Psychological Disorders

1.5 million people are hospitalized in the U.S. for mental disturbances. An

additional 4 to 5 million people annually seek psychological help of

one sort or another.

PsychologicalNot trust peopleStress

Sociocultural BackgroundBiological NatureCombination

Person may suffer from discomfort more or less continuously.

Person may have a bizarre fashion.Person many be very inefficient.

Unable to perform their life roles properlyHave trouble getting along with others and are typically inflexible.

Person constantly see a threatening environment.

A book published by the American Psychiatric Association that classifies the symptoms of mental disorders into

formal categories

Inattention, distractibility impulsiveness, and or excessive

activity, and restlessness

Trouble in school is usually the first sign

3 to 5 % of the population of children80% malesMost common reason children are referred to a mental health professional

Average age 8 and 10 years

Malfunction in the pre-fontal brain

Eating too much sugar (Not True)

Allergies or reactions to food additives or dyes (Not Common)

Really do not know cause

Ritalin - stimulantStructure (high degree)

Distractions reducedTime cut down

1/2 cases continue to adolescence1/3 cases continue to adulthood

A failure to develop normal patterns of communication, social interaction, and

emotional responses

Present from birth and appear very early in life

Can be diagnosed before age of three, can be seen at infancy

Rare disorder 2 to 5 of every 10,000 children

3 times as many males as females

BabiesHard to feedNo social smilingDon’t like being held or cuddled

ChildrenFrequent tantrumSpin or rock themselvesStare off into space for long periods of timeVery little sensitivity to painRarely maintain eye contactBecome attached to objects not people“sameness” in their environment dislike change

(strong reaction)Mostly remain muteEcholalia: the person “echoes”, or repeats what

has just been said

Do Not know what causes autistic Disorder

Result of physiological or neurological problems, not bad parenting

No Cure or MedicationTreatment depends of the degree of

autism

Disorders whose major symptom is anxiety

A generalized feeling of apprehension and pending disaster

Attacks happen a few times a dayo Palms sweato Throat closes upo Breathing is erratico Heart pondso Hands trembleo Armpit sweat (increases)

Between attackso Restlesso Sleep poorlyo Don’t eat well o Not capable of calming down

28-4

Panic Disorder: frequent and overwhelming attacks of anxiety that are not associated with specific objects or events.Stress increases attack and soon panic

attacks are associated with different activities

Treatment - medication/psychotherapy

Specific phobia: a phobia disorder associated with a specific object or situation, such as snakes, dogs, elevators, and heights.Cause: association or learning

Agoraphobia: the fear of leaving a familiar environment, especially home (open places)Cause: Learned in childhood, stay at home

moms develop it over time, have boundaries that they have to stay in that go beyond their home.

28-5Score: Add up the numbers placed in front of

each itemResults: Higher scores reflect greater anxiety

levels

Both repetitive thoughts and ritualized, repetitive behaviors

Obsession: endless preoccupation with a certain urge or thought

Compulsion: repeated symbolic, ritualized behavior

Results from faulty attempts to resolve guilt, anxiety, or insecurity.

Defect in the amount of some brain chemical resulting in which circuits in the brain are triggered over and over to repeat endless actions that are reasonably normal for most.

Certain drugsPsychotherapy

28-6Score:

1 pt. true answers for items: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 21

1 pt. false answers for items: 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 22

3 and 15 Validity if not answered correctly not valid

Results: Higher scores reflecting greater compulsivity.

A condition in which psychological issues are expressed in bodily symptoms in the

absence of any real physical problem

Conversion Disorder: a serious psychological trauma is changed into a symbolic physical dysfunction.Examples: Hysterical blindness,

hysterical paralysisHypochondriasis: feeling excessive

concern about one’s health and exaggerating the seriousness of minor physical complaintsCause: attention as a child when sick and

looking for that same attention

Disorders in which memory of a part of one’s life becomes disconnected from the

other parts.

Amnesia: traumatic events seem to disappear from memory.

Psychogenic Amnesia: psychologically caused. Selective Forgetting - forgetting only things that are very

traumaticFugue: a person forgets his or her current

life and starts a new one somewhere else. Cause: serious or unresolved conflict

Dissociative Identity Disorder: a person divides himself or herself into separate personalities that can act independently Cause:

Haunted, confused personality History of traumatic experiences or child abuse Long-term habit of escaping from almost every problem

Have very strong, conflicting desires and needs in their lifestyles.

29-3Score:

1 pt. for true answers for items: 1-6, 8-9, 11-14, 16, 19

1 pt. for false answers for items: 7, 10, 15, 17, 18, 20. 21, 23-26

ResultsHigher more Dissociation“Normal” score 9.92

Emotional states including depression and mania

A mood disorder involving moderate depression

4 to 12% of the population are affected by this

Common Cold of mental healthGoes on for a long period of time or

comes out of no where for no real reason.

Lack of energyUnhappinessLoss of interest in activities and

peopleLoss of sense of humorSadnessRock-bottom feeling of self-worth

Sever depression; involves loss of appetite, lack of energy, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughtsTrouble carrying out simple daily tasks

28-7Score:

Reverse number for items: 2, 5, 6, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20

Then add up all numbersResults:

50-59 Mild Depression60-69 Moderate to Severe70-above Indicates Severe Depression

A mood disorder involving extreme agitation, restlessness, rapid speech, and trouble concentrating.

Fight of ideas: a confused stat in which thoughts and speech go in all directions with no unifying concept.

Delusions that have special powers or great influences.

A mood disorder involving high and low moodsManic Depression

Lifetime of many separations, losses and serious set backsFemales are twice as likely to be moderately depresses and

four times as likely as males to suffer from major depression.Bipolar disorder rates are the same for both genders.Married women are more often depressed than single

women.The more children a woman has the more likely she is to

become depressed.Learned helplessness: a condition is which a person has

accepted the generalized idea that she can do nothing to help herself,

Self-imageDenying who you really are in order to have people like you.Deficiency in hormone thyroxin.Brain chemical serotonin levels too high lead to mania; levels

too low lead to depression

Various DrugsPsychotherapy

Psychosis: a severe mental disorder that may involve disorganized thought processes, hallucinations, delusions, and major problems with emotional

responses.

Thought disorder: a serious distortion in the ability to think or speak in a lucid and coherent way.

Hallucinating: the act of seeing or hearing something that is not present.

Delusion: a belief in something that is clearly not true.

Great deal of trouble with emotional responses Emotions shown inappropriate

A psychosis involving disorganized thoughts and garbled speech as well as hallucinations and delusions; the most serious mental disorder.

Word Salad: speech in which words are mixed incoherently

Clang Associations: rhythmic patterns associated with psychotic speech.

Catatonic: disturbances of movementDo not speak or say very littleIn a stupor much of the timeHold a peculiar posture or sit or stand

unmoving for hoursParanoid: Strong feeling of

suspiciousness and persecutionGrandiose beliefs: special or supper human

powersUndifferentiated: lacks distinguishing

symptomsCatch all

Periods of psychotic behavior; they can alternate with periods of relative coherence

and calm

Moderately high if family members have it. Not key factor.

90% no family membersWhen adopted out of family chances

loweredEnvironment plays a small roles.

Not a cause but can contribute.

Dopamine: it is present in excess in schizophrenics, which cause nerve cells to fire too rapidly and leads to confusion in thought and speechPsychological problems produce

dopamine

29-4Score:

Reverse score 19Total all trues

Results:Normal: 4.40

ResultsMen: 9.69Women: 8.56

A disorder in which a person has formed a peculiar or unpleasant personality

The person seems to have no conscience and is in constant conflict with the laws.Sociopath: person with antisocial

disorder

Unstable emotion and relationships, dependency, and manipulative, self-destructive behavior.