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Studying Psychological Disorders
Abnormal Behavior: patterns of emotion, thought, and action considered pathological for one or more of four reasons:
• statistical infrequency
• disability or dysfunction
• personal distress
• violation of norms
Studying Psychological Disorders: Four Criteria for Abnormal Behavior
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Studying Psychological Disorders: Classifying Abnormal Behavior
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR):
• provides detailed descriptions of symptoms
• contains over 200 diagnostic categories grouped into 17 major categories and five dimensions (or axes)
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorder (characterized by unrealistic, irrational fear)
Four Major Anxiety Disorders
1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder:persistent, uncontrollable, and free-floating anxiety
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
More or less constant worry
Physical symptoms headaches
stomachaches
muscle tension
irritability
Panic Disorder
2. Panic Disorder: sudden and inexplicable panic attacks
Panic attacks - helpless terror, high physiological arousal
Peak in 10 minutes or less Very frightening - sufferers live in fear of
having them Agoraphobia often develops as a result
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Phobias3. Phobia: intense, irrational fear of a specific
object or situation
Algophobia -pain Astraphobia -thunderstorms Pathophobia -disease Monophobia -being alone Mysophobia -contamination Nyctophobia -darkness Ochlophobia -crowds Ailurophobia - cats Monophobia - being alone Pyrophobia - fire Triskaidekaphobia -13
Phobias
It is not phobic to simply be anxious about something
Afraid of it Bothers slightly Not at all afraid of it
Beingclosed in,
in a smallplace
Being alone
ina houseat night
Percentageof peoplesurveyed
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0Snakes Being
in high,exposedplaces
Mice Flyingon an
airplane
Spidersand
insects
Thunderand
lightning
Dogs Drivinga car
Being in
a crowdof people
Cats
Study of normal anxieties
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Specific Phobias
Specific phobias - fear of specific object animals (e.g., snakes)
substances (e.g., blood)
situations (e.g., heights)
more often in females than males
Social Phobias
Social phobias - fear of failing or being embarrassed in public public speaking (stage fright)
fear of crowds, strangers
meeting new people
eating in public
Equally often in males and females
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Anxiety Disorders (Continued)
4. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): intrusive, repetitive fearful thoughts (obsessions), urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (compulsions), or both
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Checking
Cleaning/washing
Doing things a certain number of times in a row
Doing and then undoing things
Doing things in a certain order, with symmetry
Mental acts such as praying, counting, etc.
Children have an average of 4 obsessions and 4 compulsions at any given time
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Anxiety Disorders
PET Scan of brain of person with Obsessive/ Compulsive disorder
High metabolic activity (red) in frontal lobe areas involved with directing attention
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Anxiety Disorders (Continued)
Explanations of Anxiety Disorders:
Psychological--faulty cognitions, maladaptive learning
Biological--evolution, genetics, brain functioning, biochemistry
Sociocultural—environ-mental stressors, cultural socialization
Mood Disorders Mood Disorders (characterized by extreme
disturbances in emotional states)
Two Main Types of Mood Disorders:• Major Depressive Disorder
(long-lasting depressed mood that interferes with the ability to function, feel pleasure, or maintain interest in life)
• Bipolar Disorder (repeated episodes of mania and depression)
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Mood Disorders (Continued)
Mood Disorders-Bipolar
PET scans show that brain energy consumption rises and falls with emotional switches
Depressed state Manic state Depressed state
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Mood Disorders-Depression
Hormonal? Cultural? Socialization?
Mood Disorders- Suicide
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Bipolar Disorders
Mood levels swing from severe depression to extreme euphoria (mania)
No regular relationship to time of year (like Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Strong heritable component
Bipolar disorder often treated with lithium
Mood Disorders
Explanations of Mood Disorders: Biological
Maladaptive Cognitions
Learned Helplessness
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Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia (group of psychotic disorders)
Five areas of major disturbance:
1. Perception (hallucinations)
2. Language (word salad, neologisms) SPECTROAUTOROTATION
3. Thoughts (psychosis, delusions)
4. Emotion (exaggerated or flat affect)
5. Behavior [unusual actions (e.g., catalepsy, waxy flexibility)]
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Word Salad
"Tissues without a triangular head lice be it with controller is the noodle man of ice pops and radio yes thanks."
"So even with I but he river flow amber rod with it." "Spiders my mom is a notification true since not like wedding
cake." "Vegetables interest my translucent memory taken from his ant
mole hill radical." "Trust the bamboo of pastrami, for the infinite monkey boy is
upon the arrival of distortion steam my vegetables." "Toothache is Greg in my brain lodged for ski symptoms inside
out raspberry juice for tomorrow you are filthy." "You can't go sailing past honor for the liking of a room. These
questions are birthday basements. To end the blue radish is the upside of luxury, and sparking a good lizard will only make tears fall in hindsight."
Schizophrenia (Continued)
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Other Disorders
Substance-related disorder(abuse of, or dependence on, a mood-or behavior-altering drug)
Two general groups: Substance abuse (interferes
with social or occupational functioning)
Substance dependence (shows physical reactions, such as tolerance and withdrawal)
Other Disorders: Substance-Related Disorder
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Other Disorders (Continued)
People with substance-related disorders also commonly suffer from other psychological disorders, a condition known as comorbidity.
Other Disorders (Continued)
Dissociative Disorders: Splitting apart (dis-association) of experience from memory or consciousness
Types of Dissociative Disorders:
Dissociative Amnesia
Dissociative Fugue
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
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Other Disorders (Continued)
Best known and most severe dissociative disorder:
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): presence of two or more distinct personality systems in the same person at different times (previously known as multiple personality disorder)
Other Disorders (Continued)
Personality Disorder: inflexible, maladaptive personality traits that cause significant impairment of social and occupational functioning
Types of personality disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder
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Antisocial Personality Disorder: profound disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others
Key Traits: egocentrism, lack of conscience, impulsive behavior, and superficial charm
Other Disorders (Continued)
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): impulsivity and instability in mood, relationships, and self-image
Other Disorders (Continued)