Abnormal Psychology

I. The Prevalence of Major Psychological Disorders

II. Anxiety and Avoidance Disorders A. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): the experience of almost constant and exaggerated worry. B. Panic Disorder (PD): frequent periods of anxiety and occasional attacks of panic. 1) Social Phobia: severe fear and avoidance of other people in a variety of social settings. 2) Agoraphobia: an intense fear of open or public places with or without the presence of other people. C. Phobia: a strong and persistent fear of a specific object or situation that often interferes with daily living.

D. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 1) Obsessions: repetitive, unwelcome streams of thought. 2) Compulsions: repetitive, almost irresistible actions. 3) Exposure Therapy: the patient is exposed to the situation that brings on the compulsive behavior, but is prevented from engaging in it. E. Tourette’s Syndrome: a chronic combination of movement and vocal tics. 3) Systematic Desensitization: reduces fear by gradually exposing people to the object under controlled conditions. 4) Flooding: a sudden and large-scale exposure to the object under controlled conditions.

III. Mood Disorders A. Depression 1) Major Depressive Disorder: intense feelings of depression over an extended time, without the manic high phase of bipolar disorder. 2) Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): repeatedly becoming depressed during a particular season of the year. 3) Light Therapy: requires the depressed person to sit in front of a bright light for a few hours each day. 4) Nature vs. Nurture

B. Treatments for General Depression 1) Interpersonal Therapy: the therapist and the client discuss the issues that are causing the depression with the hopes of helping the client develop more positive thoughts. 2) Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy (ECT): a brief electrical shock is administered to the patient’s head that induces a convulsion similar to an epileptic seizure. 6) Events that Precipitate Depression 5) Sex Differences

C. Bipolar Disorder: involves a cycling of mood between periods of depression and periods of mania. 1) Mania: a state of extreme exuberance and agitation. 2) Bipolar I Disorder: involves the experience of at least one episode of mania. 3) Bipolar II Disorder: involves alternation between major depression and hypomania (a milder form of mania). D. Suicide

IV. Gender and Sexuality Disorders A. Gender Dysphoria: a discrepancy between an individual’s assigned sex and gender identity. 1) Common Paraphilias:2) Less Common Paraphilias: Exhibitionism Frotteurism Sadism-Masochism Voyeurism Fetishism Necrophilia Zoophilia Coprophilia Urophilia Autonepiophilia C. Paraphilias: recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies focused on nonhuman objects, nonsexual body parts, or atypical sexual activities. B. Sexsomnia: a non-REM sleep disturbance that causes people to engage in sexual acts such as masturbation, fondling, intercourse, and possibly rape while they are asleep.

V. Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders 2) Hypochondriasis: when one has a belief or fear that one has a serious disease when one is only experiencing normal bodily reactions. A. Somatoform Disorder: an individual has physical illnesses or complaints that cannot be fully explained by actual medical conditions. 1) Somatization Disorder: when an individual presents a long history of medically unexplained physical complaints over many years. 3) Conversion Disorder: when one has a loss of motor or sensory function that cannot be explained by physical or nervous system damage.

VI. Schizophrenia A. Schizophrenia requires… 1) That the person exhibit a complete deterioration of daily activities. 2) Have 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 B. Dissociative Identity Disorder: an alternation between two or more personalities.

D. What are some positive symptoms? 1) Hallucinations: false sensory experiences. 2) Delusions: unfounded beliefs. a) Persecution: belief that you’re being persecuted. b) Grandeur: belief that you are unusually important. c) Reference: the tendency to interpret all sorts of messages as if they were meant for oneself. d) Jealousy: irrational belief that your mate is unfaithful. B. Negative Symptoms: behaviors that are notable because of their absence (lack of emotional expression). C. Positive Symptoms: behaviors that are notable because of their presence (hallucinations and delusions). 3) Disordered Thinking: a deficit in utilizing “executive functions.”

G. Drug Therapy for Schizophrenia 2) Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia: the cause of the disease is too much dopamine in the system. 1) Antipsychotic Drugs 2) Tardive Dyskinesia: tremors and involuntary movements. F. What causes Schizophrenia? 1) Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis: schizophrenia is the result of nervous system impairments that develop before or at birth. E. What’s the Prevalence of Schizophrenia?

VII. Personality Disorders A. Antisocial Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by a lack of regard for society’s moral or legal standards. B. Borderline Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of unstable mood, interpersonal relationships, impulse control, and self-image. C. Paranoid Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by extreme suspiciousness of others and being always on guard against potential danger or harm.

D. Schizoid Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by an indifference to social or sexual relationships, as well as very limited emotional experience and expression. E. Schizotypal Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by being peculiar and bizarre in the way one relates to others, thinks, acts, and dresses. F. Histrionic Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by a desire to be the center of attention, excessive concern with one’s appearance, excessive flirtatiousness and seductiveness, demanding praise and approval, and becoming furious if rejected. G. Narcissistic Personality Disorder: a disorder characterized by having an unrealistic, inflated sense of importance; a trait known as… grandiosity.