chapter 14: psychological disorders (abnormal psychology)
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders (Abnormal Psychology)
Defining Abnormality Defining abnormality is not simple, it appears to be more a
matter of degree of behavioral change & distress rather than the presence or absence of a behavioral change or distress
Some criterion seem helpful in defining abnormality: • Behavior is outside of social norms
(shouting at strangers…*shows what is “normal” is culturally dependent)
• Inability to function (being unable to go to work due to alcohol abuse)
• Personal Distress (trouble sleeping, worry all the time, thoughts of suicide)
• Prolonged Suffering (depression that lasts months rather than days)
Normality-Abnormality Continuum
DSM IVDiagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV) 1952- First edition 1994- 4th edition 2000- 4th revised 2013- Planned release for 5th edition
Five axis criteria for diagnostic classification of psych. disordersAxis 1- Principal diagnosis - 16 categoriesAxis 2- Personality or developmental disordersAxis 3- Medical conditionsAxis 4- Recent sources of stressAxis 5- Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)
Schizophrenic Disorders Group of disorders marked by disturbances in
thought patterns. These disorders can be accompanied by distortions in perception and abnormal emotional responses.
1% of population in every culture 30% resistant to drugs Gradual vs. Sudden onset
Subtypes of Schizophrenia Paranoid: marked by delusion of persecution and/or
grandeur, and frequent auditory hallucinations
Disorganized: marked by inappropriate affect, disorganized speech
Catatonic: marked by motor disturbances ranging from immobility to excessive, purposeless activity
Undifferentiated: mixtures of symptoms from other subtypes
Potential Causes of Schizophrenia Physiological Explanations
• neurochemicals- excess dopamine • enlargement of the ventricles of the brain
(genetics- there is a 46% concordance rate for identical twins with one twin suffering schizophrenia
Environmental Explanations• Stress- can precede the onset of schizophrenia and precede
subsequent relapses• Unhealthy Family Dynamics- high expression of emotion and
communication difficulties in a family • Date of birth- maybe flu season during time in womb? (see next
slide)
Risk Month Born
Relatives of ppl with schizophrenia
Anxiety Disorders Generalized Anxiety Disorder: chronic anxiety that is not
caused by a specific stimulus Panic Attacks: recurrent attacks of anxiety not due to a specific
event Phobias: chronic, irrational fear of a specific object or situation agoraphobia (open spaces), social phobia
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: persistent obtrusive thoughts (obsessions) & need to engage in unnecessary rituals (compulsions)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): after traumatic life event person has severe anxiety, helplessness, fear, flashbacks
Common Phobias
Less Common (but entertaining)…phobias list
Some Potential Causes of Anxiety Disorders
Behavioral explanations: Classically conditioned phobic responses
Neuro-chemical: decreases in GABA activity and serotonin activity are associated with anxiety disorders
Cognitive: people who suffer from anxiety disorders may chronically overestimate the severity of a perceived threat
Mood Disorders Depressive Disorder: persistent feelings of
sadness and a loss of interest in finding pleasure (Major, dysthemic (two years +), post-partum, seasonal affective disorder)
Bipolar Disorder: marked by chronic experience of manic and depressive episodes
Episodic Patterns in Mood Disorders
Some Potential Causes of Depression
Cognitive and Behavioral Mechanisms• Behavioral: ”learned helplessness” believe outcomes in their life
are out of their control (external locus of control)
• Cognitive: negative self-talk is associated with depressive episodes
Physiological Mechanisms• Neurotransmitters: decreased norepinephrine and serotonin is
associated with depression
• Genetics: there is a 65% concordance rate between identical twins
Mood Disorders chart
Somatoform Disorders
Physiological issues without cause Hypochondriasis: excessive preoccupation with
becoming ill Conversion Disorder: significant loss of function
in one single organ system without a physiological cause
Dissociative Disorders Dissociative Amnesia: sudden loss of memory for personal
information that is not due to normal forgetfulness Dissociative Fugue: a loss of memory and forming a new
identity
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): the coexistence of more than one personality in an individual
Depersonalization: Feelings of unreality concerning the self and environment. Anxiety producing. Many young adults have felt this.
Personality Disorders- a few examples Antisocial Personality Disorder (sociopath): marked
by impulsive, callous, manipulative, aggressive, and irresponsible behavior that lacks conscience (often charming)
Narcissistic: exaggerated feelings of self-worth and constant need for affirmation
Histrionic: OVERLY emotional/seductive Borderline: irrational fear of abandonment, self injury Avoidant: Dependent: Schizotypical: Obsessive-Compulsive:
Insanity Pleas Does not know right from wrong A disorder alone does not absolve responsibility John Hinkley - President Reagan Ted Kaczynski, Jeffrey Dahmer, Andrea Yates, Kip
Kinkel- all found guilty by juries
Some Potential Causes of Somatoform Disorders Personality Factors: people with histrionic and
neurotic personality traits seem to be more susceptible to the somatoform disorders
Behavioral Factors: people who have previously received a lot of attention because of illness may begin to find reward in the somatoform disorders
Problems with DSM/disease model Thomas Szasz- no such thing as mental ill Rosenhan- empty, hollow, thud- 19 days Labeling theory Not easy to classify- crossover Infers more understanding than actual Everyday problems Insurance
Suicide White > Black,
Men > Women (China), Woman attempts > Men attempts
Spike for men after 65 Alcoholics and depression very high rate Few who talk about it do it, but most who do it
give clues ahead of time Arizona over 1000 suicides last year- Mesa 60,
Chandler 30
Suicide facts
Take all threats seriously Most suicidal people are ambivalent and
want help Asking a person can minimize anxiety and
act as a deterrent An attempter is often upset or depressed
Clues and Warning Signs
Change in interest or mood (including extremely happy or peaceful.
Change in lifestyle, eating, sleeping Change in perception of the world Change in attitude about personal property-
giving away prized possessions
Teen Sex and Depression
2800 14 to 17 year-olds 25% of sexually active girls feel depressed
all, most, or a lot of the time vs 8% 14% of sexually active girls have attempted
suicide vs 5% 6% of sexually active boys vs less than 1%