1. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Psychology in Action, Fifth Edition by Karen Huffman, Mark Vernoy, and Judith Vernoy PowerPoint  Lecture Notes Presentation Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders Paul J. Wellman Texas A&M University

2. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Lecture Overview Issues in Identifying Psychological Disorders Anxiety Disorders Schizophrenia Mood Disorders Other Disorders

3. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Abnormal Behavior Behavior is abnormal with regard to –Statistical infrequency: how does the frequency of the behavior compare to others in the culture? –Disability of dysfunction: Person is abnormal if their behavior interferes with their daily lives –Personal distress: Is the person unhappy about the behavior? –Violation of norms: Based on social norms

4. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Statistical Issues in Abnormality

5. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Culture-Bound Disorders An issue is the extent to which mental disorders are similar across cultures In some instances, there are culture- specific disorders –Running Amok: syndrome evident in Thai culture in which a person becomes wildly aggressive, thereby injuring others –Brain Fog: syndrome evident in West Africa in which schooling produces excessive mental and physical tiredness

6. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Culture-General Issues Other issues are found across cultures: –NervousWeak all over –Feel apart, aloneWorry all the time –Trouble sleepingPersonal worries –Can’t get alongLow spirits –Can’t do anythingRestless –Nothing turns out rightHot all over

7. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Explanations of Abnormality Demonology assumes that evil spirits reside within a person –Trephining: open the skull to let the spirit out Medical Model assumes that abnormal behaviors reflect mental or physical illness –Treatment of abnormality would take place in a hospital (mental) –Treatments would be by a physician (Psychiatrist)

8. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Diagnoses Mental illness, like physical illness, will have different causes, have different symptoms, and should lead to different treatments The medical model requires a diagnostic system to sort symptoms, arrive at a differential diagnosis –Psychiatry has devised the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

9. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Anxiety Disorders Symptoms of anxiety include rapid breathing, dry mouth, and increased heart rate Anxiety disorders include: –Generalized Anxiety Disorder refers to long- lasting anxiety that is not focused on an object or situation (unspecific or free-floating) –Panic Disorder refers to brief but intense bouts of anxiety

10. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e –Phobias are strong irrational fears of objects or of situations Specific phobias are tied to objects (knives) Social phobias are tied to situations (stage fright) –Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by diffuse anxiety related to recurring thoughts and images (obsessions). Compulsions are impulses to exert some action (e.g. hand-washing) –Posttraumatic Stress Disorder refers to anxiety related to suffering a traumatic event (disaster, assault, war)

11. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Causes of Anxiety Disorders Learning perspective argues that phobias are the result of –Classical conditioning Specific objects are paired with a frightening event The object can then elicit fear –Operant conditioning: the person reduces their anxiety by avoiding the feared object –Social learning (observation and modeling)

12. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Biological perspectives on anxiety disorders: –Evolutionary argument that we are predisposed to fear what our ancestors feared –Altered biochemistry in brain contributes to anxiety disorder Cognitive processes: focus is on distortions of thinking

13. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Schizophrenia Psychosis refers to a general lack of contact with reality Schizophrenia is a form of psychosis involving perception, language, thought, emotion, and behavior –Prevalence of schizophrenia is 1 in 100 –Rarely emerges after age 45 –Schizophrenia is a severe disorder that accounts for half of all admissions to mental hospitals

14. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Schizophrenia Symptoms Perceptual Symptoms –Sensory filtering and perception is impaired –Hallucinations are perceptions without sensations Language and Thought Disturbance –Word salad: jumbled speech –Delusions are mistaken beliefs that are maintained despite contrary evidence Paranoid: others are talking about the person Persecution: others are out to get the person

15. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Emotional Disturbance –Emotional affect in schizophrenia can be enhanced or flattened (no affect) Behavioral Disturbance –Unusual actions that meaning to the person Shaking their head to clear out bad thoughts.. –Catalepsy refers to an immobile stance that can be held for hours (like a statue) –Refusal to communicate

16. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Classification of Schizophrenia Positive symptoms involve distorted or excessive mental activity –Delusions, hallucinations,altered emotions, erratic behaviors –Occur during acute episodes Negative symptoms involve behavioral and mental deficits –Flattened emotions, social withdrawal –Are chronic and do not respond well to drugs

17. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Biological Views of Schizophrenia Genetics: identical twins are more similar in regard to schizophrenia (43 to 83 % concordance) –Much higher than siblings (9% concordance) Neurotransmitters: Dopamine activity is excessive in the schizophrenic brain –Drugs that relieve schizophrenia block dopamine receptors Brain damage: enlarged ventricles are evident in schizophrenia

18. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Mood Disorders Mood Disorders are characterized by extreme disturbances in emotional states –Major Depressive Disorder refers to prolonged intensely reduced mood without an obvious cause Interferes with ability to function and to enjoy life –Bipolar Disorder refers to alternating state of reduced mood (depression) and mania (increased mood)

19. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Causes of Mood Disorders Biological: – Variations in brain transmitters norepinephrine and serotonin –Abnormal function in frontal cortex Psychosocial: learned helplessness theory suggests that depression results from a history of being unable to control or escape from aversive events

20. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Myths of Suicide People who talk about suicide are unlikely to commit suicide Suicides usually do not warn others Suicidal persons are fully committed to dying Men and women are equally likely to commit suicide Only depressed people commit suicide

21. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman/Vernoy/Vernoy: Psychology in Action 5e Copyright Copyright 2000 by John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner.