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