Chapter 15 - Psychology (Meyers)

psychological disorders

patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that are deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional

patterns

finding a collection of symptoms that tend to go together

functionally impairing

distressful symptoms that sufficiently interfere with one's daily life and well being

philippe pinel

proposed that madness is not demonic possession but a sickness of the mind

syphilis

disease that infects the brain

biopsychosocial approach

biological, psychological, and social-cultural influences interacting lead to a psychological disorder

manual of mental disorders

DSM-IV-TR

the five axes of diagnosis

axis 1 - is a clinical syndrome present, axis 2 - is a personality disorder or mental retardation present, axis 3 - is a general medical condition present, axis 4 - are psychosocial or environmental problems present, axis 5 - what is the global assessment of this person's functioning

anxiety disorders

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

recurrent, unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense panic attacks

phobias

persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

agoraphobia

fear of being trapped

social phobia

an intense fear of being watched and judged by others

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and urges to engage in senseless rituals (compulsions)

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, and/or insomnia that lingers after a traumatic experience

worry

thoughts, interpretations, appraisals, beliefs, predictions, and rumination

cognitive errors

believing that we can predict that bad events will happen

irrational beliefs

such as "bad things don't happen to good people, so if i was hurt, i must be bad"

mistaken appraisals

seeing aches as diseases, noises as dangers, and strangers as threats

misinterpretations

facial expressions and actions of others, such as thinking "they're talking about me"

mood disorders

psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes

depression

a mood disorder in which someone experiences two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods or diminished interest in most activities

depression

number one reason why people seek mental health services

bipolar disorder

2 polar opposites working against each other, mania and depression

suicide

people desire 2 fundamental needs that cannot be met, the need to belong with or connect to others, and the need to feel effective with or influence others

depressive states

diminished brain activity, left frontal lobe less active, reduced norepinephrine and serotonin

one million

committed suicides a year

schizophrenia

a mental split from reality

positive symptoms

presence of unwanted behaviors

negative symptoms

the absence of normal behaviors

onset of schizophrenia

late adolescence or early adulthood

nearly 1 in 100 people (slightly more men)

prevalence of schizophrenia

acute/reactive schizophrenia

positive symptoms immediately appear after a major stressor

chronic/process schizophrenia

develops slowly, with more negative symptoms

brain risk factors of schizophrenia

too much dopamine and d4 receptors, poor coordination of neural firing in the frontal lobes, the thalamus fires during hallucinations, and general shrinking of many brain areas

dissociative disorders

disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

multiple personality disorder, in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities

anorexia

an eating disorder in which a person maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight

bulimia

an eating disorder in which a person alternates binge eating with purging or fasting

binge-eating

significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt

personality disorders

psychological disorder that is characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

antisocial personality disorder (sociopaths)

individuals that exhibit a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward family and friends