Psychological Disorders

What is Psychological Disorder? The medical model takes a “disease” view, while psychology sees psychological disorder as an interaction of biological, cognitive, social, and behavioral factors

What is Psychological Disorder? Psychopathology – Any pattern of emotions, behaviors, or thoughts inappropriate to the situation and leading to personal distress or the inability to achieve important goals Synonymous terms include: Mental illness Mental disorder Psychological disorder

What is Psychological Disorder? Three classic signs suggest severe psychological disorder Hallucinations Delusions Severe affective disturbances

History of Abnormal Disorders Spirit possession/ exorcism/trephining Flagellants Bloodletting

The Greeks’ Notion of Abnormality Four types of temperament called “Humors,” developed by Hippocrates Phlegmatic: listless, apathetic Sanguine: happy Choleric: hot-tempered Melancholic: sad or depressed

Possession Mental illness as caused by the devil Widespread religious persecution Exorcisms, burning, beheading, strangling, mutilating

Indicators of Abnormality Other signs of a disorder are more subtle, and a diagnosis depends heavily on clinical judgment Distress Maladaptiveness Irrationality Unpredictability Unconventionality and undesirable behavior

Changing Concepts of Psychological Disorder: The Cognitive-Behavioral Approach Behavioral perspective – Abnormal behaviors can be acquired through behavioral learning – operant and classical conditioning Cognitive perspective – Abnormal behaviors are influenced by mental processes – how people perceive themselves and their relations with others

The Biopsychology of Mental Disorder Although most psychologists have reservations about the medical model, they do not deny the influence of biology on thought and behavior Organic problems, biochemical imbalances, genetic predispositions

Other Perspectives Psychoanalytic Humanistic Sociocultural CAUSE OF DISORDER: Internal, unconscious conflicts Humanistic CAUSE OF DISORDER: Failure to strive toward one’s potential or being out of touch with one’s feelings Sociocultural CAUSE OF DISORDER: Dysfunctional society

How are Psychological Disorders Classified? The most widely used system, found in the DSM-IV, classifies disorders by their mental and behavioral symptoms

Overview of DSM-IV Classification System DSM-IV – Fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; the most widely accepted classification system in the United States Neurotic disorder or neurosis Psychotic disorder or psychosis A neurotic is a man who builds a castle in the air. A psychotic is the man who lives in the castle. A psychiatrist is the man who collects the rent. – What does this mean?!

What causes mood disorders / mental illness? Researchers believe most serious mental illnesses are caused by complex imbalances in the brain's chemical activity. They also believe environmental factors can play a part in triggering, or cushioning against, the onset of mental illness.

Mood Disorders Major depression – Form of depression that does not alternate with mania Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – Believed to be caused by deprivation of sunlight Bipolar disorder – Mental abnormality involving swings of mood from mania to depression

Bipolar Disorder Description: Extreme mood swings punctuated by periods of generally even-keeled behavior characterize this disorder. Bipolar disorder tends to run in families. This disorder typically begins in the mid-twenties and continues throughout life. Without treatment, people who have bipolar disorder often go through devastating life events such as marital breakups, job loss, substance abuse, and suicide.

Symptoms: Mania-expansive or irritable mood, inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep; increased energy; racing thoughts; feelings of invulnerability; poor judgment; heightened sex drive; and denial that anything is wrong. Depression-feelings of hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, or melancholy; fatigue; loss of appetite for food or sex; sleep disturbances, thoughts of death or suicide; and suicide attempts. Mania and depression may vary in both duration and degree of intensity.

Formal Diagnosis: Although scientific evidence indicates bipolar disorder is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, no lab test exists to diagnose the disorder. In fact, this mental illness often goes unrecognized by the person who has it, relatives, friends, or even physicians. The first step of diagnosis is to receive a complete medical evaluation to rule out any other mental or physical disorders. Anyone who has this mental illness should be under the care of a psychiatrist skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder.

Anxiety Disorders Generalized anxiety disorder – Characterized by persistent and pervasive feelings of anxiety, without any external cause Panic disorder – Marked by panic attacks that have no connection to events in a person’s present experience Agoraphobia – Fear of public places/open spaces

Anxiety Disorders Phobias– A group of anxiety disorders involving a pathological fear of a specific object or situation http://www.phobialist.com/ Preparedness hypothesis – Notion that we have an innate tendency, acquired through natural selection, to respond quickly and automatically to stimuli that posed a survival threat to our ancestors

Anxiety Disorders Obsessive-compulsive disorder – Condition characterized by patterns of persistent, unwanted thoughts and behaviors

Common Examples of OCD Common Obsessions: Common Compulsions: Contamination fears of germs, dirt, etc. Washing Imagining having harmed self or others Repeating Imagining losing control of aggressive urges Checking Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges Touching Excessive religious or moral doubt Counting Forbidden thoughts Ordering/arranging A need to have things "just so" Hoarding or saving A need to tell, ask, confess Praying

Schizophrenic Disorders Schizophrenia – Psychotic disorder involving distortions in thoughts, perceptions, and/or emotions http://www.janssen.com/janssen/mindstorm_video.html

Major Types of Schizophrenia Disorganized Catatonic Paranoid Undifferentiated Residual Positive Negative

Major Types of Schizophrenia Features incoherent speech, hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre behavior Disorganized Catatonic Paranoid Undifferentiated Residual Type

Major Types of Schizophrenia Disorganized Catatonic Involves stupor or extreme excitement Paranoid Undifferentiated Residual Type

Major Types of Schizophrenia Disorganized Catatonic Paranoid Prominent feature: combination of delusions and hallucinations Undifferentiated Residual Type

Major Types of Schizophrenia Disorganized Catatonic Paranoid Undifferentiated Persons displaying a combination of symptoms that do not clearly fit in one of the other categories Residual Type

Major Types of Schizophrenia Disorganized Catatonic Paranoid Undifferentiated Residual Type Individuals who have had a past episode of schizophrenia but are free of symptoms

Major Types of Schizophrenia Positive Schizophrenia Any form in which the person displays active symptoms (e.g. delusions, hallucinations) Negative Schizophrenia

Major Types of Schizophrenia Positive Schizophrenia Negative Schizophrenia Any form distinguished by deficits, such as withdrawal and poverty of thought processes

Possible Causes of Schizophrenia Evidence for the causes of schizophrenia has been found in a variety of factors including genetics, abnormal brain structure, and biochemistry Significant Loss of Brain Gray Matter: Individuals with schizophrenia, including those who have never been treated, have a reduced volume of gray matter in the brain, especially in the temporal and frontal lobes. Recently neuroscientists have detected gray matter loss of up to 25% (in some areas). The damage started in the parietal, or outer, regions of the brain but spread to the rest of the brain over a five year period. Patients with the worst brain tissue loss also had the worst symptoms, which included hallucinations, delusions, bizarre and psychotic thoughts, hearing voices, and depression.

Enlarged Ventricles in the Brain: Individuals with schizophrenia, including those who have never been treated, typically have enlarged ventricles in the brain, as demonstrated in over 100 studies to date. MRI imaging showing differences in brain ventricle size in twins - one schizophrenic, one not.

Diathesis-stress hypothesis – Genetic factors place the individual at risk, but environmental stress factors transform this potential into an actual schizophrenic disorder Additional environmental exposures (for example, frequent or ongoing social stress and/or isolation during childhood, drug abuse, etc.) then further increase the risk or trigger the onset of psychosis and schizophrenia. Early signs of schizophrenia risk include neurocognitive impairments, social anxiety (shyness) and isolation and "odd ideas".

Eating Disorders Anorexia nervosa – Eating disorder involving persistent loss of appetite that endangers an individual’s health – stemming from psychological reasons rather than organic causes Bulimia – Eating disorder characterized be eating binges followed by “purges,” induced by vomiting or laxatives; typical initiated as a weight-control measure

Somatoform Disorders Somatoform disorders – Psychological problems appearing in the form of bodily symptoms or physical complaints Conversion disorder – Somatoform disorder marked by paralysis, weakness, or loss of sensation, but with no discernable physical cause

Somatoform Disorders Glove Anesthesia

Somatoform Disorders Hypochondriasis – Somatoform disorder involving excessive concern about health and disease

Personality Disorders Personality disorders – Conditions involving a chronic, pervasive, inflexible, and maladaptive pattern of thinking, emotion, social relationships, or impulse control

Personality Disorders Narcissistic personality disorder – Characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a preoccupation with fantasies of success and power, and a need for constant attention

Personality Disorders Antisocial personality disorder – Characterized by a long-standing pattern of irresponsible behavior indicating a lack of conscience and a diminished sense of responsibility to others

Personality Disorders Borderline personality disorder – An unstable personality given to impulsive behavior

Parent-child problems Adjustment Disorders and Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention Mild depression Marital problems Physical complaints Academic problems Parent-child problems Job problems Bereavement Malingering

Developmental Disorders Autism – is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. Marked by disabilities in language, social interaction, and the ability to understand another person’s state of mind Dyslexia – A reading disability, thought by some experts to involve a brain disorder

Developmental Disorders Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder – A developmental disability involving short attention span, distractibility, and extreme difficulty in remaining inactive for any period

Shyness Shyness, a distressing pattern of avoiding or withdrawing from social contact is treatable, but it is not a DSM-IV disorder

Dissociative Disorders Dissociative disorders – Group of pathologies involving “fragmentation” of the personality Dissociative amnesia Dissociative fugue Depersonalization disorder Dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative Disorders Dissociative amnesia A psychologically induced loss of memory for personal information Dissociative fugue Depersonalization disorder Dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative Disorders Dissociative amnesia Dissociative fugue Dissociative amnesia with the addition of “flight” from one’s home, family, and job Depersonalization disorder Dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative Disorders Dissociative amnesia Dissociative Fugue Depersonalization disorder Abnormality involving the sensation of mind and body having separated Dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative Disorders Dissociative amnesia Dissociative Fugue Depersonalization disorder Dissociative identity disorder Condition in which the individual displays multiple identities

What are the Consequences of Labeling People? Ideally, accurate diagnoses lead to proper treatments, but diagnoses may also become labels that depersonalize individuals and ignore the social and cultural contexts in which their problems arise

The Plea of Insanity Insanity – A legal term, not a psychological or psychiatric one, referring to a person who is unable, because of a mental disorder or defect, to confirm his or her behavior to the law

End of Abnormal Unit https://justines2010blog. files. wordpress