Psychological Disorders

1
Psychological Disorders

• Introductory Psychology
• Chapter 14
• Dr. Greg Cook

2
What is Abnormal?

• Is the behavior considered strange in the
  persons own culture?
• Does the behavior cause personal distress?
• How maladaptive is the persons behavior?
• Is the person a danger to self or others?
• Is the person legally responsible for his/her
  acts?
• From p. 490

3
DSM-IV-TR

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
  Disorder, 4th edition, Text Revision (2000).
• American Psychiatric Association
• 300 psychological disorders
• Organized into categories
• With specific diagnostic criteria (symptoms)

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Major DSM-IV-TR Categories

• Schizophrenia psychotic disorders
• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Somatoform disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Personality disorders
• Substance-related disorders
• Disorders diagnosed in infancy, child., adol.
• Eating disorders
• See Table 14.1, p. 491

5
General Categories of Causes

• Biological perspective
• Biopsychosocial perspective
• Psychodynamic perspective
• Learning perspective
• Cognitive perspective
• The presumed cause implies a treatment.
• Can be multiple causes and treatments.
• See Review Reflect, p. 493.

6
Prevalence, in the U.S.

• Each year, 26 of adults are diagnosed with a
  mental disorder (p. 493).
• Lifetime prevalence it is estimated that 46 of
  people will suffer from a mental disorder at some
  point in life.
• For comparison, the lifetime prevalence for
  cancer is 30.
• See Figure 14.1, p. 494 for prevalence rates.

7
Anxiety Disorders

• The most common type of disorder
• Lifetime prevalence 29
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Chronic, excessive worry for 6 months
• Panic Disorder
• Recurring, unpredictable
• Episodes of overwhelming anxiety, fear, terror
• Most people experience a few panic attacks, not
  a disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Obsession recurrent, involuntary thought, image,
  impulse distressing
• Compulsion urge to repeat an act or ritual
• Related to genetics, early brain infections,
  other causes

8
Anxiety Disorders Phobias

• Phobia irrational fear, out of proportion to the
  real threat.
• Social Phobia
• Irrational fear of social situations or public
  performances
• Specific Phobia
• Irrational fear of a specific object, situation,
  event
• Claustrophobia (closed spaces)
• Acrophobia (heights)

9
Mood Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder
• Overwhelming sadness, despair, hopelessness,
  worthlessness
• Changes in appetite, weight, sleep patterns
• Loss of energy
• Loss of mental focus
• Psychomotor difficulties (e.g., slow speech)
• Not grief or normal reactions to bad events
• Twice as likely in women, compared to men
• Bipolar Disorder
• Manic episodes
• Depressive episodes

10
Causes of Mood Disorders

• Heredity
• Concordance rates, identical twins 50
• Concordance rates, fraternal twins 7
• Brain abnormalities?
• Neurotransmitter abnormalities
• Dopamine, GABA, norepinephrine systems
• Life Stressors

11
Schizophrenia

• Onset usually in late teens, twenties
• Very severe disorder
• Loss of contact with reality
• Positive Symptoms (behaviors present)
• Hallucinations (usually voices)
• Delusions (of grandeur, of persecution)
• Bizarre behavior
• Negative Symptoms (behaviors lacking)
• Social withdrawal
• Apathy
• Poor hygiene
• Flat affect

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Types of Schizophrenia

• Paranoid Schizophrenia
• Disorganized Schizophrenia
• Catatonic Schizophrenia
• Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

13
Somatoform Disorders

• Physical symptoms due to psychological causes
  rather than to any known physical/medical reason.
• Examples
• Hypochondriasis
• Conversion Disorder
• ex Freuds patient with hysterical paralysis

14
Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative Amnesia
• cannot recall personal information or experiences
• Dissociative Fugue
• Loss of memory of entire identity, may take on
  new identity
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
• Multiple personalities
• Not schizophrenia!
• Controversial diagnosis