Psychological Disorders Chapter 13. Perspectives on Psychological Disorders Section 1.
Psychological Disorders. What are Psychological Disorders? Behavior patterns or mental processes...
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Transcript of Psychological Disorders. What are Psychological Disorders? Behavior patterns or mental processes...
Psychological Disorders
What are Psychological Disorders?
Behavior patterns or mental processes that cause serious suffering or interfere with a person’s ability to cope with everyday life.
Usually exaggerations of normal behavior
Criteria for Symptoms:
Typicality: How normal is the behavior compared to others?
Maladaptivity: Does the behavior impair functioning in everyday life?
Emotional Discomfort: Does it cause the individual emotional discomfort?
Socially Unacceptable: Does the behavior violate that society’s norms? Culture-Bound syndromes:
Classifying Psych. Disorders
DSM IV-TR: Published by APA Classified by SYMPTOMS Flexible (ex. PTSD) 6 Classifications: Anxiety,
Dissociative, Somatoform, Mood, Schizophrenia, Personality
Anxiety Disorders
General state of dread or uneasiness that occurs in response to vague or imagined danger.
Symptoms: Trembling,
sweating, increased heart rate and breathing
Overactive what?
Types
Phobic Disorder
Simple Phobia: Most common. Persistent, excessive, irrational fear of a particular object / situation.
Social Phobia: Persistent fear of social situations in which one may be exposed to scrutiny by others and be embarrassed or humiliated
Panic Disorder & Agoraphobia
Panic disorder: Have recurring and unexpected panic attacks.
Panic attacks: Relatively short periods of intense fear/discomfort. Includes shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heart beat, shaking, choking, sweating, nausea
Agoraphobia: Fear of being in places / situations in which escape could be difficult or impossible.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Excessive / unrealistic worry about life
circumstances that lasts at least 6 months.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessions: Unwanted thoughts,
ideas, mental images that occur over and over. Subjects try to ignore or suppress.
Realize thoughts are irrational – Not delusions
Compulsions: Repetitive ritual behaviors, often involving checking or cleaning something.
Stress Disorders
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder): Intense, persistent feelings of anxiety that are caused by a traumatic experience.- Symptoms: Flashbacks, nightmares, numbness,
Acute Stress Disorder: Short-term.
Explaining Anxiety Disorders
Psychoanalytic: Anxiety is a result of forbidden childhood urges that have been repressed.
Learning: Learned in childhood by experience or modeling
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociation: Separation of certain personality components / mental processes from conscious thought.
Types:
Dissociative Amnesia Sudden loss of memory, usually following
a particularly stressful / traumatic event Usually events around the stressful event NOT biological
Dissociative Fugue Forgetting personal info and past events.
Then, suddenly relocating and taking on a new identity
When it comes to an end, subjects don’t remember the fugue state
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Existence of 2/more personalities that may or may not be aware of one another. At least 2 take turns controlling
Personalities may be different in various ways
Depersonalization
Feelings of detachment from one’s mental processes and body. Outside of body; observing at a distance.
Explaining Dissociative Disorders
Psychoanalytic: Repression of unacceptable childhood urges
Learning: Learn not to think about discomforting events
No cognitive or biological explanation at this time
Somatoform
Somatization: Expressing psychological distress through physical symptoms.
Types:
Conversion A change in or loss physical
functioning of the body for which there is no medical explanation.
Lack of concern
Hypochondriasis
Unrealistic preoccupation with thoughts that he/she has a serious disease.
Mood Disorders
Experience of mood changes that are inappropriate or inconsistent with the situation.
Types:
Depression
Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, guilt, great sadness
Major Depression: At least 5 of nine symptoms (pg. 423), Depressed mood most of the day, Present for at least 2 weeks, Occurs nearly everyday.
Bipolar A cycle of mood changes from
depression to wild elation and back again. Mania: Extreme excitement
(hyperactivity, irritability, chaotic behavior). A mood that is persistently and abnormally elevated.
Depression
Schizophrenia
A loss of contact with reality Most severe Young adulthood 1% of population
Symptoms:
Hallucinations: Most common = auditory
Delusions: Grandeur (Superior to others), Persecution (Being pursued)
Thought disorders: Problems in organization of content of mental processes. Topic to topic in illogical way.
Decreased ability to function: Withdrawal, loss of social skills, loss of emotional responsiveness Catatonic stupor: Immobile, expressionless,
coma like state
Types:
Paranoid Have delusions / hallucinations
relating to the same theme Often agitated, confused, afraid
Disorganized
Incoherent in thought and speech and disorganized in behavior.
Delusions and hallucinations are present, but they are fragmentary and unconnected.
Emotionless or inappropriate emotions May Neglect appearance and hygiene,
lose control of bladder / bowels
Catatonic
Disturbance of movement. Activity may slow to a stupor and them switch suddenly to agitation
Undifferentiated Symptoms do not fit into the above
types
Explaining Schizophrenia
Prenatal virus Genetics Enlarged ventricles Small frontal lobe
Personality Disorders
Patterns of inflexible traits that disrupt social life or work and/or distress the affected individual.
How is this different?
Personality disorders are a part of the personality
Types:
Paranoid Distrustful and
suspicious of others
Tend to be argumentative, cold, isolated
Schizoid No interest in relationships with others Lack normal emotional responsiveness,
No tender feelings, no attachment
Antisocial
Persistent behavior pattern of disregard for and violation of others’ rights.
No guilt, remorse Childhood signs: Lying, stealing,
hurting animals Adulthood: Aggressive, reckless
Avoidant
Desire for relationships with others but can’t form them b/c of fear of disapproval
Others:
Borderline - unstable Histrionic - Excessive emotionality,
need for attention Narcissistic - Need for admiration Dependent - Submissive and
clinging Obsessive-Compulsive - Orderly and
Controlling
Explaining Personality Disorders Psychoanalytic: Problem in
development of the superego Learning: Children are not reinforced
for good behavior and get attention only when bad.
Cognitive: They interpret others’ actions as threatening when not
Biological: Genetic factors are involved.