1. Psychologists draw the line between normal and abnormal behavior by looking at deviance, adjustment, and psychological health.

2.  Did you Know? Hysteria; Greek word for uterus. Greeks diagnosed women with mental disorders incorrectly by claiming the “wandering of the uterus” led to highly emotional behavior.  Normal or Not? (pg 447) A man living in the Ozark mountains has a vision in which God speaks to him…

3.  One approach to defining abnormality is to say whatever most people do is normal.  Abnormality is any deviation from the average or from the majority.  What is Normal adolescent behavior?

4.  Another way to distinguish normal from abnormal people is to say that normal people are able to get along in the world- physically, emotionally, and socially.  By this definition, abnormal people are ones who fail to adjust.

5.  1 in 7 Americans will seek help for a psychological disorder.  Mental illness or mental health imply that abnormality is like a physical sickness- such as the flu.  Some psychologists like Carl Jung believe a normal or healthy person is striving towards ideal functioning.  Critics claim it is difficult to determine whether a person is doing a good job of actualizing.

6.  Argues that most people whom we call mentally ill are not ill at all.  They simply have “problems in living”- serious conflicts with the world around them.  Yet instead of dealing with the conflicts, many psychiatrists simply label them sick and shunt them off to hospitals.

7.  DSM IV (1994)  Essential features of the disorder  Information on differential diagnosis  Diagnostic criteria

8.  Anxiety is a general state of dread or uneasiness that a person feels in response to a real or imagined danger.  People suffering feel abnormal anxiety that is not in proportion to the situation provoking it.  It may interfere with daily functioning and they tend to see themselves unrealistically.  They worry and fear much, as well as have mood swings, and have difficulty w/ relationships.

9.  When anxiety, a generalized apprehension, blossoms into panic attacks including choking, chest pains, dizziness, trembling and hot flashes and lasts continuously.  They are unable to make decisions or enjoy life.  They have trouble dealing with their family and friends and fulfilling their responsibilities.  Trapped in a vicious cycle, the more they worry, the more difficulties they have, causing them to worry.  Persistant anxiety for at least 6 months.

10.  When severe anxiety is focused on a particular object, animal, activity or situation.  3 types: specific, social, and agoraphobia.

12.  Recurrent and sudden onsets of intense apprehension or terror often without warning.  Can produce severe palpitations, extreme shortness of breath, chest pains, trembling, sweating, dizziness and feeling of helplessness.  Some fear they will die, go crazy, or do something they cannot control.  Charles Darwin, Kim Bassinger and Earl Campbell all suffered.

13.  Some believe there is a genetic predisposition to the disorder.  Others believe that they have an overactive automatic nervous system.  Finally, biological factors stem from problems with two neurotransmitters: norepinephrine and GABA

14.  An irrational, overwhelming, persistent fear of a specific object or situation.  Social phobia, is an intense fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in social situations.  John Madden, who has aerophobia, drives a bus across country every week to work NFL games.  Etiology? Genes related to a neural circuit for social phobias.  Also a number of neurotransmitters may be involved like serotonin.

15.  Obsessions are recurring thoughts.  Compulsions are recurrent behaviors.  OCD people dwell on normal doubts and repeat their routines sometimes hundreds of times a day.  The most common compulsions are excessive checking, cleansing or counting.  Failure to do the behaviors leads to sense of fear that something terrible will happen.

16.  Etiology? Genetic link and neurological component.  An overactive basal ganglia and frontal cortex sending numerous impulses to the thalamus.  Amygdala may be smaller in OCD people.

17.  An anxiety disorder related to being exposed to a traumatic event.  The symptoms: flashbacks, avoidance of emotional experiences, reduced ability to feel emotions (feeling numb), excessive arousal leading to lack of sleep, feelings of apprehension, impulsive behavioral outbursts

18.  Psychological disorders that involve a sudden loss of memory or change in identity.  Under extreme stress or shock, the individuals conscious awareness, separates or splits, from the previous memories.  Research shows that people who have dissociative disorders also show signs of PTSD.  Psychologists believe that dissociation is away to deal with extreme stress.

19.  Dissociative amnesia is characterized by extreme memory loss stemming from extensive psychological stress.  They can recall how to hail a cab or pay a bill, but can’t remember their own identity or autobiographical experiences.

20.  Fugue means flight  Individual not only develops amnesia but also unexpectedly travels away from home and sometimes assumes a new identity.

21.  Also known as Multiple Personality  80% of doctors believe it is a real disorder  2/3 of all patients attempt suicide  Majority of patients women  No medicine or drugs for the disorder  Hypnosis and psychotherapy preferred treatments  Memory holes sometimes hours, to days, to years.

22.  Not Schizophrenia which has more delusional behavior.  Dr. Spiegal believes rapid over diagnosis, because they want a “mutual admiration society”  Sybil Dorsett most famous case.  Christine Sizemore- Eve Black and Eve White  22 personalities (The Purple lady, Retrace lady)  Start with severe headaches and a dark period.  Some alters could ignore medication or be mute

23.  8 personalities (Lil Lucy, Marie, Ollie, Angel, Lucille)  Feels she has lost time.  She was sexually abused as a child.  Alters represent custodians of painful memories.