CH 15: Psychological Disorders

abnormal psychology

the scientific study of psychological disorders

the 4 D’s - defining psychological abnormality

• deviance

• distress

• dysfunction

• danger

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

the system used by most countries to classify psychological disorders; published by the World Health Organization and currently in its 11th edition (ICD-10)

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

the leading classification system for psychological disorders in Canada; DSM-5 is the current version

diagnosis

a clinician’s determination that a person’s cluster of symptoms represents a particular disorder

comorbidity

the condition in which a person’s symptoms qualify him or her for 2 or more diagnoses

neurodevelopmental disorders

• disorders with their onset in the developmental period before child enters grade school

neurocognitive disorders

• disorders where the primary clinical deficit is cognitive function

substance-related and addictive disorders

• disorders that involve the activation of reward pathways and reward systems due to substance use or induced by substances

schizophrenia-spectrum + other psychotic disorders

• disorders defined by abnormalities in the form of delusions, disordered thoughts or behaviours, or negative symptoms

depressive disorders

• the presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood that typically goes along with physical or cognitive changes

bipolar and related disorders

• alternating bouts of intense positive affect that are followed or preceded by prolonged periods of sadness and other symptoms of depression

anxiety disorders

• disorders that share features of excessive fear or anxiety and related behavioural disturbances

obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

• disorders characterized by repetitive thoughts or behavioural rituals

trauma and stressor-related disorders

• disorders that reflect exposure to a distressing event or events

somatic symptoms and related disorders

• disorders with prominent somatic symptoms associated with impairment and distress

dissociative disorders

• disruption or discontinuity in the typical integration of consciousness, perception, memory, emotion, identity, or body representation

feeding and eating disorders

• disturbance in eating or eating-related behaviour that impairs physical health and/or psychosocial functioning

sexual dysfunctions

• disorders with great heterogeneity that usually involve a clinically significant disturbance in the ability to respond sexually or experience sexual pleasure

gender dysphoria

• persistent distress due to the discrepancy between one’s expressed or experienced gender vs the initially assigned gender

paraphilic disorders

• disorders that reflect intense and persistent sexual interest other than the stimulation found in normal physically mature and consenting human partners

sleep-wake disorders

• disorders involving dissatisfaction in the quality, timing, and/or amount of sleep

disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders

• under-controlled behaviours that violate the rights of others and/or bring the person into serious conflict with societal norms or authority figures

biopsychosocial perspective - george engel

recognizes the links between each of these important areas of human development

research domain criteria (RDoC

to “foster research to validate dimensions defined by neurobiology and behavioural measures that cut across current disorder categories, and that can inform future revisions of our diagnostic systems”

cognitive-behavioural theorists

propose that psychological disorders result largely from a combination of problematic learned behaviours and dysfunctional cognitive processes

behavioural perspective

abnormal behaviours are acquired by the same principles of learning as adaptive behaviours

• use learning principles to explain human functioning

cognitive perspective

when people display abnormal patterns of functioning, cognitive problems are to blame

psychodynamic model

believe that a person’s behaviour is determined largely by underlying psychological forces of which the person is not consciously aware

object relations

believes people are motivated primarily by a need to establish relationships with others, known as objects

family systems theory

each family has its own implicit rules, relationship structure, and communication patterns that shape the behaviour of the individual members

developmental psychopathology

the study of how problem behaviours evolve as a function of a person’s genes and early experiences, and how these early issues affect the person at later life stages

risk factors

biological and environmental factors that contribute to problem outcomes

equifinality

the idea that different children can start from different points and wind up at the same outcome

multifinality

the idea that children can start from the same point and wind up at any number of different outcomes

resilience

the ability to recover from or avoid the serious effects of negative circumstances

depression

a persistent sad state in which life seems dark and its challenges overwhelming

mania

a persistent state of euphoria or frenzied energy

major depressive disorder

a disorder characterized by a depressed mood that is significantly disabling and is not caused by such factors as drugs/general medical condition

bipolar disorder

a mood disorder in which periods of mania alternate with periods of depression

learned helplessness - theory of depression

ppl become depressed when:

• they no longer have control over the rewards and punishments in their lives

• they themselves are responsible for this helpless state

cognitive triad

a pattern of thinking in which individuals repeatedly interpret their experiences, themselves, and their futures in negative ways that lead them to feel depressed

automatic thoughts

specific upsetting thoughts that arise unbidden

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

an anxiety disorder in which people feel excessive anxiety and worry under most circumstances

social anxiety disorder

disorder where people feel severe, persistent, and irrational fears of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and unpredictable panic attacks that occur without apparent provocation

agoraphobia

a phobia that makes people avoid public places or situations in which escape might be difficult or help unavailable should panic symptoms develop

compulsions

irrational repetitive and rigid behaviours or mental acts that people feel compelled to perform to prevent or reduce anxiety

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

a mental disorder associated with repeated, abnormal, anxiety-provoking thoughts and/or repeated rigid behaviours

acute stress disorder

an anxiety disorder in which fear and related symptoms are experienced soon after a traumatic event and last less than a month

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

an anxiety disorder in which fear and related symptoms continue to be experienced long after a traumatic event

schizophrenia

a mental disorder characterized by disorganized thoughts, lack of contact with reality, and sometimes hallucinations

psychosis

loss of contact with reality

positive symptoms

in the case of schizophrenia, symptoms that seem to represent pathological excesses in behaviour, including delusions, disorganized thinking and speech, hallucinations, and inappropriate affect

loose associations / derailment

a common thought disorder of schizophrenia, characterized by rapid shifts from one topic to another

negative symptoms

in the case of schizophrenia, symptoms that seem to reflect pathological deficits, including poverty of speech, flat affect, loss of volition, and social withdrawal

catatonia

extreme psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia, including catatonic stupor, catatonic rigidity, and catatonic posturing

antipsychotic drugs

medications that help remove the symptoms of schizophrenia

somatic symptom and related disorders

excessive thought, feelings, and behaviours related to somatic symptoms

illness anxiety disorder

an individual is preoccupied with having a serious disease in spite of the lack of somatic symptoms

conversion disorder

a person develops symptoms suggestive of neurological damage, such as paralysis, seizures, blindness, or loss of feeling

factitious disorder

people deliberately assume physical or psychological symptoms to adopt the patient role

dissociative disorder

a psychological disorder characterized by major loss of memory without a clear physical cause; types include dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, and dissociative identity disorder

personality disorder

an inflexible pattern of inner experience and outward behaviour that causes distress or difficulty with daily functioning

antisocial personality disorder

a personality disorder characterized by extreme and callous disregard for the feelings and rights of others

borderline personality disorder

a personality disorder characterized by severe instability in emotions and self-concept and high levels of volatility