1. Abnormal behavior

2. Introduction to Psychological Disorders

3. Defining psychological disorders
Psychological disorder: syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior.
Disturbed or dysfunctional , behaviors are maladaptive (they interfere with normal, day to day life)
Definitions for disturbances have varied throughout the years
Homosexuality (December 10, 1973)

4. Understanding psychological disorders
Olden days…THE DEVIL, caged within bars like animals, “therapies”, beating, burning, castration, pulling teeth, removing lengths of intestines, cauterizing the clitoris, or giving transfusions of animal blood

5. The medical model Reformers: Philippe Pinel
Madness is not a demon possession but a sickness of the mind caused by severe stresses and inhumane conditions
“moral treatment”… unchaining people, talking to them, activity, clean air and sunshine
Medical Model- concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital

6. Bio-psychosocial approach
All behavior, normal and disordered, arises from the interaction of nature (genetic and physiological factors) and nurture (past and present experiences)
Sickness, but also environmental factors (person’s current interpretation of event, or the person’s bad habits and social skills may also be factors

7. Cultural disorders
Cultures differ in their levels and produce different methods of coping
Anorexia and bulimia have occurred mainly in Western culture
Amok- Malaysia- a sudden outburst of behavior
Susto- Latin America- a condition marked by severe anxiety, restlessness, and a fear of black magic
Taijin-kyofusho- Japan- social anxiety about one’s appearance combined with a readiness to blush and a fear of contact
Koro- fear of penis shrinkage and retraction into the body, accompanied by panic and fear of dying
**Beserker- (Norse) blindly flying into a rage

8. Hikikimori
phenomenon of reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement.
Isolation for a period exceeding 6 months

9. Biological Influences: evolution, individual genes, brain structure, and chemistry
Psychological Influences: stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories
Social-Cultural influences: roles, expectations, definitions of normality and disorder

10. Classifying Psychological Disorders
DSM-5- the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) –widely used for classifying psychological disorders
Diagnostic classification aims not only to describe a disorder but also to predict its future course, imply appropriate treatment, and stimulate research into its causes

11. Labeling psychological disorders
Labels create perceptions that guide our perceptions and our interpretations
David Rosenhan (1973) biasing power of labels
Langer- interviews
Page- stigmatizing power of labels (jobs, rent, etc)
People express greater sympathy for people who have disorders that are atypical (depression for men/alcoholism for women)

12. Rates of Psychological disorders
U.S. National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 26% of adult Americans suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder
Highest mental disorder om 20 countries – US comes out on top
Immigrants to the US average better mental health than non-immigrants
(immigrant paradox)

14. Anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder
(that’s a mouthful)

15. Anxiety disorders
Psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Phobias

16. Generalized anxiety disorder
An anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal
Marked by pathological worry
Lasts more than 6 months
2/3 are women
Jittery, sleep deprived, twitching, trembling, perspiration, fidgeting, and concentration issues
Difficult to pinpoint a source of its cause
Often accompanied by depressed mood, even high blood pressure

17. Panic disorder
Like an anxiety tornado- panic strikes suddenly, wrecks havoc, and disappears
1/75 people
Panic-attacks- minutes-long episode of intense fear that something horrible is about to happen. Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, choking sensations, trembling, or dizziness typically accompany the panic

18. Phobias
Anxiety disorders in which an irrational fear causes the person to avoid some object, activity, or situation (some can manage, others are incapacitated)
Specific phobias (bugs, alligators, dogs, blood, heights, enclosed spaces)
(classical conditioning)

19. Social anxiety disorder
Shyness to an extreme
Intense fear of social situations, leading to the avoidance of such (formerly social phobia)
Intense fear of being scrutinized by others, avoid things like speaking up and parties

20. Agoraphobia
People with panic attacks may come to avoid situations where panic struck
Agoraphobia- fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one has felt loss of control and panic