1. Abnormal Psychology

2. I. The Prevalence of Major Psychological
Disorders

3. 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.
C. Phobia: a strong and persistent fear of a specific object or
situation that often interferes with daily living.
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.

4. 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.
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.

5. 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

6. 5) Sex Differences
6) Events that Precipitate Depression
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.

7. 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

8. IV. Gender and Sexuality Disorders
A. Transgender Identity: the psychological sense of belonging to one gender while possessing the sexual organs of the other. This is NOT a psychological disorder.
B. Gender Dysphoria: the situation in which people experience significant personal distress or impaired functioning as a result of a conflict between their anatomic sex and their gender identity.
C. 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.

9. D. Paraphilias: recurrent intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies focused on nonhuman objects, nonsexual body parts, or atypical sexual activities.
1) Common Paraphilias:
Exhibitionism
Frotteurism
Sadism-Masochism
Voyeurism
Fetishism
2) Less Common Paraphilias:
Necrophilia
Zoophilia
Coprophilia
Urophilia
Autonepiophilia

10. V. Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
A. Somatic Symptom Disorder: excessive distress, concern, and anxiety about bodily symptoms that one is experiencing.
B. Hypochondriasis: when one has a belief or fear that one has a serious disease when one is only experiencing normal bodily reactions.
C. Conversion Disorder: when one has a loss of motor or sensory function that cannot be explained by physical or nervous system damage.

11. VI. Dissociative Identity Disorder: an
alternation between two or more personalities.
VII. 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

12. 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).
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.
3) Disordered Thinking: a deficit in utilizing “executive functions.”

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

14. VIII. 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.

15. 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.