Abnormal Psychology

1
Abnormal Psychology
2
Psychological Disorder

• Harmful dysfunction in which behaviors are
  maladaptive unjustifiable disturbing, and
  atypical.

3
Lets break it down!

• Maladaptive- destructive to oneself or others
  (exaggeration of normal, acceptable behavior).
• Unjustifiable- without a rational basis
• Disturbing- troublesome to other people
• Atypical- so different that they violate a norm
  (what is acceptable in their culture).

4
Understanding Disorders

• Have changed throughout centuries.
• Philippe Pinel- French physician
• First to reform treatment for mental patients.
• Believed humane treatment was better than other
  methods such as chaining them to the wall or
  locked up like zoo animals.

5
Classifying Disorders

• Classify according to symptoms, in order to
• Describe the disorder
• Predict the future course of the disorder
• Treat the disorder appropriately
• Provide a springboard for research into the
  disorders causes.

6
Classifying Disorders (cont.)

• DSM-IV-TR stands for Diagnotstic and Statistical
  Manual of Mental Disorders Vol. 4.
• Divides mental disorders into 17 major categories
• Subject to change and revision.
• Vol. 3 stopped listing homosexuality as a
  disorder.
• Vol. 4 changes term from manic depressive to
  bipolar disorder.

7
Danger of labeling people with psychological
disorders.

• Most patients diagnosed with disorders are fully
  functioning members of society.
• Media such as TV shows can greatly influence
  peoples perception of psychological disorders.
• Recent research into psychological disorders has
  taken the mystery out of these disorders and
  fostered more understanding.
• Labels have potential to shape our thoughts.

8
Psychology students disease- (real
classification)

• Do not overreact as you begin to study symptoms
  of these disorders.
• Remember-the definition states that degree is the
  key to distinguishing between quirks in
  personality with real psychological disorders

9
5 Categories of Disorders

• Schizophrenia
• Mood
• Personality
• Dissociative
• Anxiety

10
Schizophrenia

• A group of severe disorders characterized by
  disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed
  perceptions and inappropriate emotions and
  actions.
• Mostly genetic-predisposition to disorder.

11
Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• Delusions-false belief
• Hallucinations-false perception
• Inappropriate emotions
• Inappropriate behaviors

12
Types of Schizophrenia

• Paranoid- delusions of persecution and grandeur.
• Catatonic- excitement and stupor phases.
• Disorganized- bizarre behavior, delusions, and
  hallucianations.
• Undifferentiated- symptoms that do not clearly
  fit one o the other types.

13
Mood Disorders

• Disturbances of emotions.
• Mania- period of abnormally high emotion
• Depression- sad down, listless, drained of
  energy.
• 2 major mood disorders
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder (formerly called Manic
  Depression)

14
Major Depressive Disorder

• Most common
• Person experiences at least 2 weeks of depressed
  moods, diminished interest in activities,
  feelings of worthlessness.

15
Bipolar Disorder (previously known as Manic
Depression)

• Alternating periods of mania and depression.
• Down periods of major depression.
• Manic episodes-unrealistically optimistic wildly
  hyper behavior.

16
Causes of Mood Disorders

• Nurture- different situations may cause a mood
  disorder (death of a friend or family member).
• Nature- predisposition to a mood disorder (runs
  in the family).

17
Personality Disorders

• Inflexible and lasting behavior patterns that
  disrupt social functioning.
• With related to anxiety-sensitive about being
  rejected
• Deep distrust of other people
• With dramatic or impulsive behaviors-instability
  of emotions, self-image, behavior, and
  relationships
• Anti-social personality disorder

18
Borderline Personality Disorder

• Very emotional and unstable relationships with
  others (I love you, I hate you)
• Extreme short term mood swings, intense anger or
  difficulty controlling anger
• Unstable self image or sense of self

19
Symptoms of Anti-Social personality disorder

• Lack of conscience of wrongdoing and lack of
  respect
• Cant be diagnosed until 18 yrs. of age.
• Repeatedly breaking the law
• Lying, using aliases, conning others for profit.
• Impulsive, aggressive, consistent
  irresponsibility
• Serial killers

20
Avoidance Personality disorder

• Long standing complex feelings of inadequacy
• Extreme sensitivity to what others think or say
  about them
• Social inhibitions (unwilling to get involved
  with others unless certain of being liked)
• Belief that they are unappealing or inferior to
  others.

21
Dissociative Disorders

• Sense of self has become separated from previous
  memories, thoughts, or feelings.
• Dissociative Amnesia-loss of memory of traumatic
  event
• Dissociative Fugue-loss of identity and
  reasoning.
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly multiple
  personalities)-2 or more distinct personalities
  (extreme abuse).

22
Anxiety Disorders

• Anxiety-vague feeling of apprehension or
  nervousness-basis of anxiety disorders.
• Anxiety disorders control and dominate life.

23
Types of Anxiety Disorders

• Generalized
• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Phobias

24
Phobias

• More than just a fear-it is both irrational and
  disruptive. MUST be both!!!!
• Social phobias- fear in social situations.
• Agoraphobia- fear of situations the person views
  as difficult to escape from if panic begins to
  build.