Psych -- mental illnesses

Weeks 1-3

Concept creep

clinical concepts and terms are increasing to refer to more regular experiences, such as depression

Wakefield’s harmful dysfunction analysis

defines mental disorders by two criteria — dysfunction and harm

classification models of mental disorders (theres 3)

catagorical — divides psychological disorders into catagories based on criteria with defining features

dimensional — degrees of psychopathological phenomena occur along continuums (lack of sharp boundaries)

alternative — does not focus on mental health and illness concepts

biopsychosicial paradigm

dominant model in modern clinical psychology (biological, psychological, and social in one)

psychoanalytical paradigm (freud)

unconcious processes, childhood conflicts etc.

behavioural paradigm (JB Watson, BF Skinner)

The things we do in life are either punished or reinforced, which can maintain negative behaviors.

Cognitive paradigm (Beck)

How we are praised/think are going to influence how we feel and the type of things we are going to do (hating someone because they didn't smile at you because of your feelings rather than thinking).

types of stigma according to the lancelot commission

self stigma (internalized stigma), stigma by association (family and friends), public stigma (driving force), and structural stigma (law and constructs that limit)

types of delusions someone with psychosis may experience

persecutory, grandiose, erotomanic, somatic, nihilistic, referential

psychosis symptoms

delusions, hallucinations, inatention, avolition, alogia, affective flattening

general history of schizophrenia

Benedict Morel (1860) - observation of symptoms he said were ‘early dementia’

Emil Kraepelin — created a framework for schizophrenia as dementia

Paul Bleuler — disagreed because people don’t always have it early, and created the 4 A’s (association, affect, ambivalence, autism)

Kurt schneider — said first rank symptoms

psychological, social, and environmental risk factors for psychosis

migration and discrimination, urbanicity, expressed emotion in families, cannabis use, schizotypal personality traits, and lots of genes. Schizophrenia also has reduced  brain volume in parts of the brain and disrupted connectivity

treatments for schizophrenia

antipsychotic medication, psychical interventions, family interventions, early intervention services, lifestyle and psychical health care

unipolar vs bipolar

unipolar will go between euthymia (normal) and depression, however bipolar will go between depression and mania

depressive episode criteria DSM 5

5 or more symptoms present for more than 2 weeks. Depressed mood  anhedonia have to be there, and then fatigue, loss of appetite, increased sleep etc.

depressive disorder criteria DSM

presense of a major depressive episode, no hisotry of mania or hypomania, no medication involved

panic disorder

recurrent unexpected panic attacks wiht 4 or more of the following symptoms. palpatations, sweating, trembling, chest pain, shortness of breath

GAD (generalised anxiety disorder)

have to have excessive anxiety and worry occuring more days than not for at least 6 months, find it difficult to control worry, and have three or more of the following symptoms. Restlessness, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, sleep issues — most people have another disorder in their life

diathesis-stress perspective

Personality vulnerability can be largely influenced by genes (no disorder without vulnerability and the disorder comes out by stressors). Diathesis and stress are cumulative, they increase together (stress is trauma, life changes etc.) For anorexia, the diatheses is perfectionism for example

3 clusters of personality disorders

‘odd’ cluster — paranoid, schizoid. ‘dramatic’ cluster — antisocial, borderline, narcissistic. ‘anxious’ cluster — avoidant, obessive compolsive

Hippocrates and hysteria

He thought that hysteria was the uterus running around the body looking for fertilization (comes from men governing the households and possibly being used as a mechanism of oppression). Very rooted in power and culture.

Drapetomania

Wanting to escape slavery was pathological, framing wanting to be liberated as a mental disorder.

culturally bound syndromes

a cluster or group of co-occuring, relatively invariant symptoms found in a specific cultural group, community, or context