PSYCHOLOGY

MENTAL DISORDERS

CHAPTER 18

ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR (actions on a regular basis)

• Person who suffers from extreme anxiety, endless worry, long periods of depression

• Bizarre behavior – misinterpret the actions and words of others, fall apart over minor things

• Unable to perform daily activities

• Perceives the world as a threatening environment

Types of Mental Disorders

• Anxiety – generalized feeling of apprehension and dread which causes bodily reactions (sweat, heart pounding, etc.)

Types of Anxiety– Panic disorder

– Phobic disorders (list on page 509)

– Obsessive-compulsive disorder

PANIC DISORDER

• Cannot relax – overwhelming feelings of anxiety

• Usually starts randomly with physical reactions

• Once one has occurred, panic attacks will repeat themselves

• Can lead to phobias:– Specific: dogs, height, elevators– Agoraphobia – fear of leaving familiar environment– Causes: association and learning from past experience

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

• Obsession: constant thoughts about performing a certain act

• Compulsive: Behavior (acting out your obsession)

• Causes: inability to resolve guilt, anxiety, insecurity; can be caused by a chemical imbalance

SOMATOFORM DISORDER

• Psychology issues expressed in bodily symptoms

• There is no actual physical problem

• Two types:– 1. Conversion – serious psychological trauma is changed into a

symbolic physical dysfunction• Example: Witness a terrible human torture – become frozen with

fear, visual system shuts down – can no longer see

– 2. Hypochondriasis (hypochondriac) – excessive concerns about health

DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS• Amnesia – traumatic events “disappear” from memory

• Selecting Forgetting – “forgetting” only things that are very traumatic

• Fugue – condition of having amnesia for one’s current life and starting a new one somewhere else

• Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality) – personal identity– Separate personalities act independently from the others– Rare disorder– Causes: history of very traumatic experiences; childhood abuse– Dominant or stronger personality knows about the weaker, but not

the other way around– Not considered schizophrenic because this disorder doesn’t have

trouble thinking or communicating

MOOD DISORDERS• Three types

– Depression– Mania (bipolar – up and down mood swings)

• Extreme agitation• Restlessness• Rapid speech• Trouble concentrating• Delusions about one’s power and influence• Flight of ideas-thoughts and speech go in all directions with no

unifying concept– Schizophrenia

• Causes– Lifetime of separations, losses, unpleasant things– Poor self image– Feel responsible for bad events– Chemical imbalance due to Serotonin-high (mania) or low (depression)– Hereditary

PSYCHOSIS OR PSYCHOTIC DISORDER

• Severe mental disorder involving disorganized thought processes

• Confused and extreme emotional responses

• Distorted perceptions of reality

• Periods of psychotic behavior can alternate with periods of calm and coherence (comes in cycles)

• Dopamine – brain chemical that causes speech and thoughts; if too much it can lead to schizophrenia

FOUR TYPES OF PSYCHOSIS

• Serious distortion of mental processes (hard to understand what they are saying or thinking

• Hallucinating – seeing or hearing something that is not present

• Delusion – belief in something that is not true

• Inappropriate emotional responses – laugh at tragic events

SCHIZOPHRENIC DISORDERS

• Only affects about 1% of population• Appears in late adolescence or early adulthood• One third have only one episode and get better• One third have severe symptoms and do not respond to treatment• One third are in and out of institutions• Garbled speech, hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thoughts• WORD SALAD: words mixed together-incoherent• Example: Sometimes it feels and smells like someone has screwed a

quarter-pound hamburger into my head and arms and legs and if you shine a headlight inside it will drill you.

• CLANG ASSOCIATION: psychotic speech in which words are rhymed.• Example: You wear clothes and how much does this watch cost? Have

you a sister? I have three and they are all fine girls, curls, furls, isn’t that funny? The clang comes with “girls, curls, furls.”

Three Types of Schizophrenia

• Catatonic– Disturbance of movement– May not speak or say little– Person is in a stupor

• Paranoid– feelings of suspicion and persecution– Grandiose beliefs-superhuman power

• Undifferentiated– lacks any distinguishing symptoms

DYSTHYMIC DISORDERModerate Depression

4-12% affectedCalled the common cold of mental healthUsually clears up without treatmentSymptoms: lack of energy, sadness, loss of interest in activities, people, loss of sense of humor Common after the loss of a loved one

How do you know when it is not normal?Lasts too longAppears out of nowhere

MAJOR DEPRESSION

• Extremely low emotional state• Loss of appetite and energy• Hopelessness• Suicidal thoughts• Very slow speech• Inability to carry out simple daily tasks

SCHIZOPHRENIA (a psychosis)Thought disorders

• Catatonic schizophrenia – hallucinations, delusions

• Paranoid schizophrenia – inappropriate emotions

• Undifferentiated – lacks any distinguishing symptoms

PERSONALITY DISORDERS

• Antisocial personality (sociopath, psycopath) – criminal behavior, lack of guilt

• Borderline personality – dependency, possessiveness

ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER (SOCIOPATH, PSYCOPATH)

• Constant conflict with the law• Lack of conscience• Drugs or psychological treatment do not help• Causes:

– Family history of neglect – Abusive or alcoholic parents– For some – no real answer

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

• Intense and unstable relationships• Very dependent on other people• Very insecure and clingy• Use self-destruction to manipulate others• Very possessive• May make suicide threats• Unstable emotions• Causes:

– Tends to run in families – is it biology or association and learning?– Difficult to treat in psychotherapy-person is usually suspicious or

manipulative– Person has trouble developing working relationship with therapist-

often switch from one to another