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Studying Psychological Disorders

Abnormal Behavior: patterns of emotion, thought, and action considered pathological for one or more of four reasons:

• statistical infrequency

• disability or dysfunction

• personal distress

• violation of norms

Studying Psychological Disorders: Four Criteria for Abnormal Behavior

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Studying Psychological Disorders: Classifying Abnormal Behavior

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR):

• provides detailed descriptions of symptoms

• contains over 200 diagnostic categories grouped into 17 major categories and five dimensions (or axes)

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety Disorder (characterized by unrealistic, irrational fear)

Four Major Anxiety Disorders

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder:persistent, uncontrollable, and free-floating anxiety

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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

More or less constant worry

Physical symptoms headaches

stomachaches

muscle tension

irritability

Panic Disorder

2. Panic Disorder: sudden and inexplicable panic attacks

Panic attacks - helpless terror, high physiological arousal

Peak in 10 minutes or less Very frightening - sufferers live in fear of

having them Agoraphobia often develops as a result

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Phobias3. Phobia: intense, irrational fear of a specific

object or situation

Algophobia -pain Astraphobia -thunderstorms Pathophobia -disease Monophobia -being alone Mysophobia -contamination Nyctophobia -darkness Ochlophobia -crowds Ailurophobia - cats Monophobia - being alone Pyrophobia - fire Triskaidekaphobia -13

Phobias

It is not phobic to simply be anxious about something

Afraid of it Bothers slightly Not at all afraid of it

Beingclosed in,

in a smallplace

Being alone

ina houseat night

Percentageof peoplesurveyed

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Snakes Being

in high,exposedplaces

Mice Flyingon an

airplane

Spidersand

insects

Thunderand

lightning

Dogs Drivinga car

Being in

a crowdof people

Cats

Study of normal anxieties

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Specific Phobias

Specific phobias - fear of specific object animals (e.g., snakes)

substances (e.g., blood)

situations (e.g., heights)

more often in females than males

Social Phobias

Social phobias - fear of failing or being embarrassed in public public speaking (stage fright)

fear of crowds, strangers

meeting new people

eating in public

Equally often in males and females

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Anxiety Disorders (Continued)

4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): intrusive, repetitive fearful thoughts (obsessions), urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (compulsions), or both

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Checking

Cleaning/washing

Doing things a certain number of times in a row

Doing and then undoing things

Doing things in a certain order, with symmetry

Mental acts such as praying, counting, etc.

Children have an average of 4 obsessions and 4 compulsions at any given time

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Anxiety Disorders

PET Scan of brain of person with Obsessive/ Compulsive disorder

High metabolic activity (red) in frontal lobe areas involved with directing attention

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Anxiety Disorders (Continued)

Explanations of Anxiety Disorders:

Psychological--faulty cognitions, maladaptive learning

Biological--evolution, genetics, brain functioning, biochemistry

Sociocultural—environ-mental stressors, cultural socialization

Mood Disorders Mood Disorders (characterized by extreme

disturbances in emotional states)

Two Main Types of Mood Disorders:• Major Depressive Disorder

(long-lasting depressed mood that interferes with the ability to function, feel pleasure, or maintain interest in life)

• Bipolar Disorder (repeated episodes of mania and depression)

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Mood Disorders (Continued)

Mood Disorders-Bipolar

PET scans show that brain energy consumption rises and falls with emotional switches

Depressed state Manic state Depressed state

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Mood Disorders-Depression

Hormonal? Cultural? Socialization?

Mood Disorders- Suicide

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Bipolar Disorders

Mood levels swing from severe depression to extreme euphoria (mania)

No regular relationship to time of year (like Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Strong heritable component

Bipolar disorder often treated with lithium

Mood Disorders

Explanations of Mood Disorders: Biological

Maladaptive Cognitions

Learned Helplessness

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Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (group of psychotic disorders)

Five areas of major disturbance:

1. Perception (hallucinations)

2. Language (word salad, neologisms) SPECTROAUTOROTATION

3. Thoughts (psychosis, delusions)

4. Emotion (exaggerated or flat affect)

5. Behavior [unusual actions (e.g., catalepsy, waxy flexibility)]

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Word Salad

"Tissues without a triangular head lice be it with controller is the noodle man of ice pops and radio yes thanks."

"So even with I but he river flow amber rod with it." "Spiders my mom is a notification true since not like wedding

cake." "Vegetables interest my translucent memory taken from his ant

mole hill radical." "Trust the bamboo of pastrami, for the infinite monkey boy is

upon the arrival of distortion steam my vegetables." "Toothache is Greg in my brain lodged for ski symptoms inside

out raspberry juice for tomorrow you are filthy." "You can't go sailing past honor for the liking of a room. These

questions are birthday basements. To end the blue radish is the upside of luxury, and sparking a good lizard will only make tears fall in hindsight."

Schizophrenia (Continued)

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Other Disorders

Substance-related disorder(abuse of, or dependence on, a mood-or behavior-altering drug)

Two general groups: Substance abuse (interferes

with social or occupational functioning)

Substance dependence (shows physical reactions, such as tolerance and withdrawal)

Other Disorders: Substance-Related Disorder

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Other Disorders (Continued)

People with substance-related disorders also commonly suffer from other psychological disorders, a condition known as comorbidity.

Other Disorders (Continued)

Dissociative Disorders: Splitting apart (dis-association) of experience from memory or consciousness

Types of Dissociative Disorders:

Dissociative Amnesia

Dissociative Fugue

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

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Other Disorders (Continued)

Best known and most severe dissociative disorder:

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): presence of two or more distinct personality systems in the same person at different times (previously known as multiple personality disorder)

Other Disorders (Continued)

Personality Disorder: inflexible, maladaptive personality traits that cause significant impairment of social and occupational functioning

Types of personality disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder: profound disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others

Key Traits: egocentrism, lack of conscience, impulsive behavior, and superficial charm

Other Disorders (Continued)

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): impulsivity and instability in mood, relationships, and self-image

Other Disorders (Continued)