Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY (7th Ed) Chapter 16 Psychological Disorders James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers

Psychological Disorder  A “harmful dysfunction” in which behavior is judged to be:  Atypical  not enough in itself  Disturbing  varies with time and culture  Maladaptive  harmful  Unjustifiable  sometimes there’s a good reason

zNPR on mcniel island sex offenders

True or False zResearchers have found that toddlers who watch lots of TV are, at age 7, more likely than average to display ADHD symptoms  True

True or False zIn some cultures, depression and schizophrenia are nonexistent.  False

True or False zAbout 30 percent of psychologically disordered people are dangerous; that is, they are more likely than other people to commit a crime.  False

True or False zResearch indicates that in the United States there are more prison inmates with severe mental disorders than there are psychiatric inpatients in all the country's hospitals.  True

True or False z Identical twins who have been raised separately sometimes develop the same phobias.  True

True or False zIn North America, today's young adults are three times as likely as their grandparents to report having experienced depression.  True

True or False zWhite Americans commit suicide nearly twice as often as black Americans do.  True

True or False zThere is strong evidence for a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia.  True

True or False zAbout one in four Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.  True

Historical Perspective  Perceived Causes  movements of sun or moon  lunacy--full moon  evil spirits  Ancient Treatments  exorcism, caged like animals, beaten, burned, castrated, mutilated, blood replaced with animal’s blood

Psychological Disorders  Medical Model  concept that diseases have physical causes  can be diagnosed, treated, and in most cases, cured  assumes that these “mental” illnesses can be diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms and cured through therapy, which may include treatment in a psychiatric hospital

Psychological Disorders  Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective  assumes that biological, sociocultural, and psychological factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders

Psychological Disorders

Psychological Disorders – Etiology (causes) DSM-V  American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition)  a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders

 Psychotic Disorder  person loses contact with reality  experiences irrational ideas and distorted perceptions Psychological Disorders – Etiology (causes)

Anxiety Disorders distressing, persistent anxiety, or any maladaptive behaviors that serve to reduce anxiety  Generalized Anxiety Disorder  person is tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

Anxiety Disorders  Panic Disorder  marked by a minutes-long episode of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensation

Anxiety Disorders  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)  Mandel (9 min)

Anxiety Disorders  PET Scan of brain of person with Obsessive/ Compulsive disorder  High metabolic activity (red) in frontal lobe areas involved with directing attention

Anxiety Disorders

 Phobia  persistent, irrational fear of a specific object or situation  Handout 13-10

Specific Phobia

Anxiety Disorders  Top Fears Top Fears

Mood Disorders characterized by emotional extremes  Major Depressive Disorder  a mood disorder in which a person, for no apparent reason, experiences two or more weeks of:  depressed moods,  feelings of worthlessness,  diminished interest or pleasure in most activities

Mood Disorders  Manic Episode Manic Episode  a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state  Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Disorder  a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania  Sometimes (formerly) called manic-depressive disorder

Mood Disorders-Bipolar  PET scans show that brain energy consumption rises and falls with emotional switches Depressed stateManic stateDepressed state

Mood Disorders- Depression

Mood Disorders- Suicide

Mood Disorders - Suicide (OECD)OECD

Mood Disorders- Suicide  Risk Factors (13-9)  Read descriptions and rank them in terms of their risk for attempting or committing suicide  Rankings and Risk Factors  Somewhat arbitrary; uncertainty  Varies by:  Gender  Age  Marital Status

Mood Disorders- Suicide  Risk Factors  Easy accessibility to firearms (!)  Mood disorders  Substance abuse  Feelings of loneliness and hopelessness  Strongest risk factor (especially in adolescents) :  Previous attempts

Mood Disorders- Suicide  Risk Factors  Interpersonal loss  Poor social adjustment  Problems surrounding love relationships, dating, and friends  Rejection by a potential partner or loss of a romantic relationship

Mood Disorders- Suicide  Your Rankings  Experts’ Rankings  #2  Previous attempt; breakup of relationship  #4  Substance abuse; gun; giving away possessions  #3  In treatment  #1  Family to provide social support

Mood Disorders- Suicide: E xpanded Revised Facts (13-20) 1. F 6. F 11. F 16. F 21. T 2. T 7. T 12. T 17. T 22. T 3. T 8. F 13. F 18. T 23. T 4. F 9. T 14. T 19. F 24. T 5. F 10. F 15. F 20. F 25. F

Mood Disorders- Suicide: E xpanded Revised Facts (13-20) 26. A31. A36. A41. A46. B 27. C32. B37. C42. B47. A 28. B33. C38. C43. C48. C 29. A34. A39. B44. C49. A 30. B35. C40. B45. B50. B

 Unendurable Psychological Pain  Not an act of hostility or revenge  A way of switching off unendurable pain  Frustrated Psychological Needs  Feeling a lack of security, achievement, trust  The Search for a Solution  Seen as a way out of a problem  An Attempt to End Consciousness  Goal is to stop awareness of pain  Helplessness and Hopelessness  A sense of powerlessness Mood Disorders- Suicide: 10 Common Characteristics

 Constriction of Options  Only 2 choices: total solution or total cessation  Ambivalence  Only thing to care about is life or death  Communication of Intent  About 80% give clues  Departure  Running away – it’s the ultimate escape  Lifelong coping patterns  A habit of “cutting and running” problem solving Mood Disorders- Suicide: 10 Common Characteristics

Mood Disorders- Bipolar  PET scans show that brain energy consumption rises and falls with emotional switches Depressed stateManic stateDepressed state

Mood Disorders- Depression  Altering any one component of the chemistry- cognition-mood circuit can alter the others

Mood Disorders- Depression  The vicious cycle of depression can be broken at any point

Dissociative Disorders  Conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings  Dissociative Identity Disorder  rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities  formerly called multiple personality disorder

Schizophrenia  Schizophrenia  literal translation “split mind”  a group of severe disorders characterized by:  disorganized and delusional thinking  disturbed perceptions  inappropriate emotions and actions

Schizophrenia  Delusions  false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders  Hallucinations  sensory experiences without sensory stimulation

13-21 Magical Ideation Scale Schizophrenia

Personality Disorders  Disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning  usually without anxiety, depression, or delusions

Personality Disorders  Antisocial Personality Disorder  (formerly sociopaths or psychopaths)  disorder in which the person (usually male) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing (no feeling of guilt), even toward friends and family members  Usually obvious before age 15  may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist 

Antisocial Personality Disorder  Boys who were later convicted of a crime showed relatively low arousal

Personality Disorders  PET scans illustrate reduced activation in a murderer’s frontal cortex Normal Murderer

Personality Disorders

Rates of Psychological Disorders