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- 5th edition
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Personality Disorders- a few examples

• Antisocial Personality Disorder (sociopath)
  marked by impulsive, callous, manipulative,
  aggressive, 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
• Schizotypical and schizoaffective

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Dissociative Disorders

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

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Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic
Disorders

• Group of disorders marked by disturbances in
  thought patterns (distortions in perception and
  abnormal emotional responses).
• Catatonia marked by motor disturbances ranging
  from immobility to excessive, purposeless
  activity
• Schizophrenia must have at least one of these
  three positive symptoms (delusions,
  hallucinations, or disorganized speech)
• 1 of population in every culture
• 30 resistant to drugs
• Gradual vs. Sudden onset

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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

• 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
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder chronic anxiety
  that is not caused by a specific stimulus
• Selective Mutism child cant speak and
  communicate effectively in select social settings

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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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Somatoform Disorders

• significant loss of function in one single organ
  system without a physiological cause
• Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological
  Symptom Disorder)

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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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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Obsessions persistent obtrusive thoughts
• Compulsions need to engage in unnecessary
  rituals
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Hoarding Disorder
• Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)
• Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder

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Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders

• Acute Stress Disorder immediate reaction to
  trauma
• Adjustment Disorders adjusting after trauma
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after
  traumatic life event person has severe anxiety,
  helplessness, fear, flashbacks
• Reactive Attachment Disorder result of social
  neglect or other situations that limit a childs
  opportunity to form attachments

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Depressive Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder persistent feelings of
  sadness and a loss of interest in finding
  pleasure (more than 2 weeks)
• Persistent Depressive Disorder (more than two
  years)
• Post-partum Depression
• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (cloudy weather)
• Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder kids who
  exhibit persistent irritability and frequent
  episodes of extreme behavioral dyscontrol

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Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar Disorder marked by chronic experience of
  manic and depressive episodes
• Mania increased activity
• Depression decreased activity

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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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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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Insanity Pleas

• Does not know right from wrong
• Standard Would the person have committed the
  crime if a cop was in the room?
• 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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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