Risa Andrea Autor, RPm MPSY 202 Adv.

Abnormal Psychology
Insight Paper Prof. Emma C. Ceballo, MAEd, MS, RPm, RGC

WEEK 2
The Complexity of Anxiety, Somatic, and Dissociative Disorders

Abnormal Psychology is a diverse field of psychology, where we practice our patience in

understanding and familiarize the criteria of different disorders. We should also know the specific
treatment plan for diagnosis to help our clients. Lastly, it promotes personal development which,
can help the clients embraced their new adjustments. Last week, we discussed chapter 1 which,
includes the introduction, history, and significant events in Abnormal Psychology. We also
discussed the contribution of Eric Kendel in his new developments in the study of genes and
behavior which, mentioned the Diathesis-Stress Model and the Interaction of Genes and the
Environment. And the last chapter we discussed last week was the research methods in Abnormal
Psychology. In this chapter, we tackled the different research methods, such as Case studies,
Correlation, and Experiments which can help us determine the proper concept we use. Same with
this chapter, we discussed the Ethical Code of Conduct in our profession and in research to avoid
problems and biases in the future. Same with my insight paper last week, I was astonished with
what Abnormal Psychology can offer. Without this specific field of psychology, we cannot
appreciate the beauty of our profession. Also, we cannot help our clients to adjust and grow. Lastly,
we cannot expand our competence if we did not practice what we learned in Abnormal Psychology.

In our discussion in insight paper week 2, I want to discuss common and easy to digest
disorders in this paper. As I refresh my knowledge again in this chapter which, discusses anxiety,
somatic, and dissociative disorders, I think I can pull it off. Let's start with the Anxiety, Trauma-
and Stressor-Related disorders, and Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Before we
mention different psychopathologies, we should differentiate anxiety, fear, and panic attack.
According to (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Barlow, 2002), anxiety is a negative mood
state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension and by apprehension about the future.
In my 23 years living on this earth, some of my journeys I felt anxious. One of them was when I
took my board licensure examination for psychometrician. Those moments, I felt uncomfortable
and fear of the future, thinking what-ifs in my incoming BLEPP. I had overthinking moments,
which I assumed I felt anxiety about two years ago. Next is fear. Barlow mentioned in his book
that fear is an immediate alarm reaction to danger. In reality, humans can feel fear in every aspect
of our lives which, can be good and protect us. According to the book that Barlow wrote, fear can
protect us by activating a massive response from the autonomic nervous system, which, along with
our subjective sense of terror, motivates us to escape (flee) or, possibly, attach (fight). And this
emergency is often called the flight or fight response. The last concept I need to discuss is the
panic attack. In the book written by Barlow, he defined a panic attack as an abrupt experience of
intense fear or acute discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms that usually include heart
palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, and, possibly, dizziness. So far, I don't have any
experiences having a panic attack in my whole life.

RAA,RPm
 The first disorder I want to discuss is Generalized Anxiety Disorder. When I first read and
understand the classified criteria of G.A.D, I can't deny that I self-diagnosed myself with this
disorder because the criteria are common to people, which we experienced in our lives. But when
I read further the book written by Barlow, he describes the G.A.D that it must at least six months
of excessive anxiety and worry, and it must be difficult to turn off or control the worry process.
He also discussed the different physical symptoms experienced by those people who have G.A.D.
He characterized it by muscle tension, mental agitation, susceptibility to fatigue, some irritability,
and difficulty sleeping. And the main characteristic that can distinguish from other anxiety
disorders is the worries about minor, everyday life events. And I realized that my "self-diagnosed"
idea was a mistake and can cause harm to me. Luckily, my classmates during college encouraged
and helped me to relax and overcome the struggles years ago. To help us understand the General
Anxiety Disorder, let's read the article written by Dennis Revicki (2012) that can enlighten us more
about this disorder. Revicki (2012) wrote an article to overlook the humanistic and economic
burden of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. As I read his view, he mentioned that General Anxiety
Disorder has correlated with increased impairments in psychosocial functioning, role functioning,
work productivity, and health-related quality of life. And we can assume that this disorder can give
patients a problem in terms of functioning and well-being as a person.

The next psychopathology in line is specific phobia disorder. You are not a psychology
major if you don't memorize the different phobias in your abnormal psychology class. I remember
years ago, when I took my board licensure examination in psychometrician, there are some
questions about the terms and the definitions of specific phobia disorder, which can be helpful for
us to recognize those terms. There was also a significant event that happened to me, where I felt
curious to some people. When I was young, my dream job was to become a nurse. Every time I
mentioned that dream, they always told me that to become a great nurse, I'll make sure that I don't
have any phobias related to blood, injection, or other phobias related to the hospital. And as I took
psychology as my major, now I understand the term "phobia" and how this psychopathology makes
people freaked out. To understand more about this common psychopathology, Barlow described
it as an irrational fear of a specific object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual's
ability to function. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders mentioned it has
five types of specific phobia disorder. Namely as Animal, Natural Environment, Blood-Injection-
Injury, Situational, and Other. To understand more about these types of phobias, we should know
the causes of these phobias. Barlow stated in the book that most specific phobias usually began if
that person experienced a traumatic event. He also added four concepts that can help us distinguish
the causes. The first is direct experience. It is where real danger or pain results in an alarm
response. Next is experiencing it is a false alarm (panic attack) in a specific situation. The third is
observing, which means you observe someone else experiencing severe fear (vicarious
experience). The last concept is being told, which means someone shares the danger in a specific
person.

In studying Abnormal Psychology, it is not easy as 1, 2, and 3. However, after we master

and familiarize this subject, we can give hope and help to those in need. But of course, we should
know our competence in handling these kinds of psychopathologies. In my insight paper, I just
included the two most common disorders. However, there are more psychopathologies out there
that we need to study and understand too. Overall, as I review these disorders that belong to
chapters five and six, I realized that our profession is a life-changing job. Imagine you help

RAA,RPm
someone who's dysfunctional, distress, and doesn't know what to do, and that person becomes a
better version of himself or herself after you guide and help that person. And that's the most
rewarding part as a mental health professional - to see the beauty in every struggle.

RAA,RPm