Psychological Disorders

 Defining Abnormality Psychological disorders are ongoing patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction, Danger Limitations of the 4 Ds  Abnormal psychology is the study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, explain, predict and change it.

Models for Understanding Psychological Disorders  Early perspectives on disorders Pre-1800s treatments  Medical model Implementation Influence  Psychoanalytic Chief claims Evaluations  Biological Basic practices Boundaries  Behavioral Key ideas Limitations  Cognitive Primary foci Assessments  Humanistic Essential concepts Critiques  Biopsychosocial Core cognitions Stumbling blocks

Classifying and Labeling  The DSM-IV-TR Purpose Use of the text Comorbidity and typicality Future editions  Labeling disorders David Rosenhan’s study The pitfalls of labels The benefits of labels  Not Guilty… …by reason of insanity

Anxiety Disorders  Anxiety disorders are characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive methods of reducing anxiety.  These include: GAD Panic disorder and phobias OCD PTSD

GAD, Panic and Phobias  Generalized Anxiety Disorder Chief characteristics  Panic Disorder Panic attacks Primary characteristics  Phobias Specific phobias – the listthe list Social phobia Agoraphobia Coulrohpobia is no laughing matter

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  OCD Obsessive thoughts ○ Wishes, impulses, images, ideas Compulsive behaviors ○ Maladaptive coping strategies  What OCD is not Ego syntonic Ego dystonic

Stress Disorders  PTSD Primary characteristics Environmental triggers: accidents, disasters, assaults, stressful situations. Risk factors for PTSD Survivor resiliency and post-traumatic growth  Acute Stress Disorder Primary characteristics Differentiation from PTSD

Perspectives on Anxiety Disorders  Behavioral / Learning Perspective Fear conditioning and Little Albert CC and OC work together Observational learning and fear  Biological perspective Evolutionary basis of fear Genetic predispositions Brain areas associated with anxiety disorders

Somatoform and Factitious Disorders  The manifestation of psychological distress in physical forms without physical causes. Conversion disorder ○ Primary attributes Hypochondriasis ○ Primary attributes  Factitious Disorders Intentionally faked symptoms Munchausen and M-by proxy

Dissociative Disorders  Dissociation Dissociative Fugue and Dissociative Amnesia  Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka MPD)MPD Primary characteristics ○ How are personalities different? Case examples Is this disorder real?  Evaluations of DID

Mood Disorders  Major depressive disorder Characteristics and diagnostic criteria Typicality Effects of depression  Bipolar Disorder I and II (Manic-Depressive) Characteristics of BD I and BD II ○ Mania ○ Effects of Bipolar disorders

Evaluating Mood Disorders  Key facets of depression Behavioral / cognitive changes, prevalence, course, risk factors and changes through time  The biology of depression Genetic influences Brain differences  Social-Cognitive views Self-defeating beliefs Negative explanatory style Cycles of depression

Schizophrenia  Symptoms Disorganized thinking – delusions Disturbed perception – hallucinations Inappropriate emotions – flat affect and catatonia Positive and negative symptoms  Subtypes of Schizophrenia Paranoid schizophrenia Disorganized schizophrenia Catatonic schizophrenia

The Biology of Schizophrenia  Brain differences Dopamine Abnormally high and low activity areas Enlarged ventricles and anatomical differences  Prenatal development and schizophrenia Many studies indicate that a virus during pregnancy increases the risk for schizophrenia  Genetic factors Twin vs. adoption studies Recent research – genes and brain growth

The Psychology of Schizophrenia  While biology matters, it is not the sole determinant.  Environmental triggers  Early warning signs  Schizophrenia and culture

Personality Disorders  Personality Disorders Clusters of behavior: Anxious, Odd and Dramatic  Anxious Personality Disorders Avoidant, Dependent, OCPD  Odd Personality Disorders Paranoid, Schizotypal and Schizoid  Dramatic Personality Disorders Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic  The DSM V Proposed changes to personality disorders

Final Thoughts on Disorders  Because disorders are exaggerations of normal thoughts and behaviors, there are preventative factors. Positive psychology and disorders  Many disorders run their course and end  Treatment helps