INTRODUCTION to Psychological Disorders

“Parents Go On 'Track Watch' After Calif. Teen Suicides”

“Surgery for Mental Ills Offers Both Hope and Risk”

“MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)”

“A rise in mental-health help on campus: Colleges respond as more students seek help for problems small or serious.”

“Ruminative Self-Focus and Negative Affect: An Experience Sampling Study”

“Developmental structure of genetic influences on antisocial behavior across childhood and adolescence.”

Defining abnormality

How would you define a “psychological disorder?”Please get in pairs and follow the

handout instructions

Defining disorder

Key elements of symptoms (according to DSM):• disturbances in behavior, thoughts, or

emotions• associated with significant personal distress

or impairment• stem from an internal dysfunction --

biological, psychological, or both

Criticisms?

DescriptionDescription

CausationCausation

Treatment/OutcomeTreatment/Outcome

Study ofStudy ofPsychologicalPsychological

DisordersDisorders

Understanding Pathology

Describing Disorders

DSM-IV Diagnostic

system for classifying psychological disorders

Various classes of disorders: anxiety, mood, dissociative, etc.

Potential problem of Diagnosis

Diagnoses can become labels Consequences of labeling

Impact on others? (e.g., Rosenhan study)

Impact on self? (“I’m ADHD”)

Stigma 70% of people with diagnosable mental

disorders do not seek treatment… stigma-related?

– HistoricallyHistorically

– Medical modelMedical model

– Biopsychosocial modelBiopsychosocial model

Bio-psycho-social Perspective

Biological(heredity; brain

structures; neurochemistry)

Psychological(maladaptive learning & coping, cognitive biases,

Interpersonal probs)

Socio-cultural(socialization, stressful

life circumstances,social inequities)

Treatment / Outcome

Treatments should stem from:• an attempt to understand multiple

causes• research that has provided

evidence of significant effectiveness for specific problems

(i.e., Evidence-based Treatment, EBT)

DescriptionDescription

CausationCausation

Treatment/OutcomeTreatment/Outcome

Study ofStudy ofPsychologicalPsychological

DisordersDisorders

Case study: Depression

Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood Loss of appetite and/or weight loss, or conversely

overeating and weight gain Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping Restlessness or irritability Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt,

helplessness, hopelessness Difficulty thinking, concentrating, making decisions Thoughts of death or suicide or attempts at suicide Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that

were once enjoyed, including sex Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling sluggish

Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood Loss of appetite and/or weight loss, or conversely

overeating and weight gain Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping Restlessness or irritability Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt,

helplessness, hopelessness Difficulty thinking, concentrating, making decisions Thoughts of death or suicide or attempts at suicide Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that

were once enjoyed, including sex Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling sluggish

Describing Depression

BiologicalBiological

Mood Disorders – Causal Factors

Heritability estimates (40%) (e.g., twin studies: MZ vs DZ twins -- 3 X risk)

Drugs that affect NTs (e.g., dopamine and serotonin) can relieve depression. Is this a NT-deficit, then?

Brain findings (limbic-cortical dysfunction)

Heritability estimates (40%) (e.g., twin studies: MZ vs DZ twins -- 3 X risk)

Drugs that affect NTs (e.g., dopamine and serotonin) can relieve depression. Is this a NT-deficit, then?

Brain findings (limbic-cortical dysfunction)

Psychological factors (e.g., Cognitive-behavioral explanation)

1Stressful

experiences

4Cognitive and

behavioral changes

2Negative

explanatory style

3Depressed

mood

Cognitive styles

(e.g., attributions, rumination

Socio-cultural factorsPovertyDiscriminationExpectations of what it means to be happyLevel of violence in society (exposure to

trauma)Environmental factors (e.g., sunlight)