1. Psychological Disorders

2. Perspectives on Psychological Disorders Societal –Does the behavior conform to existing social norms? Individual –Personal sense of well-being Mental-health professional –Personality characteristics –Personal discomfort –Life functioning

3. Historical Views of Psychological Disorders Supernatural view, where mysterious behavior was attributed to supernatural powers, likely dominated early societies Mental hospitals and asylums were used more like prisons to keep the afflicted away from society

4. Models of the Causes of Psychological Disorders Biological model –Physiological or biochemical basis Psychoanalytic model –Disorders are the result of unconscious conflicts Cognitive-Behavioral model –Disorders are the result of learning maladaptive ways of behaving and thinking Diathesis-Stress model –Biological predisposition to disorder which is triggered by stress Systems theory (biopsychosocial model) –Model in which biological, psychological, and social risk factors combine to produce psychological disorders

5. Classifying Psychological Disorders Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) –Focuses on significant behavioral patterns –Lists symptoms –Criticisms Disorders classified as diseases Many of the symptoms have nothing to do with mental illness

6. The Prevalence of Psychological Disorders In a 2001 survey, 14.9% of respondents reported experiencing some type of clinically significant mental disorder Six percent were suffering from substance abuse Most common disorders were anxiety, phobias, and mood disorders

7. Mental Illness and the Law Insanity –Legal term for mentally disturbed people who are not considered responsible for their criminal actions Those found insane often spend more time in mental institutions than they would have in prison

8. Mood Disorders

9. Depression Symptoms –Overwhelming feelings of sadness –Lack of interest in activities –Excessive guilt or feelings of worthlessness Major depressive disorder –Intense symptoms that may last for several months Dysthymia –Less intense, but may last for periods of two years or more

10. Mania Not as common as depression Symptoms –Feelings of euphoria –Extreme physical activity –Excessive talkativeness –Grandiosity Mania rarely appears alone, but usually as part of bipolar disorder

11. Bipolar Disorder Characterized by alternating between depression and mania Periods of normal mood may come between bouts of depression and mania Much less common than depression Stronger biological component than depression

12. Causes of Mood Disorders Biological factors –Twin studies demonstrate that genetic factors play a role in development of depression –Mood disorders may be linked to chemical imbalances in the brain

13. Causes of Mood Disorders Psychological factors –Cognitive distortions Maladaptive response to early negative life events that leads to feelings of incompetence and unworthiness –These responses are reactivated whenever a new situation arises that resembles the original events

14. Causes of Mood Disorders Social factors –Depression is linked to troubled close relationships –May explain greater incidence of depression in women, who tend to be more relationship- oriented –Depressed people can evoke anxiety and hostility in others, who then withdraw, which in turn can intensify feelings of depression

15. Suicide 19,000 people commit suicide in the U.S. every year, the 11 th leading cause of death More women than men attempt suicide, but more men succeed

16. Anxiety Disorders

17. Any disorder in which anxiety is a characteristic feature or avoidance of anxiety motivates abnormal behavior

18. Specific Phobias Intense fear of specific situations or objects Common phobias include animals, heights, closed places, needles Social phobias –Excessive fear of social situations Agoraphobia –Intense fear of crowds and public places or other situations that require separation from source of security, such as the home

19. Panic Disorder Recurrent panic attacks in which the person experiences intense terror without cause Person is often left with fear of having another panic attack Can lead to agoraphobia

20. Other Anxiety Disorders Generalized anxiety disorder –Prolonged vague but intense fears not attached to any particular object or circumstance Obsessive-compulsive disorder –Driven to disturbing thoughts (obsessions) and/or performing senseless rituals (compulsions)

21. Causes of Anxiety Disorders Conditioning –For example, phobias can be learned through classical conditioning Feelings of not being in control can lead to anxiety Predisposition to anxiety disorders may be inherited Displacement or repression of unacceptable thoughts or impulses can lead to anxiety

22. Psychosomatic and Somatoform Disorders

23. Psychosomatic Disorders Real physical illness with psychological causes such as stress or anxiety Tension headaches, for example Research indicates that most, if not all, illnesses may have a psychosomatic component

24. Somatoform Disorders Physical symptoms without any physical cause Person experiences symptoms as real –Somatization disorder Vague, recurrent physical complaints without physical cause –Conversion disorder Dramatic, specific disability without physical cause –Hypochondriasis Minor symptoms are interpreted as sign of serious illness –Body dysmorphic disorder Person becomes preoccupied with imagined ugliness and cannot function normally

25. Causes of Somatoform Disorders Freud –Symptoms related to traumatic experience in the past Cognitive behavioral –Examines ways in which the behavior is being rewarded Biological perspective –May be real physical illnesses that are misdiagnosed or overlooked

26. Dissociative Disorders Disorders in which some part of the personality seems separated from the rest Often involves memory loss and change in identity

27. Dissociative Disorders Dissociative amnesia –Loss of memory without a physical cause Dissociative fugue –Involves flight from home and adoption of a new identity and amnesia for past events Dissociative identity disorder –Person has several distinct personalities that emerge at different times –Previously called multiple personality disorder Depersonalization disorder –Person suddenly feels strangely changed or different

28. Causes of Dissociative Disorders Seems to involve unconscious processes Memory impairments may also include biological factors such as normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease Dissociation is common with use of some drugs such as LSD Trauma may also be involved

29. Sexual Disorders

30. Sexual Dysfunction Erectile disorder –Inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection Female sexual arousal disorder –Inability of a woman to become sexually aroused or reach orgasm Sexual desire disorders –Lack of sexual interest or active distaste for sex Orgasmic disorders –Inability to reach orgasm in a person who has sexual desire and can maintain arousal Premature ejaculation –Male’s inability to inhibit orgasm as long as desired Vaginismus –Involuntary muscle spasms in the outer part of the vagina making intercourse impossible

31. Sexual Dysfunction

32. Paraphilias Sexual disorders in which unconventional objects or situations cause sexual arousal

33. Paraphilias Fetishism –Non-human object is preferred method of sexual excitement Voyeurism –Desire to watch others having sex or undressing Exhibitionism –Compulsion to expose one’s genitals to achieve sexual arousal Frotteurism –Touching or rubbing against a non-consenting person in public Transvestic fetishism –Wearing clothing of the opposite sex to achieve sexual arousal Sexual sadism –Obtain sexual gratification by humiliating or physically harming a sex partner Sexual masochism –Inability to enjoy sex without physical or emotional pain Pedophilia –Preferred desire to have sex with children

34. Gender-Identity Disorders Involves a desire to become, or insistence that one really is, a member of the other sex Usually begins in childhood Most develop normal gender identity in adulthood Sex reassignment surgery is an option for adults who have this disorder Causes are not known

35. Personality Disorders

36. Disorders in which inflexible thinking and maladaptive ways of thinking and behaving learned early in life cause distress in the person and/or conflicts with others Approximately 3% of men and 1% of women have a personality disorder Rate among prisoners is close to 50%

37. Personality Disorders Schizoid –Withdrawn and lacks feelings for others Paranoid –Very suspicious of others Dependent –Inability to make decisions or act independently and cannot tolerate being alone Avoidant –Social anxiety leading to isolation Narcissistic –Grandiose sense of self- importance Borderline –Instability in self-image, mood, and interpersonal relationships Antisocial –Pattern of violent, criminal, or unethical behavior with no sense of remorse

38. Causes of Antisocial Personality Disorder Combination of biological predisposition, adverse psychological experiences, and an unhealthy social environment Also possible link to damaged frontal lobe during infancy Emotional deprivation during childhood may lead to antisocial tendencies

39. Schizophrenic Disorders Severe disorders characterized by disturbances of thought, communication, and emotions Hallucinations –Sensory experiences without external stimulation Delusions –False beliefs about reality

40. Types of Schizophrenic Disorders Disorganized schizophrenia –Bizarre and childlike behavior –May engage in incoherent conversations Catatonic schizophrenia –Can alternate between a catatonic state (mute and immobile) and an overly active state (overly excited and shouting) Paranoid schizophrenia –Marked by extreme suspiciousness and complex delusions Undifferentiated schizophrenia –Clear symptoms of schizophrenia that do not meet criteria for other subtypes

41. Causes of Schizophrenia Biological predisposition to schizophrenia may be inherited Twin studies show genetic link Excessive levels of dopamine lead to psychotic symptoms Abnormalities of brain structures Abnormal patterns of connections between brain cells May involve family relationships and social class

42. Childhood Disorders Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) –Characterized by inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity –Causes not fully understood –Psychostimulants Drugs that increase the ability of children with AD/HD to focus

43. Childhood Disorders Autistic Disorder –Characterized by lack of social instincts and strange motor behavior –Fail to form normal attachments to parents –May withdraw into their own world –Causes are not known

44. Gender and Cultural Differences in Psychological Disorders

45. Gender Differences More women are in treatment for psychological disorders Men who are divorced or separated, or who never married, have a higher rate of mental disorders Married women have higher rates than married men Women have higher rates of anxiety disorders and depression

46. Cultural Differences Many disorders occur only in particular cultural groups Prevalence of some disorders among males/females/children differs markedly by culture