Psychological Disorders

Defining Psychological Disorders An ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings, and actions that is deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional (Comer, 2004).  p. 314 of text

Prevalence of Disorders Prevalence  Frequency of a disorder over a given time American Psychiatric Association study  20,000 participants 15% of population experiencing a significant mental disorder 6% experiencing a substance abuse disorder Rates vary somewhat in different countries

Historical Views of Disorders Stone age  Supernatural forces/Trephining The Ancient World  Natural Causes  Imbalance of body humors Middle Ages and Renaissance  Religion/Supernatural forces  Lunatic/asylums

Historical Views (con’t) 1800s  Separate mentally ill from prisoners Early/Mid 20 th century  Overcrowding in mental hospitals  Harsh treatment Late 20 th century  deinstitutionalization

Contemporary Models

Biopsychosocial Approach biology and our social and cultural surroundings influence the development of disorders

Classifying Abnormal Behavior Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)  Classifies psychological disorders into categories Detailed behaviors that make up the disorders Allows for consistent diagnoses  Has little/no information about causes or treatment

Anxiety Disorders Source of fear is either unknown, or is inappropriate given the circumstances.

Anxiety Disorders Generalized anxiety disorder  Prolonged vague but intense fears, not attached to any particular object or circumstance

Anxiety Disorders – Panic Attacks A sudden, unpredictable, and overwhelming experience of intense fear or terror without any reasonable cause Biological and psychological factors

Anxiety Disorders - Phobias Specific  Intense, paralyzing fear of some object or thing Social  Excessive, inappropriate fears connected with social situations or performances in front of other people

Anxiety Disorders - Phobias Agoraphobia  Involves multiple, intense fear of crowds, public places, and other situations that require separation from a source of security Acrophobia: Fear of Heights Gephyrophobia: Fear of Bridges Aerophobia: Fear of Flying Herpetophobia: Fear of Reptiles

Mikrophobia: Fear of Germs Ailurophobia: Fear of Cats Murophobia: Fear of Mice Ophidiophobia: Fear of Snakes Brontophobia: Fear of Thunder Cynophobia: Fear of Dogs Trichophobia: Fear of Hair Dementophobia: Fear of Insanity Xenophobia: Fear of Strangers

Anxiety Disorders Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  Anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)

Anxiety Disorders Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)  a disorder in which people persistently reexperience the traumatic event in their thoughts or dreams, persistently avoid stimuli linked with the trauma, and persistently experience symptoms of increased arousal

Causes of Anxiety Disorders No single cause Genetic factors Neurochemical Overactive autonomic system? Behavioral approach Cognitive approach

Three Factors in Dissociation Depersonalization  “Had the experience of feeling that my body did not belong to me” Self-absorption  “Find that I sometimes sit staring off in space, thinking of nothing, and am not aware of the passage of time” Amnesia  “Found evidence that I had done things that I did not remember doing”

Behavioral Associations Spent an hour at a time daydreaming Stayed away from a social event in order to finish some work Had a nightmare Ate until I felt sick Drove faster than normal because I was angry

Borrowed money Received public assistance (such as food stamps or welfare) Borrowed something and lost it, broke it, or never returned it Stayed up all night Did something I thought I would never do Smashed a vase or other object in anger or frustration.

Dissociative Disorders The separation, or dissociation, of conscious awareness from previous thoughts or memories  Dissociative amnesia  Dissociative fugue  Depersonalization disorder  Dissociative identity disorder

Mood Disorders Major Depressive Disorder  Experience profound unhappiness, most of the time  Loss of interest  Loss of energy  Loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, difficulties in thinking, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt

Mood Disorders Bipolar Disorder  Depression  Mania Euphoric states  Extreme physical activity  Excessive talkativeness  Distractedness  Sometimes grandiosity

Causes of Depression Biological factors  Norepinephrine and serotonin lower in depression, higher in mania Psychological factors  Cognitive distortions  Learned helplessness

Causes of Depression Biological factors  Norepinephrine and serotonin lower in depression, higher in mania Psychological factors  Cognitive distortions  Learned helplessness Social factors

Postpartum Depression 20-30% new mothers Why?

Psychosomatic and Somatoform Disorders Psychosomatic disorders  Real physical illness, largely caused by psychological factors (such as stress and anxiety) Somatoform disorders  An apparent physical illness, but for which there is no organic basis.

Somatoform Disorders Hypochondriasis Conversion disorder

Schizophrenia Disturbances in  Thought delusions  Perceptions  Affect  Motor behavior  Social functioning

Schizophrenia Positive symptoms  Hallucinations, delusions Negative symptoms  Withdrawal, apathy, absence of emotions

Causes of Schizohprenia Biological factors Family factors Cognitive factors Biochemical factors Brain structure

Childhood Disorders Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Autistic disorder Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

Personality Disorders (Axis II) Inflexible and maladaptive ways of thinking and behaving  Distress to person and/or with others Schizoid, paranoid personality disorders  Odd or eccentric behavior Narcissistic, borderline, antisocial  Dramatic, emotional, or erratic behavior Dependent, avoidant  Anxious or fearful