Psychological Disorders

Psychological Disorder a harmful

dysfunction in which behavior is
judged to be (text discussion):
Atypical
not enough in itself
Disturbing
varies with time and culture
Maladaptive
harmful
Unjustifiable
By what standard?
Defined as Function
Individual is not functioning adequately based on
either his/her standards or according to significant
others in the persons life.
Almost all the disorders we discuss have symptoms
that everyone experiences. Diagnosis of disorder
depends of intensity, length of time and how much
its impacting on the person.
Depression
Anxiety
Psychosis?
Psychological Disorders
Medical Model
concept that diseases have physical causes
can be diagnosed, treated, and in most
cases, cured
assumes that these mental illnesses can
be diagnosed on the basis of their
symptoms and cured through therapy,
which may include treatment in a
psychiatric hospital
Problems with medical model
Effects of labeling person, especially if based
on limited number of symptoms
May limit true understanding of behavior in favor
of listed symptoms and assumptions about
outcome
Confirmation bias: future information interpreted
in a biased way based on label
Similar problems can exist with diagnosis
physical ailments
Psychological Disorders
Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
assumes that biological,
sociocultural, and psychological
factors combine and interact to
produce psychological disorders
Bio-Psycho-Social Approach
Bio-Psycho-Social Approach
These factors change over time. Hence, its
harmful to place a constant label on a person
Normal behavior changes over cultures,
sub-cultures and time.
E.g., is gang behavior or violence abnormal?
Its more important to understand behavior
(and symptoms) then worry about labels.
Classifying Psychological Disorders
(medical approach dominates)

DSM-IV
American Psychiatric Associations
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition)
a widely used system for classifying
psychological disorders
presently distributed as DSM-IV-TR (text
revision)
Classifying Psychological
Disorders
Neurotic Disorder usually distressing but
that allows one to think rationally and
function socially
Psychotic Disorder
person loses contact with reality
experiences irrational ideas and distorted
perceptions
Rates of Psychological
Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
distressing, persistent anxiety or
maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
person is tense, apprehensive, and in a state
of autonomic nervous system arousal
Persistence (out of control)
Problem in identifying source
Anxiety Disorders
Panic Disorder
marked by a minutes-long episode of
intense dread in which a person
experiences terror and accompanying chest
pain, choking, or other frightening
sensation
Person comes to fear the panic attack itself
and start to avoid any situations or places
that might provoke an attack
Anxiety Disorders
Phobia
persistent, irrational fear of a specific object or
situation
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or
actions (compulsions)
Anxiety Disorders
Common and uncommon fears
Anxiety Disorders
Causes: Learning Perspective

Fears are learned thought classical

conditioning
Stimulus generalization often occurs
Development of behaviors to avoid the anxiety
Perhaps also through observational learning
Causes: Biological Influence
Research with identical twins and non-human
primates suggest a genetic aspect
Anxiety Disorders
PET Scan of brain of
person with Obsessive/
Compulsive disorder
High metabolic activity
(red) in frontal lobe
areas involved with
directing attention
(impulse control and
executive function)
Effectiveness of drug
therapy
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
conscious awareness becomes separated
(dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts,
and feelings
Not uncommon when in a highly traumatic
situation to feel removed from the situation.
Problem is when this becomes more then a brief
situation
Dissociative Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder
rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more
distinct and alternating personalities
formerly called multiple personality disorder
At Issue: Is it a real phenomena
Skeptics Everyone has difference aspects of their personality. These
get exaggerated by person and perhaps encourage by therapist
Believers Personality differences are dramatic (even handedness
might be effected) and person may have many personalities (e.g., 3
faces of eve 28)
Origins from sever trauma especially in childhood
Both may be right
Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders (vs. mood
disorder)
disorders characterized by inflexible and
enduring behavior patterns that impair
social functioning
Types of Personality Disorders
Fearful, afraid of rejection, withdrawn
Extreme eccentrics The Character
Narcissistic Over exaggerates self
importance
Borderline Unstable identity, emotions,
relationships, etc.
Personality Disorders
Antisocial Personality Disorder
disorder in which the person (usually man)
exhibits a lack of conscience for
wrongdoing, even toward friends and
family members
may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever
con artist
Most criminals do not have this they
show concern for family and friends
Personality Disorders
PET scans illustrate reduced activation in a
murderers frontal cortex
Normal Murderer
Mood Disorders
Mood Disorders
characterized by emotional extremes
Major Depressive Disorder
a mood disorder in which a person, for no
apparent reason, experiences two or more
weeks of depressed moods, feelings of
worthlessness, and diminished interest or
pleasure in most activities
Mood Disorders
Manic Episode
a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive,
wildly optimistic state
Bipolar Disorder
a mood disorder in which the person
alternates between the hopelessness and
lethargy of depression and the overexcited
state of mania
formerly called manic-depressive disorder
Mood Disorders-Depression
Canadian depression rates
Mood Disorders- Suicide
Mood Disorders-Bipolar
PET scans show that brain energy consumption rises
and falls with emotional switches

Depressed state Manic state Depressed state

Mood Disorders-Depression
Altering any one
component of the
chemistry-
cognition-mood
circuit can alter
the others
Mood Disorders-Depression
The vicious
cycle of
depression
can be
broken at
any point
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
literal translation split mind
a group of severe disorders characterized
by:
disorganized and delusional thinking
disturbed perceptions
inappropriate emotions and actions
Schizophrenia
Delusions
false beliefs, often of persecution or
grandeur, that may accompany psychotic
disorders
Hallucinations
sensory experiences without sensory
stimulation
Schizophrenia
Causes of Schizophrenia
Evidence of both chemical and anatomical
differences in the brain
There are clear genetic predispositions
Schizophrenia
Causes of Schizophrenia
Viral infections during pregnancy?
Role of environment is unclear
The End
Is Psychology a Science?
Future Courses