Unit 12: Abnormal Psychology:. What is Abnormal Behavior??? Any behavior that goes against what...
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Transcript of Unit 12: Abnormal Psychology:. What is Abnormal Behavior??? Any behavior that goes against what...
Unit 12: Abnormal Psychology:
What is Abnormal Behavior???
Any behavior that goes against what society deems to be normal either due to infrequency, norm violation, or personal suffering.
EX: In Europe, I can give a friend the thumbs up to show approval, but in Italy, I might get attacked.
Impaired Functioning
Impaired Functioning is when people have difficulty in fulfilling appropriate and expected family, social, and work-related roles
This can be due to a psychological disorder that is either naturally occurring (such as schizophrenia), a handicap, or a self-inflicted disability (drug abuse).
The Biopsychology Model of Abnormality
In the Biopsychology Model, mental disorders are caused by a combination of interacting biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
EX: Currently, the media is trying to convince us that the biggest contributor of dysfunction in many ghettos is racist police. If this is true, the police could be seen as a part of the Biopsychology Model.
The Neurobiological Model of Abnormality
In the Neurobiological Model, also called the medical model, psychological disorders are seen as reflecting disturbances in the anatomy and chemistry of the brain and other biological processes
The Psychological Model of Abnormality
In the Psychological Model, mental disorders are seen as being caused by psychological processes
The Sociocultural Model of Abnormality
In the Sociocultural Model, disorders are caused by cultural factors, such as ethnicity, age, gender, or religion
The Diathesis-Stress Model of Abnormality
In the Diathesis-Stress Model, psychological disorders are caused a predisposition for a disorder combined with a sufficient amount of stress to bring that order about.
EX: A person who may be predisposed to DID may never develop the disorder if they live a low-stress lifestyle
Classifying Psychological Disorders
In order for a psychologist to treat a patient, they must first diagnose which disorder an individual has
This can be extremely difficult because many disorders have similar symptoms
DSM V
DSM V is designed to help psychologists diagnose disorders
It has 324 diagnosable conditions, 88 health codes, and 44 explanations of abuse of people with disorders.
Anxiety Disorders: Phobias
Phobias are irrational fears that people have of items or situations that does not justify such a reaction
Specific Phobias are anxiety disorders that people have that are caused by a specific stimuli, such as heights or animals that cause an individual to avoid that stimuli
Anxiety Disorders: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
General Anxiety Disorder is when people are not afraid of anything specific, but are instead filled with dread that something bad is going to happen
This can cause loss of sleep, illness, and anti-social behavior
Anxiety Disorders: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to perform repetitive rituals that get in the way of their normal function
EX: I have to change my sheets 3 times per night in order to keep bed bugs from eating my skin flakes and drinking my sweat. This ruins my ability to sleep.
Somatoform Disorders:
A Somatoform Disorder is when there are symptoms of a physical disorder without a psychological cause.
EX: In phantom limb syndrome, a person can still feel a removed limb even after it has been removed
Specific Somatoform Disorders:
Conversion Disorder: A Somatoform Disorder in which a person displays symptoms of blindness, deafness, or other symptoms of sensory or motor failure without a physical cause
Hypochondriasis: When a person has an intense fear of illness without cause
Somatization Disorder: A disorder in which there are physical complaints without verified physical illness
Pain Disorder: When a person complains of severe pain when there is no physical cause
Dissociative Disorders:
A Dissociative Disorder is one in which a person experiences sudden and usually temporary disruptions in memory, consciousness or identity
EX: Some people, after suffering emotional shock, may suffer temporary but extreme changes in their personality.
Dissociative Disorders: DID
In DID (also called Multiple Personality Disorder), a person exhibits more than one distinct personality without the ability to tell when their personality changes.
These alternative personalities can be incredibly different from who the person really is.
Billy Milligan had 24 distinct personalities, including the one that was a homicidal maniac.
Mood Disorders:
A Mood Disorder is a condition in which a person experiences extreme moods or mood swings, like depression and mania
These disorders can have a specific cause, or they can occur at random.
Mood Disorders: Major Depressive Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder (Depression) is when a person feels sad and hopeless for a long period of time.
This is the most commonly diagnosed psychological disorder in America (Approximately ¼ of all Americans will suffer from depression at some point)
Mood Disorders: Delusions
Delusions are false beliefs that people who suffer from major depression and schizophrenia experience
EX: Many religious people who suffer from depression assume that if they pray more, they will be “cured”. (MR. CREECH’S DISCALIMER: I am not suggesting that prayer is delusional, but instead I am arguing that prayer alone is not enough for many people to “beat” depression and they may need to seek some form of therapy or medication to help them)
Mood Disorders: Dysthymic Disorder
A mood disorder in which a person suffers from relatively mild depression for at least 2 years
Like Major Depression, this can be treated by therapy and medication
Mood Disorders: Mania
Mania is a temporary elative and very active emotional state
Some people experiencing mania will stay up fro days at a time and have seemingly limitless energy
Mood Disorders: Bipolar I
People who suffer from bipolar I will alternate between deep periods of depression and mania
This can be extremely debilitating for a person trying to maintain a normal lifestyle
Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling pattern of disturbed thinking, emotion, behavior, and perception
Schizophrenia has a wide variety of symptoms, which makes it incredibly difficult to treat
Hallucinations: A symptom of schizophrenia in which people hear voices or see visions when there is no stimuli
Positive Symptoms: Symptoms of Schizophrenia, such as disorganized thoughts, hallucinations, and delusions
Negative Symptoms: Symptoms of Schizophrenia, such as absence of pleasure, lack of speech, and flat affect
Personality Disorders:
A Personality Disorder can be classified as a long-standing, inflexible ways of behaving that create a variety of problems
These problems are manifested as flaws in one’s personality
Addiction:
Not all psychological disorders manifest themselves naturally
In the case of addiction, we develop a physical need for a drug or some other stimuli
This most often is caused by substance abuse, but we can become addicted to anything
Never too young to start!!!