Chapter 16: Clinical Psychology: Disorders

disordered behavior

disordered behavior

is characterized by perceptual or cognitive dysfunction.

psychoanalytic school

hypothesized that the interactions among conscious and especially unconscious parts of the mind were responsible for a great deal of disordered behavior.

humanistic school

psychology suggests that disordered behavior is, in part, a result of people being too sensitive to the criticisms and judgments of others.

cognitive perspective

views disordered behavior as the result of faulty or illogical thoughts.

behavioral approach

to disordered behavior is based on the notion that all behavior, including disordered behavior, is learned.

biological view

of disordered behavior, which is a popular one in the United States at the present time, views disordered behavior as a manifestation of abnormal brain function, due to either structural or chemical abnormalities in the brain.

sociocultural approach

holds that society and culture help define what is acceptable behavior.

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

is the American Psychiatric Association’s handbook for the identification and classification of behavioral disorders.

Neurodevelopmental

refers to the developing brain.

Intellectual disability

(formerly known as mental retardation) is characterized by delayed development in general mental abilities (reasoning, problem-solving, judgment, academic learning, etc.).

Autism spectrum disorder

is a neurodevelopmental disorder that often manifests early on in childhood development.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

is described as patterned inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity.

communication disorders

such as language disorder, speech sound disorder, and fluency disorder (stuttering)

motor disorders

such as developmental coordination disorder, stereotypic movement disorder, and tics

schizophrenia

literally means “split brain,” these disorders have nothing to do with what used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder.

Delusions

are beliefs that are not based in reality, such as believing that one can fly, that one is the president of a country, or that one is being pursued by the CIA (assuming that these things are not true).

Hallucinations

are perceptions that are not based in reality, such as seeing things or hearing voices that are not there, or feeling spiders on one’s skin (assuming they are not really there).

positive symptoms

of schizophrenic disorders refers to something that a person has that typical people do not.

negative symptoms

refers to something that typical people do have, but that one does not have.

Bipolar disorders

as the name suggests, involves movement between two poles: depressive states on the one hand, and manic states on the other hand.

depressive disorders

involve the presence of a sad, empty, or irritable mood, combined with changes in thinking and bodily functioning that significantly impair one’s ability to function.

Panic disorder

is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring panic attacks, as well as the constant worry of another panic attack occurring.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

is an anxiety disorder characterized by an almost constant state of autonomic nervous system arousal and feelings of dread and worry.

Phobias

or persistent, irrational fears of common events or objects, are also anxiety disorders.

Agoraphobia

for example, is the fear of being in open spaces, public places, or other places from which escape is perceived to be difficult.

obsessions

are intrusive (unwanted) thoughts, urges, or images that plague the individual.

Compulsions

are repetitive behaviors (or mental acts) that one feels compelled to perform, often in relation to an obsession.

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

which can involve intrusive thoughts or dreams related to the trauma, irritability, avoidance of situations that might recall the traumatic event, sleep disturbances, diminished interest in formerly pleasurable activities, and social withdrawal.

reactive attachment disorder

which can occur in seriously neglected children who are unable to form attachments to their adult caregivers

adjustment disorders

or maladaptive responses to particular stressors.

derealization

the sense that “this is not really happening,”

depersonalization

the sense that “this is not happening to me.”

dissociative amnesia

an inability to recall life events that goes far beyond normal forgetting.

dissociative identity disorder

(formerly known as multiple personality disorder), in which one may not only “lose time,” but also manifest a separate personality during that lost time.

Somatic symptom disorder

involves, as one might expect, bodily symptoms combined with disordered thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors connected to these symptoms.

illness anxiety disorder

in which one worries excessively about the possibility of falling ill.

Conversion disorder

(formerly known as hysteria) involves bodily symptoms like changed motor function or changed sensory function that are incompatible with neurological explanations.

Factitious disorder

in which an individual knowingly falsified symptoms in order to get medical care, or sympathy or aid from others.

Anorexia nervosa

involves not only restriction of food intake, but also intense fear of gaining weight and disturbances in self-perception, such as thinking one looks fat, when one does not.

Bulimia nervosa

involves recurrent episodes of binge-eating: eating large amounts of food in short amounts of time, followed by inappropriate behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting (purging), using laxatives, or intense exercising.

Binge-eating disorder

might be thought of as bulimia without purging.

Pica

refers to regular consumption of non-nutritive substances (plastic, paper, dirt, string, chalk, etc.).

personality disorder

refers to a stable (and inflexible) way of experiencing and acting in the world, one that is at variance with the person’s culture, that starts in adolescence or adulthood, and leads to either personal distress or impairment of social functioning.

Cluster A

includes paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders.

Schizoid personality disorder

is marked by disturbances in feeling (detachment from social relationships, flat affect, does not enjoy close relationships with people)

schizotypal personality disorder

is marked by disturbances in thought (odd beliefs that do not quite qualify as delusions, such as superstitions, belief in a “sixth sense,” etc.; odd speech; eccentric behavior or appearance).

Cluster B

includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.

antisocial personality disorder

which is characterized by a persistent pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.

Borderline personality disorder

involves a very stormy relationship with the world, with others, and with one’s own feelings.

Histrionic personality disorder

involves a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, beyond what might be considered normal (even in a “culture of selfies”).

Narcissistic personality disorder

involves an overinflated sense of self-importance, fantasies of success, beliefs that one is special, a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy for others, and a display of arrogant behaviors or attitudes.

Cluster C

includes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders.

Avoidant personality disorder

involves an enduring pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to real or perceived criticism, which lead to avoidance behavior in relation to social, personal, and intimate relationships.

Dependent personality disorder

is marked by an excessive need to be cared for, leading to clingy and submissive behavior and fears of separation.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)

is marked by a rigid concern with order, perfectionism, control, and work, at the expense of flexibility, spontaneity, openness, and play.