1. Psychological Disorders
Human Adjustment John W. Santrock
Chapter 14:
Psychological Disorders
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2. Chapter Outline Understanding Abnormal Behavior Anxiety Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Mood Disorders
Schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
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3. Learning Goals
1. Discuss characteristics and classification of abnormal behavior
2. Distinguish among various anxiety disorders
3. Describe the dissociative disorders
4. Compare the mood disorders and specify risk factors for depression and suicide
5. Identify characteristics and possible causes of schizophrenia
6. Identify behavior patterns typical of personality disorders
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4. UNDERSTANDING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
Defining Abnormal Behavior
Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorders
Classifying Abnormal Behavior
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5. Defining Abnormal Behavior
Deviant - atypical behavior, deviates from acceptable norms
Maladaptive - interferes with person’s ability to function effectively
Personal distress - person does not feel right
Abnormal behavior = behavior that is deviant, maladaptive or personally distressful
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6. Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorders
Causes of psychological disorders include biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors and the possibility of a combination of factors
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7. The Biological Approach
The biological approach attributes psychological disorders to organic, internal causes
Biological factors that contribute to psychological disorders:
abnormalities in brain structure
imbalances in neurotransmitters or hormones
disordered genes
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8. The Biological Approach
Medical model:
abnormalities are mental illnesses
individuals afflicted are patients
patients are treated by doctors, often with drugs
Medical model = describes psychological disorders as medical diseases with a biological origin
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9. The Psychological Approach
The psychodynamic, behavioral, social cognitive, and humanistic perspectives serve as foundations for understanding psychological factors in psychological disorders
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10. The Psychological Approach
Psychodynamic perspective - psychological disorders arise from unconscious conflicts that produce anxiety
Behavioral perspective - rewards and punishments in the environment shape abnormal behavior
Social cognitive perspective - environment, observational learning, expectancies, self-efficacy, self-control, and beliefs are key factors in abnormal behavior
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11. The Sociocultural Approach
Sociocultural approach - emphasis on larger social contexts in which a person lives (individual’s marriage or family, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, culture)
Frequency and intensity of psychological disorders varies across cultures and depends on social, economic, technological, and religious aspects
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12. An Interactionist Approach: Biopsychosocial
Biopsychosocial approach - abnormal behavior can be influenced by:
biological factors (such as brain processes and heredity)
psychological factors (such as distorted thoughts or low self-esteem)
sociocultural factors (such as ineffective family functioning or poverty)
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13. Classifying Abnormal Behavior - DSM-IV-TR
American Psychiatric Association first published Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1952
DSM-IV-TR (4th edition, text revision) was published in 2000
DSM-IV-TR has multiaxial system which classifies individuals on the basis of five dimensions, or axes
DSM reflects the medical model
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14. The Issue of Labeling DSM classification is controversial:
it labels as disorders what are thought of as everyday problems
it has bias toward finding something wrong
it puts labels on people
Despite disadvantages, DSM-IV-TR is comprehensive and allows clinicians to make predictions
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15. Review - Learning Goal 1 What is abnormal behavior?
What factors might be involved in the etiology of psychological disorders?
How does the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classify psychological disorders and what are its advantages and disadvantages?
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16. ANXIETY DISORDERS Generalized Anxiety Disorder Panic Disorder
Phobia Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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17. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders - psychological disorders that include:
motor tension (jumpiness, trembling, inability to relax)
hyperactivity (dizziness, racing heart, perspiration)
apprehensive expectations and thoughts
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18. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder - consists of persistent anxiety over at least one month; the individual with this disorder cannot specify reasons for the anxiety
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19. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
About 4 million Americans from 18 to 54 years of age have generalized anxiety disorder
Biological factors include genetic predisposition and deficiency of the neurotransmitter GABA
Psychological and sociocultural factors include overly strict and critical parents and negative thoughts when stressed
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20. Panic Disorder
About 2.4 million Americans have panic disorder
Panic disorder = anxiety disorder marked by recurrent sudden onset of intense apprehension or terror
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21. Panic Disorder Panic attacks strike without warning and produce:
severe palpitations
shortness of breath
chest pains
trembling
sweating
dizziness
feeling of helplessness
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22. Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia = cluster of fears centered around public places and being unable to escape or to find help should one become incapacitated
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23. Agoraphobia People with agoraphobia have fears of:
crowded public places
traveling away from home
feeling confined
being separated from a place or a person
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24. Panic Disorder Biological factors in panic disorder include:
overreaction to lactic acid
genetic predisposition
overactive autonomic nervous system
problems with neurotransmitters norepinephrine and GABA
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25. Panic Disorder Psychological factors in panic disorder include:
stressful life event
separation from loved one
change in job
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26. Adjustment Strategies for Coping with Panic
1. Retreat
2. Divert your attention
3. Engage in deep breathing relaxation and positive self-talk
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27. Phobic Disorders
About 6.3 million Americans have a phobic disorder
Phobic disorder = anxiety disorder in which individual has irrational, overwhelming, persistent fear of a particular object or situation
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28. Phobic Disorders Common phobias involve:
social situations
dogs
height
dirt
flying
snakes
Social phobia - intense fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in social situations
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29. Figure 14.3 Phobias McGraw-Hill
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30. Figure 14.4 Social Phobias in the United States
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31. Phobic Disorders Biological factors: Psychological factors: genetic
neural circuit (thalamus, amygdala, cerebral cortex)
neurotransmitter serotonin
Psychological factors:
defense mechanisms
learned fears
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32. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
About 3.3 million Americans have obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) = anxiety disorder; individual has anxiety-provoking thoughts that will not go away (obsession) and/or urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors to prevent or produce some future situation (compulsion)
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33. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Common compulsions include:
checking
cleansing
counting
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34. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Biological factors
genetic
brain pattern
depletion of neurotransmitter serotonin
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35. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Psychological factors
life stress
occupation change
marriage change
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36. Adjustment Strategies for Coping with an Anxiety Disorder
1. Understand that effective treatments are available
2. Ask the therapist what training and experience he or she has in treating anxiety disorders
3. Expect therapist to conduct a thorough diagnostic evaluation
4. Recognize that the length of treatment required can vary
5. Recognize that if one treatment doesn’t work, another one will
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37. Review - Learning Goal 2
What are anxiety disorders and what is generalized anxiety disorder?
What are the key features of panic disorder?
Is having a phobic disorder different from a normal fear, and what might cause it?
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
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38. DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
Dissociative Amnesia and Fugue
Dissociative Identity Disorder
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39. Dissociative Disorders
Under extreme stress, individual’s conscious awareness becomes dissociated (separated) from previous memories
Dissociative disorders = psychological disorders that involve sudden loss of memory or change in identity
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40. Dissociative Amnesia and Fugue
Three types of dissociative disorders:
Dissociative amnesia - extreme memory loss caused by extensive psychological stress
Dissociative fugue - individual not only develops amnesia but also travels away from home and establishes new identity
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) - individuals have two or more distinct personalities
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41. Review - Learning Goal 3
What are the characteristics of the dissociative disorders, dissociative amnesia, and fugue?
What is dissociative identity disorder?
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42. MOOD DISORDERS Depressive Disorders Bipolar Disorder
Causes of Mood Disorders
Suicide
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43. Mood Disorders
Two types of mood disorders:
depressive disorders
bipolar disorder
Mood disorders = psychological disorders in which there is a disturbance in mood (prolonged emotion that colors the individual’s entire emotional state)
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44. Depressive Disorders
Major depressive disorder (MDD) - individual experiences a major depressive episode with symptoms lasting at least two weeks
Dysthymic disorder - more chronic and has fewer symptoms then major depressive disorder
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45. Depressive Disorders
Major depressive episode - individual experiences at least 5 symptoms for at least 2 weeks:
depressed mood most of the day
reduced interest or pleasure in most activities
significant weight change or significant appetite change
trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
psychomotor agitation or retardation
fatigue or loss of energy
feeling worthless or guilty
problems in thinking, concentration, or making decisions
recurrent thoughts of death and suicide
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46. Adjustment Strategies for Coping with Depression
For the Depressed Individual:
1. Recognize that feeling exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless are part of the depression
2. See a therapist
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47. Adjustment Strategies for Coping with Depression
For Family and Friends:
1. Help individual get competent diagnosis and treatment
2. Offer emotional support
3. Invite the depressed person to activities
4. Encourage the depressed individual to participate in activities that he or she once enjoyed
5. Don’t expect him or her to “snap out of it”
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48. Bipolar Disorder
Most bipolar individuals experience multiple cycles of depression interspersed with manic episodes
Bipolar disorder = mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings that include one or more episodes of mania
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49. Bipolar Disorder Manic episode occurs when a person: feels euphoric
has tremendous energy
is impulsive
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50. Biological Causes of Mood Disorders
Biological causes of mood disorders include:
heredity
neurobiological abnormalities
altered brain wave activity during sleep
decrease in brain metabolic activity
neuron death
imbalance of monoamine neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine)
hormones
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51. Psychological Factors in Mood Disorders
Psychodynamic theories emphasize childhood experiences that prevented the person from developing a strong, positive sense of self
Freud suggested depression is a turning inward of aggressive instincts
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52. Behavioral Explanations of Mood Disorders
Behavioral explanations include reduction of positive reinforcers
Learning Helplessness = occurs when individuals are exposed to aversive stimulation, such as prolonged stress, over which they have no control
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53. Cognitive Explanations of Mood Disorders
Cognitive explanations include:
Depressed individuals interpret life in a negative way
Individuals with a pessimistic cognitive style are more likely to be depressed
Depressive realism - depressed individuals accurately view the world
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54. Sociocultural Factors in Mood Disorders
Incidence and intensity of depression varies across cultures
Socioeconomic and ethnic factors
Individuals living in poverty are more likely to be depressed
Bipolar disorder occurs equally in men and women, but women are twice as likely to develop depression
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55. Suicide Depression can cause individuals to want to commit suicide
Suicide is third leading cause of death in U.S. adolescents
Females are more likely to attempt suicide, but males are more likely to actually commit suicide
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56. Suicide Biological factors in suicide include: genetic
low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin
poor physical health
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57. Suicide Psychological factors in suicide include:
psychological disorders
traumas (such as sexual abuse)
highly stressful circumstances
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58. Suicide Sociocultural factors in suicide include: loss of loved one
family instability
chronic economic hardship
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59. Adjustment Strategies for Communicating with Someone Threatening Suicide
1. Ask direct questions in a calm manner
2. Be a good listener and be supportive
3. Take the suicide threat seriously
4. Encourage the person to get professional help and assist him or her in getting help
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60. Review - Learning Goal 4
What are mood disorders? How can the depressive disorders be characterized?
What are the main features of bipolar disorder?
What causes mood disorders?
What is the nature of suicide?
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61. SCHIZOPHRENIA Types of schizophrenia Causes of schizophrenia
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62. Schizophrenia
About 2.2 million adults in the U.S. have schizophrenia
One half of patients in mental hospitals are individuals with schizophrenia
Schizophrenia = a severe psychological disorder characterized by a highly disordered thought processes
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63. Schizophrenia Symptoms of schizophrenia include: delusions
hallucinations
word salad
bizarre behavior
withdrawal
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64. Types of Schizophrenia
Disorganized schizophrenia - delusions and hallucinations that have no meaning
Catatonic schizophrenia - bizarre motor behavior, sometimes an immobile stupor
Paranoid schizophrenia - delusions of reference, grandeur, and persecution
Undifferentiated schizophrenia - disorganized behavior, hallucinations, delusions, and incoherence
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65. Causes of Schizophrenia
Biological factors in schizophrenia include:
heredity
brain abnormalities
high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine
enlarged ventricles in brain
small frontal cortex in brain
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66. Causes of Schizophrenia
Psychological factors in schizophrenia include:
stress
Diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia - combination of biogenetic disposition and stress
Sociocultural factors in schizophrenia include:
poverty
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67. Review - Learning Goal 5
What are the different types of schizophrenia?
What factors appear to play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia?
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68. PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Odd or Eccentric Cluster
Dramatic or Emotionally Problematic Cluster
Anxious or Fearful Cluster
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69. Personality Disorders
Personality disorders = chronic, maladaptive cognitive-behavioral patterns that are thoroughly integrated into the individual’s personality
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70. Odd or Eccentric Cluster
The odd or eccentric cluster of personality disorders include:
Paranoid - suspicious of others
Schizoid - inadequate social relationships
Schizotypal - odd thinking patterns
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71. Dramatic or Emotionally Problematic Cluster
The dramatic or emotionally problematic cluster include:
Histrionic - tend to overreact
Narcissistic - unrealistic sense of self-importance
Borderline - emotionally unstable
Antisocial - guiltless, law-breaking, self-indulgent, irresponsible, and intrusive
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72. Anxious or Fearful Cluster
The anxious or fearful cluster includes:
Avoidant - inhibited, but desire relationships
Dependent - lack self-confidence
Obsessive-compulsive - obsessed with rules
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73. Review - Learning Goal 6 What are personality disorders?
What is the odd or eccentric cluster?
What is the dramatic or emotionally problematic cluster?
What is the anxious or fearful cluster?
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