PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS CHAPTER 15

What is Abnormal? Deviation from the average Deviation from the ideal Sense of personal discomfort Inability to function effectively A legal concept (insanity)

What is Abnormal? A behavior that cause people to experience distress and prevents them from functioning in their daily lives

Theories on Causes Through much of history, mental illness has been seen as witchcraft or possession Medical Perspective: root cause in physiological Psychoanalytic Perspective: root cause in childhood conflicts

Theories of Causes Behavioral Perspective: root cause in rewards and consequences in the environment Cognitive Perspective: root cause in thoughts and beliefs Humanistic Perspective: rooted in how people perceive themselves and others

Classifying Abnormal Behavior Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) Major Changes ▫Lifespan development focus ▫Developmental conditions have been renamed ▫Sexual disorders re-named and conceptualized ▫Less restrictive criteria

Mood Disorders Major Depressive Disorder ▫A severe form of depression that interferes with concentration, decision making, and sociability ▫Prevalence  ≈ 7% of individuals in the US/ year  3x more common in women than men

Mood Disorders Symptoms ▫Depressed mood/ feelings of worthlessness ▫Loss of interest ▫Significant weight gain or loss ▫Insomnia or hypersomnia/ fatigue ▫Diminished ability to think or concentrate

Mood Disorders Bipolar ▫Prevalence  ≈ 1.8% of adults in US  No evidence of gender differences ▫Symptoms  Mania: an extended state of intense, wild elation, expansive, or irritable mood and persistent increased activity  Hypomania: A less intense state of mania

Mood Disorders Bipolar I disorder: Major depressive episode & Manic episode Bipolar II disorder: Major depressive episode & Hypomanic episode

Causes of Mood Disorders Genetic Causes Environmental causes Cognitive and emotional causes

Schizophrenia A class of disorders in which severe distortion of reality occurs Symptoms ▫Positive: Delusions, Hallucinations, Inappropriate emotional displays, disorganized speech ▫Negative: Social withdrawal, blunted affect, catatonia

Schizophrenia Prevalence ▫≈ % of population ▫Slightly lower in females ▫Age of onset: early-mid 20s in Males & late 20s for Females ▫Earlier age of onset is generally a sign of a worse prognosis

Causes of Schizophrenia Genetic Causes ▫Identical twin study showed 40-65% Biological Causes Situational Causes

Personality Disorders Characterized by a set of inflexible, maladaptive, behavior patterns that keep a person from functioning appropriately in society Prevalence ▫≈ 15% of US adults have at least 1 personality disorder ▫There is some gender difference in prevalence in of certain personality disorders  Cautious of stereotype diagnosis ▫Disorders usually become recognizable during adolescence and early adult life

Personality Disorders Antisocial Personality Disorder ▫Individual shows no regard for moral or ethical rules of society or the rights of others ▫Symptoms  Failure to conform to social norms  Deceitfulness  Impulsivity  Lack of remorse (lack empathy)  Cocky, arrogant, superficial charm, manipulative

Personality Disorders Narcissistic Personality Disorder ▫A personality disturbance characterized by an exaggerated sense of self importance ▫Symptoms  Grandiose sense of self-importance  Preoccupied with fantasies  Belief they are “special” and “unique”  Requires excessive admiration  Sense of entitlement and arrogance  Lacks empathy

Personality Disorders Borderline Personality Disorders ▫A disorder characterized by problems regulating emotions and thoughts, displaying impulsive and reckless behavior, and having unstable relationships with others ▫“I hate you, don’t leave me”

Personality Disorders Borderline Personality Disorder (cont’d) ▫Symptoms  Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment  Pattern od unstable and intense interpersonal relationships  Identity disturbance  Impulsivity  Affective instability  Difficulty controlling anger

Causes of Personality Disorders Environmental Factors Biological Factors Genetics Factors

Anxiety Disorders The occurrence of anxiety without any obvious external cause that effects daily functioning Prevalence ▫≈18% of US adults ▫Generally, affect women more than men  Except blood-injection-injury specific phobia occurrence in men and women is nearly equal

Anxiety Disorders Specific Phobias ▫Intense, irrational fear of specific objects or situations Generalized Anxiety Disorder ▫The experience of long-term, persistent anxiety and worry Panic Disorder ▫Disorder that takes the form of panic attacks lasting from a few seconds to several hours

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder A disorder characterized by : ▫Obsessions: A persistent, unwanted thought or idea that keeps recurring ▫Compulsions: An irresistible urge to repeatedly carry out some act that seems strange and unreasonable

Causes of Anxiety D/Os and OCD Genetic Factors ▫Identical Twin study showed 30% Biological Factors Behavioral Factors Cognitive Factors

Somatic Disorders Psychological difficulties that take on a physical (somatic) form, but for which there is no medical cause Prevalence ▫≈ 5-7% of adults in US ▫Generally, affect women more than men

Somatic Disorders Somatic Symptom Disorder Illness Anxiety Disorder ▫A disorder in which people have a constant fear of illness and a preoccupation with their health Conversion Disorder ▫An actual physical disturbance without a physical cause

Dissociative Disorders Psychological dysfunctions characterized by the separation of different facets of a person’s personality that are normally integrated Prevalence ▫≈ 1.8% of US adults ▫Nearly equal rates in men and women

Dissociative Disorders Dissociative Identity Disorder ▫A person displays characteristics of 2 or more distinct personalities ▫Also known as Multiple Personality Disorder Dissociative Amnesia ▫A significant, selective memory loss occurs Dissociative Fugue (a specifier of Dissociative Amnesia) ▫A person leaves home suddenly and assumes a new identity