Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders (Abnormal Psychology)

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Chapter 14 Psychological Disorders (Abnormal
Psychology)
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Defining Abnormality

• Defining abnormality is not simple, it appears to
  be more a matter of degree of behavioral change
  distress rather than the presence or absence of a
  behavioral change or distress
• Some criterion seem helpful in defining
  abnormality
• Behavior is outside of social norms (shouting at
  strangersshows what is normal is culturally
  dependent)
• Inability to function (being unable to go to
  work due to alcohol abuse)
• Personal Distress (trouble sleeping, worry all
  the time, thoughts of suicide)
• Prolonged Suffering (depression that lasts
  months rather than days)

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Normality-Abnormality Continuum
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DSM IV
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV)
1952- First edition 1994- 4th edition 2000-
4th revised 2013- Planned release for 5th
edition
Five axis criteria for diagnostic classification
of psych. disorders Axis 1- Principal diagnosis
- 16 categories Axis 2- Personality or
developmental disorders Axis 3- Medical
conditions Axis 4- Recent sources of
stress Axis 5- Global Assessment of Functioning
(GAF)
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Schizophrenic Disorders

• Group of disorders marked by disturbances in
  thought patterns. These disorders can be
  accompanied by distortions in perception and
  abnormal emotional responses.
• 1 of population in every culture
• 30 resistant to drugs
• Gradual vs. Sudden onset

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Subtypes of Schizophrenia

• Paranoid marked by delusion of persecution
  and/or grandeur, and frequent auditory
  hallucinations
• Disorganized marked by inappropriate affect,
  disorganized speech
• Catatonic marked by motor disturbances ranging
  from immobility to excessive, purposeless
  activity
• Undifferentiated mixtures of symptoms from other
  subtypes

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Potential Causes of Schizophrenia

• Physiological Explanations
• neurochemicals- excess dopamine
• enlargement of the ventricles of the brain
  (genetics- there is a 46 concordance rate for
  identical twins with one twin suffering
  schizophrenia
• Environmental Explanations
• Stress- can precede the onset of schizophrenia
  and precede subsequent relapses
• Unhealthy Family Dynamics- high expression of
  emotion and communication difficulties in a
  family
• Date of birth- maybe flu season during time in
  womb? (see next slide)

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Risk Month Born
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Relatives of ppl with schizophrenia
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Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder chronic anxiety
  that is not caused by a specific stimulus
• Panic Attacks recurrent attacks of anxiety not
  due to a specific event
• Phobias chronic, irrational fear of a specific
  object or situation
• agoraphobia (open spaces), social phobia
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder persistent
  obtrusive thoughts (obsessions) need to engage
  in unnecessary rituals (compulsions)
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after
  traumatic life event person has severe anxiety,
  helplessness, fear, flashbacks

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Common Phobias

• Less Common (but entertaining)phobias list

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Some Potential Causes of Anxiety Disorders

• Behavioral explanations Classically conditioned
  phobic responses
• Neuro-chemical decreases in GABA activity and
  serotonin activity are associated with anxiety
  disorders
• Cognitive people who suffer from anxiety
  disorders may chronically overestimate the
  severity of a perceived threat

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Mood Disorders

• Depressive Disorder persistent feelings of
  sadness and a loss of interest in finding
  pleasure (Major, dysthemic (two years ),
  post-partum, seasonal affective disorder)
• Bipolar Disorder marked by chronic experience of
  manic and depressive episodes

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Episodic Patterns in Mood Disorders
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Some Potential Causes of Depression

• Cognitive and Behavioral Mechanisms
• Behavioral learned helplessness believe
  outcomes in their life are out of their control
  (external locus of control)
• Cognitive negative self-talk is associated with
  depressive episodes
• Physiological Mechanisms
• Neurotransmitters decreased norepinephrine and
  serotonin is associated with depression
• Genetics there is a 65 concordance rate between
  identical twins

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Mood Disorders chart
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Somatoform Disorders

• Physiological issues without cause
• Hypochondriasis excessive preoccupation with
  becoming ill
• Conversion Disorder significant loss of function
  in one single organ system without a
  physiological cause

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Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative Amnesia sudden loss of memory for
  personal information that is not due to normal
  forgetfulness
• Dissociative Fugue a loss of memory and forming
  a new identity
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) the
  coexistence of more than one personality in an
  individual
• Depersonalization Feelings of unreality
  concerning the self and environment. Anxiety
  producing. Many young adults have felt this.

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Personality Disorders- a few examples

• Antisocial Personality Disorder (sociopath)
  marked by impulsive, callous, manipulative,
  aggressive, and irresponsible behavior that lacks
  conscience (often charming)
• Narcissistic exaggerated feelings of self-worth
  and constant need for affirmation
• Histrionic OVERLY emotional/seductive
• Borderline irrational fear of abandonment, self
  injury
• Avoidant Dependent
• Schizotypical
• Obsessive-Compulsive

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Insanity Pleas

• Does not know right from wrong
• A disorder alone does not absolve responsibility
• John Hinkley - President Reagan
• Ted Kaczynski, Jeffrey Dahmer, Andrea Yates, Kip
  Kinkel- all found guilty by juries

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Some Potential Causes of Somatoform Disorders

• Personality Factors people with histrionic and
  neurotic personality traits seem to be more
  susceptible to the somatoform disorders
• Behavioral Factors people who have previously
  received a lot of attention because of illness
  may begin to find reward in the somatoform
  disorders

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Problems with DSM/disease model

• Thomas Szasz- no such thing as mental ill
• Rosenhan- empty, hollow, thud- 19 days
• Labeling theory
• Not easy to classify- crossover
• Infers more understanding than actual
• Everyday problems
• Insurance

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Suicide

• White gt Black, Men gt Women (China), Woman
  attempts gt Men attempts
• Spike for men after 65
• Alcoholics and depression very high rate
• Few who talk about it do it, but most who do it
  give clues ahead of time
• Arizona over 1000 suicides last year- Mesa 60,
  Chandler 30

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Suicide facts

• Take all threats seriously
• Most suicidal people are ambivalent and want help
• Asking a person can minimize anxiety and act as a
  deterrent
• An attempter is often upset or depressed

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Clues and Warning Signs

• Change in interest or mood (including extremely
  happy or peaceful.
• Change in lifestyle, eating, sleeping
• Change in perception of the world
• Change in attitude about personal property-
  giving away prized possessions

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Teen Sex and Depression

• 2800 14 to 17 year-olds
• 25 of sexually active girls feel depressed all,
  most, or a lot of the time vs 8
• 14 of sexually active girls have attempted
  suicide vs 5
• 6 of sexually active boys vs less than 1