Psychological Disorders

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Psychological Disorders
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• Psychological disorders are behavior patterns or
  mental processes that cause serious personal
  suffering or interfere with a persons ability to
  cope with everyday life.
• Estimates suggest that almost one third of adults
  in the U.S. have experienced some type of
  psychological disorder.

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• People with psychological disorders do not differ
  very much from people who are normal. The
  primary difference is the simple exaggeration of
  certain behaviors or mental process.
• Psychologists generally use several criteria to
  determine whether a persons behavior indicates
  the presence of a psychological disorder

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• 1. Typicality how normal is this behavior in
  society?
• 2. Maladaptivity does the behavior impair an
  individuals ability to function adequately in
  everyday life or is it hazardous to ones health?

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• 3. Emotional Discomfort are there feelings such
  as hopelessness, helplessness, guilt, extreme
  sadness?
• 4. Socially Unacceptable Behavior does the
  behavior violate societys accepted norms?

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• The importance of culture is demonstrated by
  culture-bound syndromes, clusters of symptoms
  that describe an illness.
• It is important to classify psychological
  disorders so that individuals can be correctly
  diagnosed and treated.

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• The most widely used classification system for
  psychological disorders is the DSM, or Diagnostic
  and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
  published by the American Psychiatric
  Association. The DSM-IV, published in 1994,
  recognized 18 different categories of
  psychological disorders.

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• Until 1980, psychological disorders were
  classified on the basis of their presumed causes.
  (Most suggested by Freuds psychoanalytic
  theory.) Many were grouped together under the
  labels neuroses and psychoses.

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• Since 1980, they are categorized on the basis of
  observable signs and symptoms rather than
  presumed causes.
• Anxiety refers to a general state of dread or
  uneasiness that occurs in response to a vague or
  imagined danger.

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• It is typically characterized by nervousness,
  inability to relax, and concern about losing
  control.
• Physical signs may include trembling, sweating,
  rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, increased
  blood pressure, flushed face, and feelings of
  faintness and light-headedness.

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• Some people feel anxious all the time, or anxiety
  is out of proportion with what is causing it.
• When it interferes with effective living, the
  achievement of desired goals, life satisfaction,
  and emotional comfort, it is considered a sign of
  a psychological disorder.

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• Types of Anxiety Disorders
• 1. Phobic Disorder
• a. simple phobia refers to a persistent,
  excessive or irrational fear of a particular
  object or situation.

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• b. social phobia characterized by persistent
  fear of social situations in which one might be
  exposed to the close scrutiny of others and thus
  be observed doing something embarrassing or
  humiliating.
• 2. Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia People with
  panic disorders have recurring and unexpected
  panic attacks that may last from a few minutes to
  a few hours.

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• Many who suffer from panic attacks also have
  agoraphobia and may be especially afraid of
  crowded public places such as movie theaters,
  shopping malls, buses, or trains.
• One or both of these disorders make up about 50
  to 80 percent of the phobic individuals seen in
  clinical practice.

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• 3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder This is an
  excessive or unrealistic worry about life
  circumstances that lasts for at least six months.
  Typically, the worries focus on finances, work,
  interpersonal problems, accidents, or illness.

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• GAD is one of most common disorders, but few
  people seek treatment because it does not differ,
  except in intensity and duration, from the
  normal anxiety of everyday life. Many people
  with GAD have other disorders as well, often
  phobias.

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• 4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessions are
  often senseless or repulsive, and most people
  with obsessions try to ignore or suppress them.
• People who experience obsessions are usually
  aware that the obsessions are unjustified.
  (Thus, they are not delusions.)

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• Obsessions can make people feel extremely
  anxious, and they can seriously interfere with
  daily life.
• Compulsions may alleviate anxiety, but the
  compulsions themselves are time-consuming and
  usually create additional interference with daily
  life.

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• 5. Stress Disorders include post-traumatic
  stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder
• They have similar symptoms, but differ in how
  quickly they occur after the traumatic event that
  triggers the disorder and in how long they last.

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• PTSD refers to intense, persistent feelings of
  anxiety that are caused by an experience so
  traumatic that it would produce stress in almost
  anyone.
• Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares,
  avoidance of stimuli associated w/trauma, sleep
  disturbances, irritability. They can occur six
  months or more after the traumatic event, and
  they last for years or even decades.

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• Acute stress disorder is a short-term disorder
  with symptoms similar to those of PTSD. It also
  follows a traumatic event, but the symptoms occur
  immediately or at most, within a month of the
  event. The anxiety lasts a shorter time.
• Not everyone who experiences a trauma will
  develop one of these disorders.

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• Dissociative Disorders
• Dissociative Amnesia characterized by sudden
  loss of memory, usually following a particularly
  stressful or traumatic event. The person usually
  forgets any events that occurred for a certain
  period of time surrounding the traumatic event.

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• Less commonly, the person may forget all prior
  experiences, even their name and family
  friends. May persist for hours or years. Memory
  is likely to return just as suddenly as it was
  lost and it rarely recurs.

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• Dissociative Fugue characterized by not only
  forgetting personal information and past events,
  but also by suddenly relocating from home or work
  and taking on a new identity.
• It usually follows a traumatic event and when the
  fugue comes to an end, the person no longer
  remembers what happened during the fugue state.

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• Dissociative Identity Disorder involves the
  existence of two or more personalities within a
  single individual, usually due to severe
  childhood abuse or other types of trauma.
• The various personalities may or may not be aware
  of the others, and at least two of the
  personalities take turns controlling the
  individuals behavior.

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• Each personality is likely to be different from
  the others, including voice, facial expressions,
  and handedness, as well as self-perceived age,
  gender, and physical characteristics. The
  personalities may even have different allergies
  and eyeglass prescriptions.

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• Depersonalization Disorder refers to feelings
  of detachment from ones mental processes or
  body. People feel outside of their bodies. It
  is a common symptom of other psychological
  disorders as well as being a disorder in its own
  right.

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• SOMATOFORM DISORDERS
• Somatoform comes from the Greek word, soma,
  meaning body. Somatization is the expression of
  psychological distress through physical symptoms.

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• People with somatoform disorders have
  psychological problems but experience
  inexplicable physical symptoms.
• They do not intentionally fake an illness
  (malingering), but honestly feel pain or believe
  they cannot move their limbs.

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• 1. Conversion Disorder People experience a
  change in or loss of physical functioning in a
  major part of the body for which there is no
  medical explanation.
• It is further complicated in many cases by the
  persons little concern about the symptoms.

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• 2. Hypochondriasis Also called hypochondria,
  this is defined as a persons unrealistic
  preoccupation with the fear that he or she has a
  serious disease.
• They become absorbed by minor physical symptoms
  and sensations, convinced that there is a serious
  medical illness.

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• MOOD DISORDERS
• Major Depression Major depression is diagnosed
  when an individual experiences at least five of
  the following nine symptoms (at least one has to
  be from the first two on the list)

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• Persistent depressed mood for most of the day
• Loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost
  all activities
• Significant weight loss or gain due to changes in
  appetite
• Sleeping more or less than usual
• Speeding up or slowing down of physical and
  emotional reactions

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• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or unfounded guilt
• Reduced ability to concentrate or make meaningful
  decisions
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

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• Bipolar Disorder characterized by ups and downs
  in mood. (manic depression) Periods of mania
  can change into depression very quickly and for
  no apparent reason.

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• Manic moods can be characterized by elation or
  irritation. They can also have at least some of
  the following traits
• Inflated self-esteem
• Inability to sit still or sleep restfully
• Pressure to keep talking and switching from topic
  to topic
• Racing thoughts
• Difficulty concentrating

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• People in the manic phase can experience
  delusions or hallucinations and can also engage
  in impulsive behaviors.
• SCHIZOPHRENIA
• This is usually considered the most serious
  psychological disorder and is characterized by a
  loss of contact with reality.

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• It usually appears in early adulthood, but can be
  brought on at any age and becomes worse over
  time.
• The most obvious symptoms are hallucinations,
  delusions, and thought disorders. Most
  hallucinations are auditory.

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• There may be delusions of grandeur or of
  persecution. Thought disorders involve problems
  in the organization or the content of mental
  processes.
• Thoughts can skip from topic to topic. People
  may repeat the same word over and over again, or
  invent new words. Some people may even go into a
  catatonic stupor.

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• PERSONALITY DISORDER
• These are patterns of inflexible traits that
  disrupt social life or work and/or distress the
  affected individual. They usually show up late
  in adolescence and affect all aspects of the
  individuals personality, including thought
  processes, emotions, and behavior.

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• 1. Paranoid Personality Disorder People with
  this tend to be distrustful and suspicious of
  others and to interpret others motives as
  harmful or evil. They are difficult to get along
  with and are usually considered argumentative,
  cold, and aloof. Their view of reality is
  distorted and they are unlikely to see their
  mistrust and suspicions as abnormal.

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• 2. Schizoid Personality Disorder People who
  suffer from this have no interest in
  relationships with other people and lack normal
  emotional responses. They stay in touch with
  reality (unlike schizophrenics), but do not
  develop attachments for other people.

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• 3. Antisocial Personality Disorder People with
  this show a persistent behavior pattern of
  disregarding and violating the rights of others.
  They do not feel guilt or remorse for their
  behaviors and continue despite the threat of
  punishment.

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• 4. Avoidant Personality Disorder These people
  desire relationships with others, but are
  hindered by tremendous fear of the disapproval of
  others. They are shy and withdrawn.