Psychological Disorders

Psychological Disorder (defined)

• To be considered a “disorder”, the behavior must be:– maladaptive (harmful) or disturbing to the

individual– disturbing to others– unusual to the vast majority of people in that

culture– irrational, not make sense to the average person

• What is maladaptive, disturbing, unusual, and irrational depends on– the culture

– time period

– environmental conditions

– individual person

How do we diagnose?

• DSM-IV-TR

School or Perspective Cause of Disorder

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Internal, unconscious conflicts

BehavioralReinforcement history/ the

environment

BiomedicalOrganic problems, biochemical

imbalances, genetic predispositions

CognitiveIrrational, dysfunctional thoughts

or ways of thinking

HumanisticFailure to strive towards one's

potential or being out of touch with one's feelings

Sociocultural Dysfunctional society

Early Theories

• Evil spirits

• Music or sing to chase spirits away

• Trephining

• Make the body uncomfortable

History of Mental Disorders

• Not madmen, but mentally ill

• Treatment involved placement in hospitals

Early Mental Hospitals

• Barbaric prisons

• Patients chained and locked away

• Some hospitals even charged admission for the public to see the “crazies”, just like a zoo

Philippe Pinel

• French doctor who was the first to take the chains off and declare that these people are sick and “a cure must be found!!!”

Categories of Disorders

• Anxiety Disorders

• Somatoform Disorders

• Dissociative Disorders

• Mood Disorders

• Personality Disorders

• Schizophrenia

• Other Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

Five Anxiety Disorders

• Phobia

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Panic Disorder

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Phobia

• An intense, irrational fear of specific objects or things

• There is a phobia for just about anything– www.phobialist.com

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Is chronic (at least 6 months), generalized and persistent

• Characterized by a constant, low level of anxiety

Panic Disorder

• Characterized by sudden, acute episodes of intense anxiety without an apparent cause

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• OCD

• Different symptoms– Obsessions: persistent, often unreasonable

thoughts that can’t be dispelled– Compulsion: persistent act which is repeated over

and over

• Obsessions result in the anxiety, anxiety reduced when compulsive behavior performed

Common Examples of OCD

Common Obsessions:Common

Compulsions

Contamination fears of germs, dirt, etc.

Washing

Imagining having harmed self or others

Repeating

Imagining losing control of aggressive urges

Checking

Intrusive sexual thoughts or urges Touching

Excessive religious or moral doubt Counting

Forbidden thoughts Ordering/arranging

A need to have things "just so" Hoarding or saving

A need to tell, ask, confess Praying

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

• Memories of traumatic event cause intense feelings of anxiety– Can result in persistent nightmares or

flashbacks

Somatoform Disorders

Hypochondriasis

• Complaints of frequent, usually small, physical problems but no evident problems

• Physical symptoms usually have psychological roots

Conversion Disorder

• Certain bodily functions impaired, but no biological cause found– Common symptoms reported:

• Paralysis

• Blindness

• Seizures

• Anesthesia (loss of feeling)

Dissociative Disorders

Psychogenic amnesia

• Can’t remember things & no physiological basis for forgetting– Organic amnesia is different (2 types of

organic): retrograde & anterograde

Fugue

• Not only forget who the are (psychogenic amnesia) but usually find themselves in place with no idea of how they got there

Dissociative Identity Disorder

• Formerly know as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD)

• Several distinct personalities

• No limit to number, age, gender of personalities

• Theory is the personalities are created to cope with abuse

Mood Disorders

Major Depression

• Symptoms of depression include the following:– depressed mood (such as feelings of sadness or emptiness)

– reduced interest in activities that used to be enjoyed, sleep disturbances (either not being able to sleep well or sleeping to much)

– loss of energy or a significant reduction in energy level

– difficulty concentrating, holding a conversation, paying attention, or making decisions that used to be made fairly easily

– suicidal thoughts or intentions.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

• Severe depression every fall and winter followed by normal or elevated mood in the spring

• Symptoms: intense hunger, weight gain during the winter, sleeping more.

• Treatment: sunlight (“light therapy”)

Dysthymic Disorder

• Occurs when a person suffers from a mild depression for at least two years. – No major depressive bouts occur during this time.

• Treatment– Similar to Major Depression, treatment could include medication

and/or therapy.

Bipolar Disorder

• Also known as manic depression, is characterized by bouts of depression (discussed above) alternating with bouts of mania (an energetic feeling of confidence and power). 

• In many cases, the manic periods are more dangerous than the depressive ones because during mania, the person exhibits extremely risky behavior. 

• Many creative people suffer from bipolar.

• Research shows strong biological component

• Broken down into two types– Bipolar I

– Bipolar II

• Treatment – medication, most common is Lithium– Therapy is beneficial to help patient understand the illness & it’s

consequences