Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
What is Normal?
• Psychopathology: Scientific study of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders
• Subjective Discomfort: Private feelings of anxiety, depression, or emotional distress
• Statistical Abnormality: Having extreme scores on some dimension, such as intelligence, anxiety, or depression
• Social Nonconformity: Disobeying societal standards for normal conduct; may lead to destructive or self-destructive behavior
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
What Is Normal? (cont.)
• Situational Context: Social situation, behavioral setting, or general circumstances in which an action takes place– Is it normal to walk around strangers
naked? If you are in a locker room and in the shower area, yes!
• Cultural Relativity: Judgments are made relative to the values of one’s culture
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.1
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
• Maladaptive Behavior: Behavior that makes it difficult to function, to adapt to the environment, and to meet everyday demands
• Mental Disorder: Significant impairment in psychological functioning
• Those with mental illness lose the ability to control thoughts, behaviors, or feelings adequately
Clarifying and Defining Abnormal Behavior (Mental Illness)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
• Psychotic Disorder: Severe psychiatric disorder characterized by hallucinations and delusions, social withdrawal, and a move away from reality
• Organic Mental Disorder: Mental or emotional problem caused by brain pathology (i.e., brain injuries or diseases)
Clarifying and Defining Abnormal Behavior (Mental Illness) (cont.)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
• Mood Disorder: Disturbances in affect (emotions or moods), like depression or mania
• Anxiety Disorder: Disruptive feelings of fear, apprehension, anxiety, or behavior distortions that are anxiety-related
Clarifying and Defining Abnormal Behavior (Mental Illness) (cont.)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
• Substance Related Disorders: Abuse or dependence on a mind or mood-altering drug, like alcohol or cocaine– Person cannot stop using the substance
and may suffer withdrawal symptoms if they do
Clarifying and Defining Abnormal Behavior (Mental Illness) (cont.)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Clarifying and Defining Abnormal Behavior (Mental Illness) (cont.)
• Somatoform Disorder: Physical symptoms that mimic disease or injury (blindness, anesthesia) for which there is no identifiable physical cause
• Dissociative Disorder: Temporary amnesia, multiple identity, or depersonalization (like being in a dream world, feeling like a robot, feeling like you are outside of your body)
• Personality Disorder: Deeply ingrained, unhealthy, maladaptive personality patterns
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Clarifying and Defining Abnormal Behavior (Mental Illness) (cont.)
• Sexual and Gender Identity Disorder: Problems with sexual identity, deviant sexual behavior, or sexual adjustment
• Neurosis: Archaic; once used to refer to excessive anxiety, somatoform, dissociative disorders, and some kinds of depression
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
General Risk Factors for Contracting Mental Illness
• Social Conditions: Poverty, homelessness, overcrowding, stressful living conditions
• Family Factors: Parents who are immature, mentally ill, abusive, or criminal; poor child discipline; severe marital or relationship problems
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
General Risk Factors for Contracting Mental Illness (cont.)
• Psychological Factors: Low intelligence, stress, learning disorders
• Biological Factors: Genetic defects or inherited vulnerabilities; poor prenatal care, head injuries, exposure to toxins, chronic physical illness, or disability
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Insanity
• Definition: A legal term; refers to an inability to manage one’s affairs or to be aware of the consequences of one’s actions
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
More on Insanity
• Those judged insane (by a court of law) are not held legally accountable for their actions
• Can be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital
• Some movements today are trying to abolish the insanity plea and defense; desire to make everyone accountable for their actions
• How accurate is the judgment of insanity?
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Expert Witness
• Person recognized by a court of law as being qualified to give expert testimony on a specific topic – May be psychologist, psychiatrist, and so
on
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Personality Disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)
• Definition: A person who lacks a conscience (superego?); typically emotionally shallow, impulsive, selfish, and manipulative toward others– Oftentimes called psychopaths or
sociopaths
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
APD Characteristics
• Many are delinquents or criminals, but many are NOT crazed murderers displayed on television
• Create a good first impression and are often charming
• Cheat their way through life
• May be blind to signs of disgust in others
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
APD: Causes and Treatments
• Possible Causes:– Childhood history of emotional deprivation,
neglect, and physical abuse– Tend to be thrill-seekers– Underarousal of the brain
• Very difficult to effectively treat; will likely lie, charm, and manipulate their way through therapy
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Anxiety-Based Disorders
• Anxiety: Feelings of apprehension, dread, or uneasiness
• Adjustment Disorders: When ongoing stressors within the range of normal experience cause emotional disturbance and push people beyond their ability to effectively cope
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
More on Anxiety-Based Disorders
• Usually suffer sleep disturbances, irritability, and depression
• Examples of Stresses: Grief reactions, lengthy physical illness, unemployment
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Anxiety-Based Disorders Concluded
• Anxiety Disorders: When distress seems greatly out of proportion to the situation at hand
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Duration of at least six months of chronic, unrealistic, or excessive anxiety; worries about work, relationships, ability, or impending disaster
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Panic Disorder (without Agoraphobia)
• A chronic state of anxiety with brief moments of sudden, intense, unexpected panic (panic attack)– Panic Attack: Feels like one is having a
heart attack, going to die, or is going insane
– Symptoms include vertigo, chest pain, choking, fear of losing control
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Panic Disorder (with Agoraphobia)
• Panic attacks and sudden anxiety still occur, but with agoraphobia
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Agoraphobia Characteristics
• Intense, irrational fear that a panic attack will occur in a public place or in an unfamiliar situation– Intense fear of leaving the house or
entering unfamiliar situations– Can be very crippling– Literally means fear of open places or
market (agora)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Agoraphobia (without Panic Disorder)
• Fear that something extremely embarrassing will happen away from home or in an unfamiliar situation
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Specific Phobias
• Irrational, persistent fears, anxiety, and avoidance that focus on specific objects, activities, or situations
• People with phobias realize that their fears are unreasonable and excessive, but they cannot control them
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Social Phobia
• Intense, irrational fear of being observed, evaluated, humiliated, or embarrassed by others (e.g., shyness, not eating or speaking in public) in social situations– Barbara Streisand, Woody Allen perhaps?
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Extreme preoccupation with certain thoughts and compulsive performance of certain behaviors
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Obsession
• Recurring images or thoughts that a person cannot prevent – Cause anxiety and extreme discomfort– Enter into consciousness against the
person’s will– Most common: Being dirty, wondering if
you performed an action (turned off the stove), or violence (hit by a car)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Compulsion
• Irrational acts that person feels compelled to repeat against his/her will– Help to control anxiety created by
obsessions– Checkers and cleaners
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Stress Disorders
• Occur when stresses outside range of normal human experience cause major emotional disturbance– Symptoms: Reliving traumatic event
repeatedly, avoiding stimuli associated with the event, and numbing of emotions
• Acute Stress Disorder: Psychological disturbance lasting up to one month following stresses from a traumatic event and that would produce anxiety in anyone who experienced them
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Lasts more than one month after the traumatic event has occurred; may last for years – Typically associated with combat and
violent crimes (rape, assault, etc.)– The “War” in Iraq will likely lead to an
increase of PTSD
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Dissociative Disorders
• Dissociative Amnesia: Inability to recall one’s name, address, or past
• Dissociative Fugue: Sudden travel away from home and confusion about personal identity
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
• Person has two or more distinct, separate identities or personality traits; previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder– “Sybil” or “The Three Faces of Eve” are
good examples – Often begins with horrific childhood
experiences (e.g., abuse, molestation, etc.)– Therapy often makes use of hypnosis– Goal: Integrate and fuse identities into
single, balanced personality
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Somatoform Disorders: Hypochondriasis
• Person is preoccupied with having a serious illness or disease – Interpret normal sensations and bodily
signs as proof that they have a terrible disease
– No organic cause can be found
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Somatoform Disorders: Somatization Disorder
• Person expresses anxieties through numerous physical complaints – Many doctors are consulted but no organic
or physical causes are found
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Somatoform Disorders: Pain Disorder
• Pain that has no identifiable organic, physical cause – Appears to have psychological origin
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Somatoform Disorders: Conversion Disorder
• Severe emotional conflicts are “converted” into physical symptoms or a physical disability– Caused by anxiety or emotional distress
but not by physical causes
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.4
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Theoretical Causes of Anxiety Disorders: Psychodynamic
• Freud: Anxiety caused by conflicts among id, ego, and superego
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Some of Freud’s Concepts Regarding Anxiety
• Forbidden id impulses for sex or aggression are trying to break into consciousness and thus influence behavior; person fears doing something crazy or forbidden
• Superego creates guilt in response to these impulses
• Ego gets overwhelmed and uses defense mechanisms to cope
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Other Theoretical Causes of Anxiety Disorders
• Humanistic: Unrealistic self-image conflicts with real self-image
• Existential: Anxiety reflects loss of meaning in one’s life
• Behavioristic: Anxiety symptoms and behaviors are learned, like everything else– Conditioned emotional responses that
generalize to new situations
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
More Theoretical Causes of Anxiety Disorders
• Avoidance Learning: When making a particular response delays or prevents the onset of a painful or unpleasant stimulus
• Anxiety Reduction Hypothesis: When reward of immediate relief from anxiety perpetuates self-defeating avoidance behaviors
• Cognitive: When distorted thinking causes people to magnify ordinary threats and failures, leading to anxiety and distress
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Psychosis and Hallucinations
• Psychosis: Loss of contact with shared views of reality
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Delusions
• False beliefs that individuals insist are true, regardless of overwhelming evidence against them
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Hallucinations
• Imaginary sensations, such as seeing, hearing, or smelling things that do not exist in the real world– Most common psychotic hallucination is
hearing voices– Note that olfactory hallucinations
sometimes occur with seizure disorder (epilepsy)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Some More Psychotic Symptoms
• Flat Affect: Lack of emotional responsiveness; face is frozen in blank expression
• Disturbed Verbal Communication: Garbled and chaotic speech; word salad
• Personality Disintegration: Uncoordinated thoughts, actions, and emotions
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Other Psychotic Disorders
• Organic Psychosis: Psychosis caused by brain injury or disease– Dementia: Most common organic
psychosis; serious mental impairment in old age caused by brain deterioration
– Archaically known as senility– Common Causes: Circulatory problems,
repeated strokes, shrinkage and atrophy of the brain
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Alzheimer’s Disease
• Symptoms include impaired memory, confusion, and progressive loss of mental abilities– Ronald Reagan was perhaps the most
famous Alzheimer’s victim
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Delusional Disorders
• Marked by presence of deeply held false beliefs (delusions)– May involve delusions of grandeur,
persecution, jealousy, eroticism, or somatic– Experiences could really occur!
• Paranoid Psychosis: Most common delusional disorder– Centers on delusions of persecution
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Schizophrenia: The Most Severe Mental Illness
• Psychotic disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, apathy, thinking abnormalities, and “split” between thoughts and emotions– Does NOT refer to having split or multiple
personalities
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Schizophrenia: Distortion of Reality
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
The Four Subtypes of Schizophrenia
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Disorganized Type
• Incoherence, grossly disorganized behavior, bizarre thinking, and flat or inappropriate emotions
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Schizophrenia: Common Symptoms
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Catatonic Type
• Marked by stupor, rigidity, unresponsiveness, posturing, mutism, and sometimes agitated, purposeless behavior
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Paranoid Type
• Preoccupation with delusions; also involves auditory hallucinations that are related to a single theme, especially grandeur or persecution
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Undifferentiated Type
• Any type of schizophrenia that does not have paranoid, catatonic, or disorganized features or symptoms
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Causes of Schizophrenia
• Psychological Trauma: Psychological injury or shock, often caused by violence, abuse, or neglect
• Disturbed Family Environment: Stressful or unhealthy family relationships, communication patterns, and emotional atmosphere
• Deviant Communication Patterns: Cause guilt, anxiety, anger, confusion, and turmoil
• Stress-Vulnerability Hypothesis: Combination of environmental stress and inherited susceptibility cause psychoses
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Biochemical Causes of Schizophrenia
• Biochemical Abnormality: Disturbance in brain’s chemical systems or in the brain’s neurotransmitters
• Dopamine: Neurotransmitter involved with emotions and muscle movement– Works in limbic system
• Dopamine overactivity in brain may be related to schizophrenia
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.7
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.8
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.11
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Schizophrenic Brain
• Computed Tomography (CT) Scan: Computer enhanced X-ray of brain or body
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scan
• Computer enhanced three-dimensional image of brain or body; based on magnetic field– MRIs show schizophrenic brains as having
enlarged ventricles
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
• Computer-generated color image of brain activity; radioactive sugar solution is injected into a vein, eventually reaching the brain– Activity is abnormally low in frontal lobes of
schizophrenics
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Table 13.6
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Mood Disorders
• Major disturbances in emotion or mood, such as depression or mania– Depressive Disorders: Sadness or
despondency are prolonged, exaggerated, or unreasonable
– Bipolar Disorders: Involve both depression, and mania or hypomania
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Bipolar Disorder: Delusional Thinking
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Milder Mood Disorders
• Dysthymic Disorder: Moderate depression that lasts for at least two years
• Cyclothymic Disorder: Moderate manic and depressive behavior that lasts for at least two years
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Major Mood Disorders
• Lasting extremes of mood or emotion and sometimes with psychotic features (hallucinations, delusions)
• Major Depressive Disorder: A mood disorder where the person has suffered one or more intense episodes of depression; one of the more serious mood disorders
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Endogenous Depression
• Depression that seems to be produced from inside the body (perhaps due to chemical imbalances) and NOT from reaction to life events
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Depression that only occurs during fall and winter– May be related to reduced exposure to
sunlight– Phototherapy: Extended exposure to bright
light to treat SAD
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Bipolar Disorders
• Bipolar I Disorder: Extreme mania and deep depression; one type of manic-depressive illness– Mania: Excited, hyperactive, energetic,
grandiose behavior• Bipolar II Disorder: Person is mainly sad but
has one or more hypomanic episodes (mild mania)
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Bipolar Disorder: Expression of Mood
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Maternity Blues
• Mild depression that lasts for one to two days after childbirth– Marked by crying, fitful sleep, tension,
anger, and irritability– Brief and not too severe
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Postpartum Depression
• Moderately severe depression that begins within three months following childbirth– Marked by mood swings, despondency,
feelings of inadequacy, and an inability to cope with the new baby
– May last from two months to one year– Part of the problem may be hormonal
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.12
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Suicide: Major Risk Factors
• Drug or alcohol abuse• Prior suicide attempt• Depression or other mood disorder• Availability of a firearm• Severe anxiety or panic attacks• Family history of suicidal behavior• Shame, humiliation, failure or rejection
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.14
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Figure 13.15
Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior, Tenth Edition, Dennis Coon Chapter 13
Common Characteristics of Suicidal Thoughts and Feelings (Shneidman)
• Escape• Unbearable Psychological Pain: Emotional
pain that the person wishes to escape• Frustrated Psychological Needs: Such as
searching for love, achievement, or security• Constriction of Options: Feeling helpless and
hopeless and deciding that death is the only option left
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