Psychology Exam 4 - Mental Health Disorders

Psychopathology

illness or disorder of the mind

50% will suffer from some type of _____ during their lifetime

What are the most common types of psychological disorders?

mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, and impulse control disorders

Etiology

factors that contribute to the development of a psychological disorder

Diathesis Stress Model

used to explain the causes of psychological disorders

model focuses on the interplay of ___ and ____

recognizes and encompasses the roles that biological and environmental factors play a role in psychological disorder

Diathesis

vulnerability or predisposition to a disorder

biological/genetic or environmental predisposition

ex: childhood trauma - forms the basis of a diathesis

Stress

acts as a catalyst for the diathesis

Someone is currently experiencing

ex: someone with low stress will have a lower probability of a disorder

someone who experiences high stress will have a higher probability of showing symptoms

What criteria can determine whether a behavior is disordered?

How does the behavior impact the lives of the individuals who engage or experience it:

1. Is the behavior a cognitive pattern deviant/atypical?

   1. Devanice: different than what is normal

   2. not all atypical behaviors are symptoms of a disorder

2. Is it distressing?

   1. Can this person actively cope with their stress?

   2. Is this stress very impairing to the individual?

3. Is it maladaptive?

   1. Is the behavior interfering with the ability to live a normal life?

      1. includes anything that interferes with a person’s capability to maintain employment, relationships, healthy behaviors, etc.

Dysfunctional

Disordered behaviors are often_____

something isn’t functioning properly

• memory capabilities impairment

• emotional processes impairment

• impairment causes distress to a normal life

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)

only used for diagnosis and prognosis of disorders

DOES NOT include treatments

helps find an distinction between specific disorder

Diagnosis

presence vs absences of disorder

Prognosis

severity of symptoms related to the disorder

Types of Anxiety Disordes

Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobia

All experience longer and more intense anxiousness - bigger arousal

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Trigger: diffused onset - start to feel anxious and not sure why

Intensity: Moderate

Duration: almost always present

Cognitions: worry about everyday issues and are hyper vigilance to threats

(Duration is the differentiator for other disorders)

Panic Disorder (PD)

Trigger: Diffuse onset

Intensity: High

Duration: minutes - intense spikes of anxiety

Cognition: i feel like i am going to die (heart attack)

Specific Phobias

trigger: specific tigger

intensity: moderate - high

duration: minutes

cognitions: persistent thoughts about trigger

treatment: exposure therapy because we know what is causing anxiety

trigger is the differentiator for the other disorders

Comorbid

having 2< disorders

Primary symptoms

necessary to have to receive a certain diagnosis

if you do not have these symptoms you will NOT be diagnosed with the disorder

Secondary symptoms

symptoms accompanying primary symptoms, some are not always present

Not everyone has the same ____ _____.

Time course

how long a symptoms lasts or the pattern they exhibit

used to distinguish between certain disorders

What is the DSM used for?

diagnosis (symptoms) and prognosis (severity)

What does the DSM NOT provide?

etiology (causes) or treatments

mental health disorders can have many causes and are different for everyone and treatment can differ too.

Differential symptoms

cases that would exclude people from this disorder

• giving people the wrong diagnosis could make them worse

Good Prognosis

take time with treatment and we have hope that they can become better

Bad Prognosis

HAVE to do something quickly or we could lose this person

Mental Health Status Exam

snapshot of a patients psychological functioning

• doesnt result in a diagnosis

• looks for indicators that a patient could be diagnosed with a disorder

Observe behaviors

Structured diagnostic assessment

a system if questioning based on the DSM criteria

• consistent diagnosis

• checklist approach

• funneled approach (broad to specfic)

Unstructured diagnostic assessment

clinicians rely on their own judgement and experience to decide what diagnosis fits the description

• diagnosis is usually not consistent with what other people would diagnosis

• treatments are based on the DSM criteria so treatment could be wrong and harmful

Funnel approach

broad → specific

• primary to secondary symptoms

• rules out

• SKED approach

Neuropsychological assessment

evaluate the likelihood of damage or impairment to neurological structures when the fMRI wasn’t available

NOW used for:

• to see if an fMRI is needed

• regularly asses impairment related to injury or damage to neurological structures

Obsessive compulsive (OC) disorders

repetitive and uncontrollable

• primary symptom: maladaptive behavior's to lead to less anxiety

Hoarding

OCD in which anxiety leads to compulsive collecting/ purchasing

Obsessions

intrusive and repeated cognitions

thoughts keep popping up

• uncomfortable distressed thoughts - emotional distress

• common obsessions: harm 9responsibility or violence), contamination (germs), perfectionism (not being perfect can be harmful), sexual impulses

These people get focused in and stuck on them leading to distress and anxiety

Compulsions

ritualized and repetitive behaviors that the individual engages with to manage distress (maladaptive)

• Common obsessions: constantly checking (ex: stove, door lock), cleaning, tapping/counting, arranging

• obsessive thought never goes away

• Maladaptive coping response

compulsive acts are an attempt to relieve the anxiety caused by obsessive thoughts

Vicious Cycle of OCD

leaves someone with OCD engaging in the distress coping behavior for an hour or more

Mood Disorders

characterized by emotional extremes that deviate from a “normal” effective pattern

significant variations in mood

2 categories: depressive and bipolar

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

depressive episode lasts at least 2 weeks where they experience greater depressed mood and increase in related symptoms

• suicidal thoughts

• cognitive and behavioral patterns

Persistant depressive disorder (PDD) - dysthymia

depressed mood lasts at least 2 months to >2 years

symptoms are more milder

Double depression

experience MDD and PDD

anhedonia

inability to experience positive emotions

Biological influences of depression.

Neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine

difference in brain function

biological approach for treatment

Situational influences of depression

poor relationships (excessive reassurance seeking), loss of friends, stressed

Cognitive influences of depression

cognitive triad of negative thoughts: about oneself, ones situation, the future

experience biased thoughts, seeing failures and successes as “luck”, overgeneralize situations, learned helplessness (people are less likely to make positive changes)

Bipolar Disorders

characterized by extreme variations in mood

manic episodes

excessive positive mood (euthymia)

loss of sleep, distraction, push of speech, racing thought, impulsive behavior, grandiose behavior (false belief that you are more important or capable than you actually are), believes everything is possible

Bipolar I disorder

manic episodes are most sever and impairing

dont need to have a depressive episode to be diagnosed

Bipolar II disorder

Hypomanic: manic episodes are less extreme

must have at least one depressive episode (can be significantly impairing)

Cyclothymia

constant switch between hypomanic and mildly depressive states (dysthymic) for at least a year

Chronic and Pervasive disorders

can last a significant period of life

Schizophrenia

split-mind: disconnect between what the person believes and reality

abnormal interpretation of the world

psychotic symptoms: hallucinations, delusions

have enlarged ventricles , reduced frontal and temporal love activity

Positive symptoms

unusual or distorted thoughts, perceptions, or behaviors

delusions, hallucinations

Can be managed with antipsychotic treatment

Negative symptoms

Disconnected emotions:

• flat effect: lack of emotion in general

• anhedonia: inability to experience positive emotions

• loss of motivation

• social withdrawal

• poverty of speech

in typical function that is present in others

treatment doesn’t help - more of a severe prognosis

Delusions

false beliefs

persecutory/paranoid: belief that others are spying on you

grandiose: belief that one has great power

identity: belief that you are someone else

control: belief that ones thoughts and behaviors are being controlled by an external force

Hallucinations

False perceptions/sensations of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting

sensory processing

Personality disorders

maladaptive and inflexible ways of interacting

Clusters A,B,C

Dont experience as much distress

difficulty managing long-term relationships

PD: Cluster A

odd or eccentric behaviors

• paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal PD

PD: Cluster B

Dramatic, emotional, erratic behavior

• histrionic, narcissistic, borderline or antisocial PD’s

PD: Cluster C

anxious or fearful behavior

• avoidant, dependent, OCD PD’s

Borderline PD

border between normal and psychotic

intense fear of abandonment and hatred of being alone - weak sense of self

manipulative and controlling

Antisocial PD

“psychopath”

breaking the law and lying without remorse - can talk their way out of situations

etiology: abnormalities in amygdala and frontal lobes, biological, environmental

Disorganized symptoms

repetitive or catatonic behaviors (dont move at all)

disorganized thinking and speech

• preservation: repetitive behaviors or ideas

• clang: rhyme a word in a sentence

• neologism: made up words

• loose associations: lack logical connections

Autism Spectrum Disorder

social deficits, communication deficits, odd speech patterns

restricted interests and activities

learning impairments

• biological factors

Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

restlessness, inattentiveness, and impulsivity

difficulty concentrating

biological factors and environmental