Psychological Disorders (7)

Biomedical approach

takes into account only the physical and medical causes of a psychological disorder.

Biopsychosocial approach

considers the relative contributions of biological, psychological, and social components to an individual's disorder. Treatments also fall into these three areas.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

used to diagnose psychological disorders. Its current version is DSM-5 (published May 2013). It categorizes mental disorders based on symptom patterns.

Schizophrenia

the prototypical disorder with psychosis as a feature. It contains positive and negative symptoms.

Positive symptoms

add something to behavior, cognition, or affect and include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and disorganized behavior.

Negative symptoms

are the loss of something from behavior, cognition, or affect and include disturbance of affect and avolition.

Depressive disorders

include major depressive disorder, dysthymia, and seasonal affective disorder.

Major depressive disorder

contains at least one major depressive episode.

Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)

the presence of depressive symptoms for at least two years that do not meet criteria for major depressive disorder.

Bipolar

and related disorders have manic or hypomanic episodes

Bipolar I disorder

contains at least one manic episode.

Bipolar II disorder

contains at least one major depressive episode and least one hypomanic episode.

Cyclothymic disorder

describes periods of manic and depressive symptoms that are not severe enough to be labeled an episode. These symptoms must persist for at least 2 years and be present the majority of that time.

Anxiety disorders

capture conditions in which excessive fear or anxiety impairs one's daily functions. These are differentiated by the stimuli that induces anxiety.

Specific phobias

are irrational fears of specific objects or situations.

Separation anxiety disorder

anxiety due to separation from ones caregivers, often with the ideation that if separated, either the caregiver or the patient will be harmed.

Social anxiety disorder

anxiety due to social or performance situations with the ideation that the patient will be negatively evaluated.

Selective mutism disorder

the impairment of speech in situations where speaking is expected.

Panic disorder

marked by recurrent panic attacks: intense, overwhelming fear and sympathetic nervous system activity with no clear stimulus. It may lead to agoraphobia.

Agoraphobia

a fear of places or situations where it is hard for an individual

Generalized anxiety disorder

a disproportionate and persistent worry about many different things for at least six months.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

and related disorders are characterized by perceived needs (obsessions or preoccupations) and paired actions to meet those needs (compulsions). This is characterized by obsessions and compulsions.

Obsessions

persistent, intrusive thoughts and impulses

Compulsions

repetitive tasks that relieve tension but cause significant impairment in a person's life

Body dysmorphic disorder

characterized by an unrealistic negative evaluation of one's appearance or a specific body part. The individual often takes extreme measures to correct the perceived imperfection.

Hoarding disorder

characterized by the reluctance of giving up ones physical possessions. Often this behavior is associated with excessive acquisition of physical items.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

characterized by intrusion symptoms, avoidance symptoms, negative cognitive symptoms, and arousal symptoms. These symptoms can be explained from the behaviorist perspective.

Intrusion symptoms

reliving the event, flashbacks, nightmares

Avoidance symptoms

avoidance of people, places, objects associated with trauma

Negative cognitive symptoms

amnesia, negative mood and emotions

Arousal symptoms

increased startle response, irritability, anxiety

Dissociative disorders

include dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, and depersonalization/derealization disorder.

Dissociative amnesia

an inability to recall past experience without an underlying neurological disorder. In severe forms, it may involve dissociative fugue

Dissociative fugue

a sudden change in location that may involve the assumption of a new identity.

Dissociative identity disorder

the occurrence of two or more personalities that take control of a person's behavior.

Depersonalization/derealization disorder

involves feelings of detachment from the mind and body or from the environment.

Somatic symptom disorder

involves at least one somatic symptom, which may or may not be linked to an underlying medical condition, that causes disproportionate concern.

Illness anxiety disorder

a preoccupation with thoughts about having, or coming down with, a serious medical condition.

Conversion disorder

involves unexplained symptoms affecting motor or sensory function and is associated with prior trauma.

Personality disorders (PD)

patterns of inflexible, maladaptive behavior that cause distress or impaired functioning in at least two of the following cognition, emotions, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control. They occur in three clusters: A, B, and C.

Cluster A

odd, eccentric; includes paranoid, schizotypal, and schizoid PDs.

Cluster B

dramatic, emotional, erratic; includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic PDs.

Cluster C

anxious, fearful; includes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive PDs.

Paranoid PD

involves a pervasive distrust and suspicion of others.

Schizotypal PD

involves ideas of reference, magical thinking, and eccentricity.

Schizoid PD

involves detachment from social relationships and limited emotion.

Antisocial PD

involves a disregard for the rights of others.

Borderline PD

involves instability in relationships, mood, and self-image. Splitting is characteristic, as are recurrent suicide attempts.

Histrionic PD

involves constant attention-seeking behavior.

Narcissistic PD

involves a grandiose sense of self-importance and need for admiration.

Avoidant PD

involves extreme shyness and fear of rejection.

Dependent PD

involves a continuous need for reassurance.

Obsessive-compulsive PD

involves perfectionism, inflexibility, and preoccupation with rules.

Schizophrenia

may be associated with genetic factors, birth trauma, adolescent marijuana use, and family history. There are high levels of dopaminergic transmission.

Depression

accompanied by high levels of glucocorticoids and low levels of norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.

Bipolar disorders

accompanied by high levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. They are also highly heritable.

Alzheimer’s disease

associated with genetic factors, brain atrophy, decreases in acetylcholine, senile plaques of beta-amyloid, and neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau protein.

Parkinson’s disease

associated with bradykinesia, resting tremor, pill-rolling tremor, masklike facies, cogwheel rigidity, and a shuffling gait.
There is decreased production of dopamine by cells in the substantia nigra.