psyc 1001 ch 15 abc

abnormal psychology

scientific study of psychological disorders

deviance

behaviors differ from societal expectations

distress

behaviors cause significant distress or unhappiness

dysfunction

interfere with daily functioning (work, relationships, self-care)

danger

some disorders may lead to self-injury or hostility to others

the four D’s of psychological disorders

Deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger

symptom

physical, behavioral, or mental “feature" associated with a disorder

International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10)

• system used by most countries to classify phychological disorders

• published by the Word Health Organization

• currently in its tenth edition

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

• manual used to diagnose mental disorders in North America

• 19 major categories

• about 200 mental disorders alltogether

Comorbidy

diagnosis with two or more disorders

ex:

• about 50% people with substance abuse disorder have another disorder (depression or anxiety)

• 62% of individuals with generalized anxiety disorder also had major depression episode

The neuroscience model

• emphasized biological basis (malfunctioning brain structures, neurotransmitters, hormones)

• like “medical model” of disease

ex: overproduction of dopamine (schizophrenia)

• presumed causes

• genetic inheritance, viral infection - effects on brai development

neuroscience model criticisms

• too reductionistic

• does not take into account psychological or social factors

• psychological: personal experiences (learning), personality factors, cognitive processes, copitng ability

• social: poverty

diathesis-stress model

disorders liekely arise from interaction of internal genetic predispositions and external stressful events

• may have genes of schizophrenia, but without significant life event, it may never develop

behavioral perspective

habits that are learned over time from experience, rewards/punshments, or observational learning

cognitive perspective (what you think)

patterns of thinking underlie abnormality

can develop unhelpful or unrealistic beliefs

cognitive-behavioral model

disorders are the result of maladaptive learned behaviors (behavioral component) and problematic thinking (cognitive component)

the psychodynamic model

repressed childhood trauma or unresolved confict

fixation at psychosexual stage

socio-cultural model

a society’s characteristics can lead to disorders for some of its members

depression

sad state in which life seems purposeless and one feels overwhelmed

mania

state of elation and frenzied energy

unipolar mood disorder (major depression)

persistent depression

bipolar disorder

alternate between periods of depression and mania

dysthymic disorder

milder depression

cyclothymic disorder

milder bipolar

areas of functioning affected by major depression

emotional, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, physical

major depression diagnosis

requires at least 5 of 9 possible symptoms accuring every day for at least 2 weeks

neuroscience model for major depression

genetic predisposition: identical twins 46%, versus 2-% for fraternal twins

low norepinephrine and serotonin activity

high cortisol

cognitive-behavioral model

people learn negative behaviors and dysfunctional thinking patterns

martin seligman’s learned helplessness theory

• people become depressed when they think they no longer have control over outcomes in their lives

• first demonstrated in dogs and rats

attribution-helplessness theory

• people blame themselves (dispositional attribution)

• attribute lack of control to an internal cause that is global and stable

aaron beck

• depresssion results from negative thinking, dysfunctional attitudes, and illogical thinking processes

automatic thoughts

habitual, steady train of unpleasant, negative thoughts

the cognitive triad

negative thoughts centered around three themes (person, experiences, future)

socio-cultural model

emphasizes how your environment (relationship) affect your mental health

bipolar disorder

extreme mood swings between depression and mania over long periods of time

mania affects of functioning

emotional, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, physical

external factors of bipolar

stress, substance abuse, seasonal changes, sleep deprivation

generalized anxiety disorder

unexplained and persistent tension and uneasiness

panic disorder

unexpected repeated panic attacks

may misinterpret pamic as a sign of medical emergency

phobias

irrational and intense fear of a specific thing or places

obsessive-compulsive disorder

plauged by persistent anxiety producing thoughts and need to perform repetitive acts

dysfunctional assumptions

assumption that one is in danger until proven safe

intolerance of uncertainty theory

unwilling to accept negative events

two factor theory of phobia

fear results from classical conditioning. avoidance behaviors are reinforced through operant conditioning

panic disorder explanation

amygdala and locus coeruleus leading to increased release of norepinephrine

obsessions (repetitive thoughts)

persistent unwanted thoughts

wishes, impulses, doubts, or images

compulsions (repetitive behaviors)

repetitive, rigid behaviors or mental acts

often responses to obsessive thoughts, performed to reduce or prevent anxiety

hallucinations

a sensory experience in the absence of a sensory stimulus

catatonic stupor

remain motionless for prolonged periods of time

innapropriate emotion

emotion is split from reality, may express emotion inappropriately, or no emotion

positive symptoms

things that are abnormally present (hallucinations, delusions, bizarre behaviors)

negative symptoms

things that are abnormally absent (flat emotion, inability to concentrate, poor memory/problem solving, no care for body)

diathesis-stress model

biological predisposition plus negative event (stress/trauma)

biological correlates schizophrenia

excessive dopamine activity, enlarged ventricles, small temporal lobes and frontal lobes, structural abnorbalities of the hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus