CHAPTER 16: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

SECTION 1: DEFINING ABNORMAL

DEVIATION FROM NORMALITY Abnormality is when a person deviates from the average or majority Limitations: cultural norms must be considered and the majority is not always right or best

ADJUSTMENT Idea that normal people can function in the world physically, socially, and emotionally Abnormal is a failure to adjust Limitations: not all psych disorders are violent or destructive

PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH Treats abnormality as a sickness Uses phrases such as mental illness or mental health Believe that healthy people should strive for ideal functioning (self- actualization) Problem: How can you tell?

THOMAS SZASZ Believed labeling someone as “mentally ill” is damaging Mentally ill simply have “problems in living” They are not ill at all

THE PROBLEM OF CLASSIFICATION

DSM-IV-TR Def: the 5 th version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Used to categorize mental illness

DSM AXES DSM-IV-TR uses 5 major dimensions or axes: Axis I: list current symptoms Axis II: developmental disorders, personality disorders, maladaptive traits Axis III: general medical conditions Axis IV: current stress level Axis V: highest level of adaptive functioning in the last year

ADAPTIVE FUNCTIONING 3 major areas: 1) Social relations: quality of relationships 2) Occupational functioning 3) Use of leisure time

SECTION 2: ANXIETY DISORDERS

ANXIETY Def: a vague, generalized apprehension or feeling that one is in danger

GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER Non-specific anxiety Fear of the unknown and unforeseen Neglects relationships Physical symptoms: muscle tension, inability to relax, furrowed brow, strained face, difficulty sleeping Causes: stress, trauma, genetics, learning

PHOBIC DISORDERS Phobia: an intense and irrational fear of a particular object or situation Specific phobia: fear something specific (dark, snakes, etc…) Social phobia: fear of embarrassing yourself in public Phobias range in intensity Caused by classical conditioning, maintained by operant conditioning

PANIC DISORDER Def: an extreme anxiety that manifests itself in the form of panic attacks Panic is a feeling of sudden, helpless terror Panic attacks: feel a sense of smothering, choking, dizziness, nausea, chest pains Usually last a few minutes

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD) Obsession: uncontrollable pattern of thoughts Compulsion: repeated coping behaviors Become a problem when they interfere with what a person needs and wants Possible genetic cause

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Def: disorder in which victims of traumatic events experience the original event in the form of flashbacks and dreams Common among war veterans, survivors of: terrorism, natural disasters, and rape

SECTION 3: SOMATOFORM AND DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS

SOMATOFORM DISORDERS Def: physical symptoms for which there is no apparent physical cause Used to be called “hysteria” 2 major types…

CONVERSION DISORDER Def: changing emotional difficulties into a loss of specific voluntary body functions Usually mild La Belle Indifference: calmly accepting the loss of function (shows the problem is psychological)

HYPOCHONDRIASIS When a person in good health becomes preoccupied with imaginary ailments Occurs mainly in young adulthood Equal among genders Usually caused by repressed emotions

DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS Def: when a person experiences alterations in memory, identity, or consciousness Very rare

DISSOCIATIVE AMNESIA Def: inability to recall important personal events or info; usually associated with stressful events Caused by trauma

DISSOCIATIVE FUGUE Def: when a person suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home or work and is unable to recall the past Could last days or decades It is an attempt to escape from unbearable conflict or anxiety

DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER Multiple personalities Def: person exhibits 2 or more personality states, each with its own patterns of thinking and behaving Usually caused by severe physical, psychological, or sexual abuse during childhood

SECTION 4: SCHIZOPHRENIA AND MOOD DISORDERS

SCHIZOPHRENIA Def: a group of disorders characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts, emotions, and perceptions Affects 1 in 100 (1%) It is a problem with cognition Can impair motor functions Usually experience Delusions: false beliefs maintained in the face of contrary evidence; or Hallucination: perceptions with no external cause

SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA Incoherence Disturbance of affect: display inappropriate emotions Deterioration of normal movement Decline of level of functioning Diverted attention

TYPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA Paranoid type: hallucinations, delusions of grandeur or persecution Catatonic type: remain motionless for long periods of time Disorganized type: incoherence, inappropriate emotions, poor motor function Remission type: symptoms not severe Undifferentiated type: basic symptoms

TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA Long term Usually requires hospitalization May lead to “burn out”: patient can no longer function in society

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA Dopamine hypothesis: idea that schizophrenia is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain Excess dopamine in certain synapses Don’t know if it is a cause or a result of schizophrenia

FAMILY AND INTERACTION Living in a pathogenic (unhealthful) family may add to problems in adult years Disorganized communication, families on the verge of falling apart

POSSIBLE CAUSES CONTINUED Diathesis-stress hypothesis: states an individual may inherit a predisposition to schizophrenia For it to develop, must be exposed to an environment with certain stressors

MOOD DISORDERS

MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER Def: severe form of lowered mood in which a person experiences feelings of worthlessness and diminished pleasure or interest in many activities Must last at least 2 weeks Symptoms: problems eating, sleeping, thinking; lack of energy, suicidal thoughts

BIPOLAR DISORDER Def: disorder in which a person alternates between feelings of mania (euphoria) and depression Manic Phase: elation, easily distracted, impulsive Depressive Phase: low self- esteem, lethargy, despair

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER Deep depression during winter Eat and sleep excessively Due to less sunlight This causes a release of melatonin Treatment: sitting under bright fluorescent lights

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION Suicidal thoughts are common among the depressed Reasons for suicide: escape from emotional or physical pain, to punish themselves Roughly 38,000 each year in U.S. 10 th leading cause of death in U.S. More women attempt, but more men are successful

SECTION 5: PERSONALITY DISORDERS AND DRUG ADDICTION

PERSONALITY DISORDERS Def: maladaptive or inflexible ways of dealing with others and one’s environment Antisocial: violate rights of others w/o remorse Dependent: submissive; need to be taken care of Histrionic: excessive emotions; seeks attention Obsessive-Compulsive: controlling; perfectionist Paranoid: distrusts others Schizotypal: intense discomfort in close relationships; eccentric behavior

NARCISSISTIC “I’m a genius” “I’m Shakespeare” “I’m Michelangelo” “I feel like I’m too busy making history to read it” “I still think I am the greatest”

ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY Treat people as objects Live for the moment Feel no shame or guilt Intelligent, entertaining, can feign emotions

SERIAL KILLERS

DRUG ADDICTION Addiction: pattern of drug abuse; an overwhelming and compulsive desire to obtain and used the drug Tolerance: physical adaptation to a drug so that a person needs an increased amount in order to produce the original effect Withdrawal: symptoms that occur after a person discontinues the use of a drug to which he/she has become addicted

ALCOHOLISM Alcohol slows inhibitions Creates relaxation (it is a depressant) Perceptions and sensations distort, behavior becomes obnoxious Violent withdrawal (delirium tremens) Use of antabuse is common (makes one violently ill if alcohol is imbibed)