Introduction to Psychology

1
Introduction to Psychology

• Class 19 Psychological Disorders and their
  Treatment
• Myers 469-486, 507-516
• August 1st, 2006

2
Psychological Disorders

• Definition A harmful dysfunction in which
  behavior is judged to be atypical, disturbing,
  maladaptive, and unjustifiable.
• Perspectives
• Middle Ages Possession by demons
• Medical Diagnosis of symptoms, therapy and
  treatment for cure
• Bio-psycho-social Genes Physiology
  Environment Social Factors Cultural Factors

3
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• Continual autonomic nervous system arousal
• Source of free-floating anxiety is inexplicable
• Women Men
• Symptoms tense, jittery, anticipating bad
  things, muscular tension, agitation,
  sleeplessness, trembling, perspiration,
  fidgeting, difficulty concentrating

4
Panic Disorder (AD)

• Minute-long episode of intense dread in which a
  person experiences what seems like a heart attack
• Palpitating heart, shortness of breath, choking,
  trembling , dizziness, chest pain
• Smokers Non-smokers
• Often associated with Agoraphobia
• Movie clip

5
Phobias (AD)

• Persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a
  specific object or situation
• Movie clips

• TYPES OF PHOBIAS
• Social phobias
• Animal
• Natural Environment
• Blood-Injury-Injection
• Situational

6
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (AD)

• Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts
  (obsessions) and/or actions designed to reduce
  the obsessions (compulsions)
• Young Old
• Common obsessions dirt/germs, toxins, disaster,
  exactness, symmetry
• Common compulsions hand-washing, grooming,
  in/out of or checking doors, car brakes, homework
• Movie clip

7
Explaining Anxiety Disorders

• Good ol learning theory
• - Classical conditioning, Stimulus
  generalization, Reinforcement, Observational
  learning
• Biological
• - Natural selection
• - Genes
• Physiological
• - Frontal lobe (OCD)
• - Amygdala and fear-learning circuits (GAD)

8
Dissociative Identity Disorder

• A rare disorder in which a person exhibits 2 or
  more distinct and alternate personalities
• Conscious awareness becomes separated from
  previous thoughts, memories and feelings
• Also called Multiple Personality Disorder
• Iatrogenic?
• Movie clip

9
Personality Disorders

• Characterized by inflexible and enduring patterns
  that impair social, vocational and interpersonal
  functioning
• Axis II disorders (DSM-IV)
• Schizoid PD
• Paranoid PD
• Borderline PD
• Histrionic PD
• Narcissistic PD
• Antisocial PD (movie clip)