentally unstable  Why? And why should we study these people?