introduction to psychology psychological disorders
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to Psychology
Psychological Disorders
The Question of Normality
What does it mean to be “normal”?
Who decides what is “normal”?
Psychopathology
The scientific study of mental, emotional, and behavioral problems
1 out of 100 people will require psychiatric hospitalization during their lifetime
Psychopathology
Subjective discomfort- may or may not be present
Statistical abnormality- deviating from the norm
What makes behavior abnormal?
Core features of abnormality: The behavior is maladaptive
There is a loss of control
Abnormal Behavior:Other Considerations
Violation of social norms
Behavior is abnormal based on situational, societal, and cultural contexts
Social Construction of Mental Illness
Labels: inventions/artifacts of particular cultures
Dominant discourses on mental illness
Rosenhan Study
Participants posed as persons with mental illnesses
Normal behavior was perceived as pathological
Thomas Szaz
“Myth of Mental Illness”
Against the disease model of mental illness
Deviations from the norm
Mental Disorders Diagnosed with the DSM-IV
For communication between professionals
To classify/understand behaviors
For HMOs
The Stigma of Labels
Stigma and discrimination May be denied housing, jobs, may
lose friends, etc.
Self-fulfilling prophesy
Mental Disorders Substance abuse
disorders
Mood disorders
Anxiety disorders
Somatoform disorders
Psychotic disorders
Dissociative disorders
Personality disorders
Sexual/gender identity disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Apprehension, fear, dread
Out of proportion to the situation
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Excessively anxious/worried
Free floating anxiety
Anxiety triggered in many situations
OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Disturbing, anxiety-provoking thoughts
Compulsive behavior to keep anxiety under control
Panic Disorder
Sudden, intense, unexpected panic attacks
Racing heart, chest pains, fear of dying
Fear of losing control
Specific Phobia
Fear/anxiety toward a specific situation
11% have a phobia during their lifetime
Mood Disorders Depression:
Intense, prolonged sadness
Hopelessness, lack of energy, negative self-image
Dysthymic Disorder
Low grade depression
Fairly consistent for 2 years or more
Bipolar Disorder
Extreme moods
Depression and mania
Mania: elated, hyperactive, filled with energy, lack of sleep, risk taking, grandiosity
Eating Disorders
Anorexia-nervosa: self-starvation; underweight; issues of control
Bulimia: binge-purge cycles; typically normal to overweight
Personality Disorders
Maladaptive personality patterns
Often start in childhood/adolescence; officially diagnosed at age 18
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Lacks conscience
Impulsive/selfish
Aggressive/violent
Lack of remorse
Criminality
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Many were abused/deprived in childhood
Subtle neurological problems Under-arousal when viewing
disturbing material
Difficult to treat
Borderline Personality Disorder Impulsivity/erratic behavior
Instability in relationships
Highly manipulative
Self-mutilating: high risk of suicide
Often co-morbid with mood disorders
Psychotic Disorders
Retreat from reality
Schizophrenia and delusional disorders
Schizophrenia Delusions and hallucinations
(bizarre)
Delusions: deeply held false beliefs Hallucinations: seeing/hearing
something that isn’t present
Disordered thinking Flat or inappropriate affect
Schizophrenia
Process: develops slowly, over the lifespan
Reactive: develops in response to an event
Schizophrenia:Types
Paranoid
Disorganized
Catatonic
Undifferentiated
Schizophrenia:Causes Biological: dopamine hypothesis; brain
abnormalities; genetic link Identical twins: 50%
Exposure to the disease in the womb/complications during birth
Childhood trauma, dysfunctional family environments
Delusional Disorders
Deeply held false beliefs w/o hallucinations (non-bizarre)
Insist these beliefs are true, even in the face of contrary evidence
Risk Factors for Mental Illness Social: poverty, stress, homelessness
Family: disturbed parents, criminality, abuse
Psychological: stress, low IQ, lack of control/mastery
Biological: genetic defects, poor prenatal care, low birth weight, born with addictions