What are Psychological What are Psychological Disorders?Disorders?

Behavior patterns or mental processes that cause serious personal suffering or interfere with a person’s ability to cope with everyday life

Identifying Psychological Identifying Psychological DisordersDisorders

Difficult

Defining what is “normal” and “abnormal” is difficult

Those with psych. disorders don’t usually differ much from “normal” people

Main difference is exaggeration of certain behaviors or mental processes

Symptoms of Psychological Symptoms of Psychological DisordersDisorders

Typicality: untypical behavior Maladaptivity: interferes with normal life Emotional Discomfort Socially Unacceptable Behavior: violates a

society’s accepted norms may also be indication of psych. disorder Cultural context of behavior must be taken into

account Culture-bound syndromes: clusters of symptoms

that define/describe an illness (ex in book)

Classifying Psychological Classifying Psychological DisordersDisorders

DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Recognizes 18 different categories of

psychological disorders Categorized by observable signs Subject to ongoing revision (newest version

released May 2013)

Anxiety DisordersAnxiety Disorders

Anxiety: apprehensive for long periods of time Nervousness, inability to relax, and concern

about losing control Physical symptoms: trembling, sweating, rapid

heart rate, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, flushed face, and feelings of faintness/light-headedness

Feelings happens all/most of the time Among the most common disorders in the USA

Types of Anxiety Types of Anxiety DisordersDisorders

Phobic Disorder Simple Phobia: persistent excessive/irrational

fear of a particular object/situation Social Phobia: persistent fear of social

situations in which one might be exposed to the close scrutiny of others and thus be observed doing something embarrassing or humiliating

Systematic Desensitization: common treatment

Panic Disorder: recurring and unexpected panic attacks Panic attack: relatively short period of intense

fear/discomfort, shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heart rate, trembling or shaking, sweating, choking, nausea that lasts few minutes to few hours Usually have fear of another attack

Agorophobia: fear of being in places/situations in which escape may be difficult/impossible Afraid of crowded places Most have panic attacks when they can’t avoid

situations they fear

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: excessive or unrealistic worry about life circumstances that lasts for at least 6 mos

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Obsessions: thoughts, ideas, mental images that

occur over and over again Compulsions: repetitive ritual behaviors, often

involving checking or cleaning something Ex: washing windows in house daily

Stress DisordersStress Disorders

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: intense, persistent feelings of anxiety that are caused by an experience so traumatic that it would produce stress in almost anyone Flashbacks, nightmares/unwelcome thoughts,

numbness of feeling, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, increased tension which may lead to sleep disturbances, irritability, poor concentration

Acute Stress Disorder: short-term disorder with symptoms similar to PTSD, follows traumatic event, symptoms occur immediately or within a month of the event, anxiety lasts shorter time

Dissociative DisordersDissociative Disorders

Dissociation: separation of certain personality components/mental processes from conscious thought

Types of Dissociatve Disorders Dissociative Amnesia Dissociative Fugue Dissociative Identity Disorder Depersonalization Disorder

Dissociative AmnesiaDissociative Amnesia

Serious loss of memory, usually following a particularly stressful/traumatic event

Typically can’t remember any events that occurred for certain period of time surrounding the traumatic event

May last for few hours, may persist for years

Memory is likely to return as suddenly as it was lost

Dissociative FugueDissociative Fugue

Amnesia and start a new life

When fugue comes to an end, don’t remember what happened during fugue state

Dissociative Identity Dissociative Identity DisorderDisorder

AKA: Multiple Personality Disorder Existence of 2 or more personalities within a

single individual Personalities may/may not be aware of the

others, at least 2 take turns controlling the individual’s behavior

Different voice, facial expressions, as well as self-perceived age, gender, and physical characteristics

Different allergies and eyeglass prescriptions Behave differently than others

Causes of Dissociative Causes of Dissociative Identity DisorderIdentity Disorder

Severe abuse in childhood

Typically severe physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse

Less often it is preceded by other types of trauma

Depersonalization Depersonalization DisorderDisorder

Feelings of detachment from one’s mental processes or body

Describe feeling as though they are outside their bodies, observing themselves at a distance

Common symptom of other disorders and a disorder in its own right

Likely to be preceded by a stressful event

Somatoform DisordersSomatoform Disorders

Somatization: expression of psychological distress through physical symptoms

Have psychological problems but experience inexplicable physical symptoms

Conversion DisorderConversion Disorder

Bodily symptoms without physical problems Ex: may develop the inability to see overnight

or move their legs with no medical explanation Person is not faking it

Many show little concern about their symptoms

HypochondriasisHypochondriasis

A person’s unrealistic preoccupation with thoughts that he/she has a serious disease

Become absorbed by minor physical symptoms and sensations, convinced that the symptoms indicate a serious medical illness

Maintain their erroneous beliefs despite reassurances from doctors that there is nothing physically wrong with them

Many visit doctor after doctor trying to find one who will find the cause of their symptoms

Mood DisordersMood Disorders

Mood changes that seem inappropriate for or inconsistent with the situations to which they are responding

2 general categories Depression: involves feelings of helplessness,

hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, and great sadness

Bipolar Disorder: cycle of mood changes from depression to wild elation and back again

Very common psychological disorders

Major DepressionMajor Depression

Most common of all psychological disorders

DSM-IV identifies 9 symptoms, to diagnose 5 must be present and symptoms must last for at least 2 weeks, and occur nearly every day during that period

As many as 15% of severely depressed individuals eventually commit suicide

Bipolar DisorderBipolar Disorder

AKA manic depression

Mania: extreme excitement characterized by hyperactivity and chaotic behavior For some may be irritability instead of elation Severe cases: delusions about being superior

or others being jealous of them Impulsive behaviors

Severe mood swings between depression and mania

SchizophreniaSchizophrenia

Usually considered the most serious of the psychological disorders

Loss of contact with reality Can be very disabling, could even lead to

affected person’s inability to function independently

Usually develops gradually, but can appear suddenly

Most obvious symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders

Paranoid SchizophreniaParanoid Schizophrenia

Delusions or frequent auditory hallucinations, all relating to a single theme

May have delusions of grandeur, persecution, or jealousy

Tend to have less disorganized thoughts and bizarre behavior than do people with other types

May be agitated, confused, and afraid

Disorganized Disorganized SchizophreniaSchizophrenia

Incoherent in their thought and speech and disorganized in their behavior

Usually also have delusions and hallucinations, but they tend to be fragmentary and unconnected

Either emotionless or show inappropriate emotions

May neglect their appearance and hygiene

Catatonic Catatonic SchizophreniaSchizophrenia

Disturbance of movement: activity may slow to a stupor and then suddenly switch to agitation

May hold fixed position for hours

May exhibit waxy flexibility: others can mold them into strange poses that they hold for hours

Personality DisordersPersonality Disorders

Patterns of inflexible traits that disrupt social life or work and/or distress the affected individual

Usually show up by late adolescence and affect all aspects of an individual’s personality (thought processes, emotions, and behavior)

Paranoid Personality Paranoid Personality DisorderDisorder

Tend to be distrustful and suspicious of others

Tend to perceive other people’s behavior as threatening or insulting

Difficult to get along with

Often lead isolated lives

Not confused about reality but view of reality is distorted and they are unlikely to see their mistrust and suspicions as unfounded or abnormal

Schizoid Personality Schizoid Personality DisorderDisorder

Have no interest in relationships with others

Lack emotional responsiveness

Do not have tender feelings for, or become attached to, others

Tend to be loners

Similar symptoms as schizophrenia but do not have delusions or hallucinations and may stay in touch with reality

Antisocial Personality Antisocial Personality DisorderDisorder

Behavior pattern that violates the rules, laws, and morals of society

Do not feel guilt or remorse

Continue their behaviors despite the threat of social rejection or punishment

Early life: may run away from home, hurt others or animals

Adulthood: aggressive and reckless, have a hard time holding a job, fail to pay bills and debts, or break the law

Avoidant Personality Avoidant Personality DisordersDisorders

Desire relationships with others but they are prevented from forming them by tremendous fear of the disapproval of others

Act shy and withdrawn in social situations, always afraid they will say or do something foolish or embarrassing

Symptoms similar to those of social phobia and those with this disorder usually have social phobias as well

Not all who have social phobias have avoidant personality disorder

TherapyTherapy

Approaches mental health professionals use to treat psychological problems and disorders

Psychotherapy: psychologically based therapy where focus is on interactions between a professional and client

Goals of TherapyGoals of Therapy

Help troubled individuals Gain insight on problems Provide a caring, trusting relationship with

mental health professional Hope for recovery Bringing about changes in the individuals

seeking help

Use a psychological perspective to guide therapeutic practice

Individual vs. Group Individual vs. Group TherapyTherapy

Individual Personal attention May talk more

freely if with only a therapist and not an audience

Group Helps people realize

they are not alone Benefit from others’

insights Supporting one another Practice coping and

other social skills Shows therapy can

work More affordable Many types of groups

Psychoanalytic Psychoanalytic ApproachApproach

Free Association

Dream Analysis

Intense, long-term therapy

Humanistic ApproachHumanistic Approach

Person-Centered

Carl Rogers

Nondirective Therapy Active listening Unconditional positive regard

Cognitive Therapy and Cognitive Therapy and Behavior TherapyBehavior Therapy

Goal: help clients develop new ways of thinking and behaving

Cognitive Therapy Rational-Emotive Therapy: Albert Ellis Beck’s Cognitive Therapy

Behavior TherapyBehavior Therapy

Counterconditioning Systematic Desensitization Aversive Conditioning

Operant Conditioning Token economy

Successive approximations to desired behavior (shaping/chaining)

Biological TherapyBiological Therapy

Drug Therapy Antianxiety Drugs Antidepressant drugs Lithium Antipsychotic drugs

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Psychosurgery Prefrontal Labotomy