(4) Psychological Disorders

psychopathology

study of abnormal behavior and psychological dysfunction

3000BC, archaeologists

trephining, or cutting holes into the skull of a living person

460-377BC, Hippocrates

illness of body and mind: result of imbalances in the body’s vital fluids, or humors

Middle Ages

exorcism

spirit possession as one cause of abnormality

Renaissance

belief in demonic possession gave way to a belief in witchcraft

Present Dayn

psychological disorders are often viewed from a medical model

2/5 of these criteria = psychological disorder

1. deviance

2. discomfort

3. dysfunction

4. danger

5. duration (?)

deviance

behavior that is rare = abnormal

social norm or situational context

discomfort

emotional distress

dysfunction

finding hard to adapt to the demands of day-to-day living

danger

dangerous to self and/others

psychological disorder

any pattern of behavior that causes people significant distress, causes harm to themselves or others, or harms their ability to function in daily life

difference of abnormality and insanity

abnormality = medical term (psychological professionals)

insanity = legal term (lawyers and judges)

insanity defense

a mentally ill person who has committed a crime should not be held liable for their action

Biological Model of Abnormality

disorders such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia as caused by faulty neurotransmitter systems, genetic problems, brain damage and dysfunction, or some combination of those causes

Psychological Model of Abnormality: Psychodynamic View

disordered thinking and behavior as the result of repressing one’s threatening thoughts, memories, and concerns in the unconscious mind

Psychological Model of Abnormality: Behaviorism

disordered behavior as being learned just like normal behavior

Psychological Model of Abnormality: Cognitive Perspective

maladaptive functioning as resulting from illogical thinking pattern

Sociocultural Perspective Model of Abnormality

abnormal and normal thinking or behavior are products of behavioral shaping within the context of social group a person belongs

cultural relativism

consider the unique characteristics of the culture to correctly diagnose a person

cultural syndromes

sets of particular symptoms of distress found in particular cultures

cultural idioms of distress

terms use to describe suffering within a given cultural context

cultural explanation or perceived cause

culturally defined ways of explaining the source or cause of symptoms of illness

Biopsychological Perspective Model of Abnormality

biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences interact with one another the cause the various forms of disorders

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

describes 250 different psychological disorders

first published in 1952, recent version DSM-5 (2013)

Psychology Student Syndrome

psych students studying abnormal behavior become convinced that they have some mental disorder

Anxiety Disorders

primary symptoms of excessive or unrealistic anxiety

Free-floating Anxiety

anxiety that seems to be unrelated to any realistic and specific, known factor, often a symptom of an anxiety disorder

Phobic Disorders

fear gets out of hand

Phobia

irrational, persistent fear of an object, situation, or social activity

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Phobia

fear of interacting with others

stage fright, fear of public speaking, fear of urinating in a public restroom

Claustrophobia

fear of being in small and enclosed space

Trypanophobia

fear of injections

Odontophobia

fear of dental work

Hematophobia

fear of blood

Ablutophobia

fear of washing or bathing

Acrophobia

fear of heights

Agoraphobia

fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or impossible

Panic Disorder

panic attack occurs more than once or repeatedly

Panic Attack

sudden onset of extreme panic with various physical symptoms

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

a person has feelings of dread and impending doom along with physical symptoms of stress, lasts 6mos or more

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

intruding and recurring thoughts or obsessions create anxiety that is relieved by performing a repetitive, ritualistic behavior or mental act

Acute Stress Disorder

resulted from major exposure to a major stressor, people seem to relive the event in their dreams and flashback for 1month

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

ASD for more than 1month