Psychology 001Introduction to Psychology

Christopher Gade, PhDOffice: 621 Heafey

Office hours: F 3-6 and by apt. Email: gadecj@gmail.com

Class WF 7:00-8:30 Heafey 650

The remaining classes… In the final two

classes of the course, we’ll be discussing three major disorder groups.– Anxiety

disorders– Mood disorders– Schizophrenia

Mood Disorders Mood disorders all involve long-term

problems with basic emotions All but one of the most prevalent mood

disorders are associated with a negative, unpleasant mood

There are a number of mood disorders that exist, with one being the most prevalent and well known– Depression– Seasonal Affective Disorder– Dysthymia– Bipolar Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Dysthymia

Seasonal Affective Disorder– Associated with the change of seasons– Symptoms are similar to those of depression, but to a

milder extent– Light therapy is a popular treatment for this disorder– Prevalence of disorder depends upon location

approx 1% of Floridians Approx 9-10% of Minnesotans

Dysthymia– Symptoms are similar to those of depression– Much less severe symptoms– Lasts much longer than depression (2 years before

diagnosis)– Not considered traumatic at any given time, but can be

very debilitating through its long-term effects

Bipolar Disorder AKA manic depressive disorder Found in only 1% of the population

involves a person alternating between feeling depressed and feeing manic: constantly active and uninhibited, excited or irritable

Two forms of bipolar disorder– Bipolar Type I– Bipolar Type II (hypomania)

Twin studies suggest a genetic component to Bipolar Disorder

Treatments include Lithium and anticonvulsants

Overview Depression, SAD, Dysthymia, and Bipolar

Disorder are all classified under the same category in the DSM (affective disorders)

Each again has its own prevalence, defining characteristics, and causes/solutions

But… just like with anxiety disorders, when looking at these disorders, they are all considered very similar by most clinical psychologists

Schizophrenia

What it is NOT: multiple personality disorder, sociopathy, or antisocial personality disorder

What it is: a severe disconnect with reality with many cognitive and emotional symptoms– Affects about 1% of the

population– Almost identical incidence

in men & women (7:5 ratio has been found in recent studies)

– Onset is usually sometime between 16 and 25 yrs old (later for women)

Diagnosis of Schizophrenia The DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia

requires that the person exhibit a complete deterioration of daily activities along with at least two of the following symptoms:– Hallucinations– Delusions or thought disorders– Incoherent speech– Grossly disorganized behavior– Loss of normal emotional responses and

social behaviors Note: If the hallucinations or delusions are

severe enough, no other symptoms are required in the diagnosis of this disorder

More on the symptoms… Schizophrenia

symptoms are categorized into two groups– Positive Symptoms:

behaviors that are present, or added to the persons repertoire of behavior as a result of the schizophrenia

– Negative Symptoms: behaviors that are diminished, or absent from the persons repertoire of behavior as a result of the schizophrenia

Positive Symptoms Hallucinations: perceiving things that are not

there (auditory and visual)– Auditory hallucinations are much more common that

visual ones– Note: Almost all of us occasionally have auditory (any

maybe visual) hallucinations. Schizophrenics are distinguished by the frequency and complexity of these hallucinations.

Delusions: very rigid false or unfounded beliefs– persecution: others (groups and individuals) are

conspiring against or persecuting the individual (e.g. “they’re after me”)

– grandiose: unusual importance (e.g. pregnancy ‘flicks’)

– reference: interpreting messages as if they were meant for oneself (codes in the newspaper headlines)

– bizarre: random delusions that don’t fall under any of the previous categories (some of my vital organs are missing)

Negative Symptoms Flat affect: blunted

expression of emotion, e.g. mask-like face, flat voice, poor eye contact

Anhedonia: Diminished ability to experience pleasure, e.g. report little enjoyment in life, seek out few enjoyable activities

Social withdrawal Inattentiveness, thought

blocking (a particularly abrupt or complete interruption of thought)

Disorganized Symptoms Disorganized speech:

– severe tangentiality– loose associations– derailment of thought

Disorganized behavior:– catatonic behavior– unusual postures

Theorized Causes Genetic

– Twin studies suggest a genetic component in susceptibility for schizophrenia

– No single gene has been linked to schizophrenia Brain abnormality/malformation

– the hippocampus and parts of the cerebral cortex are a little smaller than normal, the cerebral ventricles are larger than normal, the neurons are smaller there are fewer synapses in the prefrontal cortex

– Is this a causal or correlational relationship? The neurodevelopmental hypothesis

– schizophrenia is the result of nervous system impairments that develop before and/or around the time of birth

– Caused partially though genetics, but also through environmental influences: poor prenatal care difficult pregnancy and labor mother’s exposure to influenza virus

Treatments Medication: Antipsychotic or neuroleptic

drugs– These all relieve symptoms for at least a little

while– Some block dopamine synapses in the brain,

others effect glutamate concentration– Most in the past produced unpleasant side

effects: tardive dyskenesia Hospitalization: useful for only acute

episodes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):

– Hallucinations: help patients perceive distinctions between internal/external

– Delusions: treat self-esteem or other psychological issues

– Flat affect: increase social skills– Anhedonia: increase activities

Treatment Success Most treatments provide temporary success almost

immediately Over the long run, success rates wane greatly Success rates are highly associated with the

intensity of the symptoms pre-treatment, and the time between onset and treatment of the disorder

The Rule of thirds for medication:– Acute and sudden onset: good response to medication

– Middle: could be either sudden or acute, mixed response to medication

– Chronic: slow, insidious onset, poor response to medication

THE END This marks the end of the lectures for

this class

In our next class, we’ll have the final exam

Papers are also due at that time, so make sure to bring them with you

Good luck in your studies, and thanks for spending some time with me this summer