Introduction to Abnormal Psychology: DSM-5, Disorders, and Classification

Psychopathology

Study of the nature, symptomatology, development, and treatments of psychological disorders.

Dysfunction

Breakdown/disturbance in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning; internal mechanism is unable to perform its usual function.

Distress

A person's behavior may be classified as disordered if it causes him or her great distress.

Disability

Impairment in some important area of life (e.g., work or personal relationships) that can also characterize mental disorder.

Deviance/Violation of Social Norms

Reaction is outside cultural norms; something is considered abnormal because it occurs infrequently.

DSM

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual; contains diagnostic criteria for behaviors that cause clinically significant distress or impairment.

Persistent and Recurrent

Behaviors that are present for a specified duration, rather than isolated or transient.

Categorical Classification

Forces clinicians to define one threshold as 'diagnosable'.

Dimensional Classification

Describes the degree of an entity that is present.

Other Specified Disorder

Used when a patient does not meet full criteria for a disorder, but the clinician chooses to specify the reason why.

Unspecified Disorder

Used when a patient does not meet full criteria for a disorder, and the clinician chooses not to specify the reason.

Cultural Issues

Cultural shapes how symptoms are experienced, expressed, and interpreted.

Mental Disorder (APA, 2013)

A syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior.

Significant Distress or Disability

Usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities.

Culturally Approved Response

An expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss is not a mental disorder.

Assessment Considerations

Assessment must consider sociocultural context and adaptation.

Cultural Formulation

Tools included in DSM

Early Life Disorders

Disorders that typically manifest early in life.

Adolescent and Young Adult Disorders

Disorders common in adolescence and young adulthood.

Adult and Later Life Disorders

Disorders relevant to adulthood and later life.

Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)

Widespread diagnoses due to overly narrow disorder categories in earlier DSMs.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Disorders that typically manifest during the developmental period.

Elimination Disorders

Disorders characterized by inappropriate elimination of urine or feces.

Intellectual Disabilities

Deficits in general mental abilities resulting in impairments of adaptive functioning.

Communication Disorders

Disorders affecting the ability to communicate effectively.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Characterized by significant inattention, disorganization, and/or hyperactivity

Specific Learning Disorder

Marked difficulty learning and using academic skills lasting at least 6 months.

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Disorders characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking.

Bipolar and Related Disorders

Disorders characterized by mood swings from manic to depressive episodes.

Sexual Dysfunctions

Disorders characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in sexual desire or response.

Depressive Disorders

Disorders characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest.

Gender Dysphoria

Distress caused by a discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their assigned sex at birth.

Anxiety Disorders

Disorders characterized by excessive fear or anxiety.

Substance

related and Addictive Disorders

Obsessive

Compulsive and Related Disorders

Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders

Disorders characterized by problems in the self

Trauma and Stressor

Related Disorders

Neurocognitive Disorder

Disorders characterized by a decline in cognitive functioning.

Dissociative Disorders

Disorders characterized by a disruption in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception.

Personality Disorder

Disorders characterized by enduring patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience.

Somatic Symptom and Other Related Disorders

Disorders characterized by the presence of physical symptoms that cause significant distress.

Paraphilic Disorder

Disorders characterized by intense sexual urges or fantasies involving atypical objects or situations.

Feeding and Eating Disorders

Disorders characterized by persistent disturbance in eating behavior.

Pica

Eating non

Rumination Disorder

Repeated regurgitation of food over a period of at least one month.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

An eating or feeding disturbance characterized by avoidance of food.

Anorexia Nervosa

Characterized by restriction of energy intake leading to significantly low body weight.

Bulimia Nervosa

Characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors.

Developmental Coordination Disorder

Characterized by problems with learning and performing coordinated movements.

Stereotypic Movement Disorder

Repetitive and purposeless movements that interfere with daily life.

Tic Disorders

Characterized by sudden, rapid, recurring motor movements or vocal sounds.

Tourette's Disorder

Multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic present for more than one year.

Persistent (Chronic) Motor or Vocal Tic Disorder

Only motor tics or vocal tics present.

Provisional Tic Disorder

Motor and/or vocal tics present for less than one year.

Schizophrenia

Characterized by two or more symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech.

Brief Psychotic Disorder

Sudden onset of one or more symptoms of schizophrenia lasting more than 1 day but less than 1 month.

Schizophreniform Disorder

Symptomatic presentation equivalent to schizophrenia lasting less than 6 months.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

Characterized by long

Delusional Disorder

Characterized by the presence of one or more delusions lasting at least 1 month.

Schizoaffective Disorder

A major mood episode occurs at the same time as symptoms of schizophrenia.

Bipolar I

Characterized by at least one episode of mania.

Bipolar II

Characterized by at least one episode of hypomania and one episode of major depression.

Cyclothymic Disorder

Characterized by numerous periods with hypomanic symptoms and depressive symptoms over at least two years.

Major Depressive Disorder

Characterized by sad mood and/or loss of interest/pleasure in activities.

Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)

Depressed mood for most of the day more than half of the time for 2 years.

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Core features include chronic severe irritability and two main manifestations: frequent temper outbursts and persistent irritable or angry mood between outbursts.

Temper outbursts

Occur 3 or more times per week and are out of proportion to the situation.

Symptoms duration for Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Symptoms must be present for at least 12 months with no period of 3 or more months without symptoms.

Diagnosis criteria for Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Must occur in 2 or more settings and be severe in at least 1, with onset before age 10.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Involves strong mood changes such as irritability, sadness, anxiety, and affective lability occurring before the menstrual period.

Symptoms of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Symptoms improve once menstruation starts or soon after and cause significant distress or interfere with daily life.

Specific Phobia

Strong and unreasonable fear of a specific object or situation, leading to avoidance or intense anxiety.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Marked and disproportionate fear triggered by potential social scrutiny, leading to avoidance or intense anxiety.

Panic Disorder

Characterized by recurrent unexpected panic attacks and at least 1 month of concern about additional attacks.

Agoraphobia

Strong fear of at least two situations where escape may be difficult, causing avoidance or intense distress.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Excessive worry about many things, difficult to control, lasting at least 6 months with multiple symptoms.

Separation Anxiety Disorder

Excessive fear about being separated from loved ones, lasting at least 4 weeks in children and 6 months in adults.

Selective Mutism

Consistent failure to speak in certain social situations, interfering with social communication.

Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders

Involves obsessions (unwanted thoughts) and/or compulsions (repetitive behaviors) that cause distress.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Strong preoccupation with a perceived flaw in physical appearance, leading to repetitive behaviors.

Hoarding Disorder

Ongoing difficulty letting go of possessions, resulting in cluttered living spaces.

Reactive Attachment Disorder

Inhibited or emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, with signs appearing before age 5.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Exposure to traumatic events with symptoms including intrusion, avoidance, and negative alterations in mood.

Acute Stress Disorder

Similar to PTSD but with a shorter duration of symptoms.

Dissociative Amnesia

Inability to recall important personal information, often related to trauma, causing significant distress.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states with memory gaps.

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Preoccupation with fears of having a serious disease without significant somatic symptoms.

Conversion Disorder

One or more symptoms affecting voluntary motor or sensory function, incompatible with recognized medical disorders.

Factitious Disorder

Faking or manufacturing of symptoms without apparent motive, presenting oneself as ill or injured.

Psychological Disorder or Abnormal behavior

A psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and response that is not typical or culturally expected.

Psychological dysfunction

A breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning.

Distress or impairment

If the individual is extremely upset.

Atypical or not culturally expected

Violation of social norms.

The 4Ds of Mental Disorders

Deviant, Distress, Dysfunction, Danger.

Deviant

Different, extreme, unusual.

Danger

Poses risk of harm to themselves or others.

Anorexia

Successful at losing weight; exercise.

Two types of Anorexia

Restricting type and Binge

Binge eating disorder

Binge repeatedly but do not purge.