PSYC 2011 1-4 GW

Who decides what's abnormal?

Community

Abnormal psychology

the scientific study of mental disorders and their treatment

How to examine behavior

Describe, Explain, Predict, Modify

Most important question

What led to this behavior?

What's the best predictor of future behavior?

past behavior

Chronic behavior

Actions continually repeated, persistent or habitual

Avoidance

A reaction to conflict that involves ignoring the problem but reinforces behavior

Diagnosis (dx)

observations, history, and psych tests

Atypical Behavior

Behavior that is not typical of the majority of the population (no or infinite physical activity)

Dx

diagnosis, not equal to person

How to explain behavior

Determine causes

How to predict behavior

Look at risk factors

3 dimensions of disorders

mild, moderate, severe

Mild Disorder Emotion

Sad

Mild Disorder Cognition

Wishing to do something

Mild Disorder Behavior

Hard to do stuff

Moderate Disorder Emotion

Strong positive experience with a bit of sadness

Moderate Disorder Cognition

Hurt by negative consequences

Moderate Disorder Behavior

Skipping things, no motivation, no contact

Severe Disorder Emotion

Sadness, no concentration, no appetite

Severe Disorder Cognition

Feeling like a failure

Severe Disorder Behavior

Lack of energy

Defining Abnormality

Disturbances in thinking

Difficulties in functioning

Not culturally expecting

Cultural Considerations

Learned behavior from generational interactions and from groups of people

Views of Role in Culture

Determination of behavior caused by lifestyle, cultural values, and worldviews

Independent Culture

a culture in which people tend to think of themselves as distinct social entities, tied to each other by voluntary bonds of affection and organizational memberships but essentially separate from other people and having attributes that exist in the absence of any connection to others - cause mental disorders

Historical Perspectives

Abnormal behavior looked down upon by religion

Demonological Model

The view that abnormal behavior reflects invasion by evil spirits or demons

Trephination

technique that cuts a circular opening into the skull to reveal brain tissue and decrease intracranial pressure

Medical Model

Hippocrates believed abnormal mental conditions were caused by an imabalance of body fluid

Melancholia

mental disorder characterized by apathy and depression - caused by black bile

Medieval Period

Christian church blamed mental illnesses on devil possession

Exorcism

the act of freeing someone from demonic possession

Tarantism

a form of mass hysteria prevalent during the Middle Ages, characterized by wild raving, jumping, dancing, and convulsing

Primary Prevention

Prevent occurrence of mental disorders; happens to large groups

Secondary Prevention

Decrease amount of disability people experience from mental disorder by catching problems early

Tertiary Prevention

Reduce severity and duration of mental disorders through antidepressants and CBT

Pathognomonic

signs or symptoms specific to a disease condition

How do people get a mental illness?

They inherit a predisposition

Biological Dimensions

include causal factors from the fields of genetics and neuroscience

Psychological Dimensions

causal factors from behavioral and cognitive processes, including learned helplessness, social learning, prepared learning, and even unconscious processes - personality

Social Dimensions

Causes from family or environment

Sociocultural Dimensions

race, economic level, lifestyle, family, and culture

Biological Factors

genetic, neurological, or physical conditions that affect the development of an individual

Syndromes

a number of symptoms occurring together and characterizing a specific disease or condition

Forebrain

Speech, language, memory

Thalamus

the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

Limbic system

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Cerebral cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center. Controls language

Midbrain

A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information and relays it upward. Vision, hearing, sleep.

Which part of the brain makes neurotransmitters?

Midbrain

Hindbrain

An area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord. Heart rate, sleep, respiration.

Reticular Formation

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal, sleep, & attention

Central nervous system depressant

chemical substance that slows down the activity of the brain and spinal cord - alcohol

Neurons

Smallest units of the CNS; the nerve cells transmit messages throughout the body

Dendrites

Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information from other neurons. End of cell.

Axons

conduct impulses away from the cell body and sends signals to other neurons

Neuron function

Help electrical impulses travel through brain

Do neurons touch each other?

no, there is a small gap between the terminal button of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron called the synaptic cleft

First step of process

Dendrite receives message from one neuron

Where does the message go after the dendrite?

Travels to the axon then the axon terminal

Where do neurotransmitters go after the axon terminal?

Released into space between neurons called synapses

What happens to synapses after they take up neurotransmitters?

Taken up by dendrites of the next neurons to relay the message down the axon

What does the neurotransmitter do after getting a message?

Binds to receptor and causes the neuron to undergo reuptake

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption and recycling by the sending neuron

Biochemical Theory

Mental disorders happen due to biochemical imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain

How is schizophrenia caused?

Too much dopamine

Medication

Changes the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain

What does medication do to synapses?

Blocks them to decrease neurotransmitters

What does medication do to reuptake?

Blocks it to increase neurotransmitters

Genetic Model

A set of hypotheses that explain how a certain trait is inherited from genetics

Monozygotes

share 100% of heredity

Dizygotes

Share the same genetic material and share 50% of DNA

Concordance Rate

indicates the percentage of twin pairs or other pairs of relatives who exhibit the same disorder

Is the concordance rate higher for monozygotes or dizygotes?

Monozygotes because they share the same environment

Human Genome Project

project whose goal is to map, sequence, and identify all of the genes in the human genome. Composed of all genetic material in chromosomes.

Psychopharmacology

the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior

Anxiolytics

Drugs that alleviate the symptoms of anxiety.

Antipsychotics

a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of schizophrenia and other disorders that involve psychosis

Antidepressants

a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of depression

Mood Stabilizers

drugs used to control mood swings in patients with bipolar mood disorders

Mechanism Question 1

How does the medication work?

Mechanism Question 2

What neurotransmitters does it affect?

Mechanism Question 3

What does it increase or decrease?

Mechanism Question 4

Side effects?

Electroconvulsive Therapy

a biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient

Important Question

How does medication affect someone's daily life?

What do biological treatments affect

If someone will be open to engage in the treatment

Psychological Factors

motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes

Psychodynamic

how behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts

Behavioral

the perspective of psychological science that deals with how we learn observable responses

Cognitive

how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information

Humanistic Existential

appreciation of the spiritual nature of a person; emphasizes struggles for self-fulfillment and dignity

What is a psychodynamic model caused by?

Childhood trauma

Where do psychodynamic problems occur?

Unconscious level

3 Components of Personality

id, ego, superego

Id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification.