Psychology and Behavioural Health Disorders

Psychological disorder

syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbances in an individuals cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or development process underlying mental functioning

abnormal psychology

the study of psychological disorders

abnormal behaviour

behaviour that is not typical, usual, or regular

first step in labeling a person with psychological disorder

differences in typical and abnormal behaviours

the diagnosis of an intellectual disability

an IQ score of 70 or less

flaws with a purely statistical approach

It implies a cultural specificity that we want to avoid and it fails to capture the distress that accompanies a psychological disorder

Comorboid disorder

occurs when more than one disorder occurs at the same time

psychological disorders are diagnosed purely..

on the basis of observable behaviours

neurodevelopmental disorders are typically diagnosed..

on the basis of observable behaviours

Estimates of the number of people who experience a psychological disorder during the previous year

26%

estimates of the number of people experiencing a disorder as least once during their lifetime

are as high as 65%

Nearly half of the young adults under the age of 24 who were surveyed met criteria for at least one psychological disorder in the previous year, including __ for a personality disorder

18%

Nearly half of the young adults under the age of 24 who were surveyed met criteria for at least one psychological disorder in the previous year, including __ for an anxiety disorder

12%

Nearly half of the young adults under the age of 24 who were surveyed met criteria for at least one psychological disorder in the previous year, including __ for MDD or Bipolar disorder

11%

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders (DSM)

A system for classification of psychological disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association.

2 of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders

Autism spectrum disorder and ADHD

ASD

A disorder characterized by deficits in social relatedness and communication skills that are often accompanied by repetitive, ritualistic behavior

Children and autism statstic

Approximately 1 child out of every 50 between the ages of 6 and 17 years in the United States has

ASD

Rates of ASD in California had already

already jumped 273% between 1987

and 1998

The concordance

rate for ASD between identical twins

may be 76% to 88% and possibly more

what is ASD influenced by?

Genetics, environmental factors, parental age, disruptions in brain development

People with ASD have smaller..

minicolumns in the cerebral cortex, which allows for them to focus on minute details for a long time

Structural abnormalities in cases of ASD have been found in..

amygdala, hippocampus, and cerebellum

What common anti-depressant during pregnancy impacts the chances of having an autistic son?

as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy triples

the risk of producing a son with ASD

who is more likely to be diagnosed with ASD?

Males over females, possibly by a factor of 4 to 1

ADHD

a disorder characterized by either unusual inattentiveness, hyperactivity with impulsivity or both

ADHD influences

Genetics may be the cause, environmental factors such as low birth weight, parental exposure to tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs

how much did ADHD diagonsises increase in children between ages of 4 and 17 years?

an increase of 42% between 2003 and 2011

heritability of ADHD mayb be..

70%

ADHD biological mind in frontal lobe and peak cortical thickness

the frontal lobes may be underactive in cases of ADHD, peak cortical thickness occured in the age of 7.5 for normal kids but not until age of 10.5 years in children with ADHD

what brain structure shows delayed development in ADHD?

caudate nucleus

fewer than __ of surveyed pediatricians reported using the DSM-5 to evaluate cases of ADHD

40%

Schizophrenia

a disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought and speech, disorders of movement, restricted affect, and avolition or asociality

how many people does schizophrenia affect?

only 1% of the human population worldwide

Delusions

false, illogical beliefs

Biological influences on Schizphrenia

enlarged ventricles, , lower level of frontal lobe activity, abnormalities in dopamine activity

about __ of patients with schizophrenia do not respond favorably to drugs that reduce dopamine acivity

1/4

Hallucinations

false perceptions

Schizophrenia and motor skills

grossly disorganized or abnormal motor behaviour

schizophrenia influences

genetics vulnerability (many genes overlap with bipolar disorder), extreme stress, living in poverty, prenatal development, dopamine and glutamate abnormalities, marjauna use

schizophrenia is more frequently found ..

5 times more frequently found in members of lower than in those of higher socio economic groups

if one identical twin was diagnosed with schizophrenia, then the other has a __ lifetime risk of developing it too

50%

Catatonia

The maintenance of awkward or unusual body positions for hours

Bipolar disorder

characterized by alternating period of mania and depression

Mania

a period of unrealistically elevated moods

Average onset for bipolar disorder

25 years

Children and youth under the age of 18years with symptoms of bipolar are diagnosed with

disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

Concordance rates between identical twins for bipolar disorder

as high as 70%

how many people does bipolar disorder affect?

2.6% of american adults each year

bipolar disorders influence

genetic predispotitions, diet, serotonin disturbances

what helps protect against bipolar disorder?

Omega-3 fatty acids

bipolar disorder may be overrepresented

in groups of people with artistic and creative talent

Major depressive disorder

characterized by lengthy periods of depressed mood, loss of pleasure in normal activities, disturbances in sleep and appetite, difficulty concentrating, feelings of hopelessness, and possible thoughts of suicide

MDD Diagnosis characteristics

depressed mood most of the day, nearly

every day, for a period of at least 2 weeks

Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and depression

Studies show reduced activity in the left DLPFC in individuals

how many people does MDD impact each year

7% of the adult population each year

how are youth statistically impacted to MDD?

people between the ages of 18-29 years have rates that are 3 times higher than those for people over the age of 60

gender in MDD

women experience (or are diagnosed by) MDD more often than men do

depression occurs

when a person experiences a reduction in positive reinforcement or an increase in negative outcomes

depression is the result of

combination of negative thoughts about the self, the world and the future

Learned helplessness

a state in which experiencing random or uncontrolled consequences leads to feelings of helplessness and possibly depression

what genes have been implicated in depression?

genes affecting serotonin

what occurs immediately before the onset of a depressive episode?

the experience of severe stress

Rumination

repetitively focusing on the fact that one is depressed; on one’s symptoms of depression; and on the causes, meanings, and consequences of symptoms of depression; interferes with problem-solving

heritability of MDD is about

40%

Anxiety disorders

those featuring anxiety that is not proportional to a person’s circumstances

suicide in college students

second leading cause of death in college students

suicide completion rate and gender

males have a 3 to 5

times higher suicide completion rate than females

Diathesis-stress model

A model that suggests that the experience of stress

interacts with an individual’s biological predisposition to produce a psychological disorder.

previous suicide attempts statistic

Approximately 75% of individuals who

attempt suicide show prior evidence of

their intent

Anxiety has two components

strong negative emotions, physical tension due to anticipation of danger

How many American’s experience anxiety disorders?

30%

Anxiety does not impair..

a person’s ability to think realistically

Specific phobias

are fears of objects other than those associated with agoraphobia or social anxiety disorder

prevalence of different types of specific phobias

25.2% of women and 10.9% of men reported having at least one specific phobia

Social anxiety disorder

characterized by an unrealistic fear of being scrutinized and criticized by others

social anxiety is more prevalent in

collectivistic cultures

Panic disorder

characterized by repeated panic attacks and fear of future attacks

how many people are affected by panic disorder?

2.7% in any given year

gender and panic disorder

women are more likely to experience panic attacks and panic disorder than are men

More than half of people with panic disorder have also been diagnosed with

depression or another type fof anxiety disorder

Panic attack

characterized by experience of intense fear and autonomic arousal

hwo long do panic attacks usually last?

10 min

people with panic disorder have large quatities

of orexins

Agoraphobia

is the fear of open spaces (named after the greek word agore/marketplace)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

characterized by excessive anxiety and worry for 6 months not correlated with specific objects of situations

GAD biological explnations

genetic predisposition, related to amygdala

lower socioecnomic class in the US and diagnosis

people in lower socioeconomic classes in the United States are twice as lucky to be diagnosed as those in the upper to middle classes

anxiety is most likely to occur in..

individuals with a high-reactive temperament because of their genetic background

OCD

associated with intrusive obsessions and compulsions

OCD in bio mind

the orbitofrontal cortex, prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate gyrus, and the caudate nucleus of the basal ganglia, appear to be more active than usual in people with OCD, lower than normal amounts of serotonin activity

Obsession

an intrusive, distressing thought

Compulsion

a repetitive, ritualistic behaviour associated with high anxiety

Obsessions are disntinct from

everyday worries, whichusually focus on real life problems

OCD has strong..

strong genetic vulnerability for this disorder; concordance rates of 63% to 87%

Symptoms of OCD may arise

following head trauma, encephalitis, seizure disorder

What plays a role in OCD frequency?

culture

How much of the U.S. Population report experiencing OCD during their lifetime?

2-3%

Body dysmorphic disorder

characterized by the unrealistic perception of physical flaws

Post traumatic stress disorder

A disorder caused by the experience of trauma, which leads to flashbacks, dreams, hypervigilance and avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event.