Mental Disorders (Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health) - AP Psychology

neurodevelopmental disorders

inappropriate behaviors for age/maturity—usual onset in childhood

attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD)

(has one or both) inattention impacting inability to function academically/socially or hyperactivity/impulsivity

causes of ADHD

changes in prefrontal cortex, reticular activating system, limbic system; genetic

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

impairment in social relationships/communication and repetitive behaviors

causes of autism spectrum disorder

genetics, prenatal exposure to environmental stimuli

anorexia nervosa

weight loss of at least 15% ideal weight, distorted body image, major calorie restriction, excessive exercise

bulimia nervosa

usually normal body weight, go through a binge-purge eating pattern (eat lots, then vomit)

causes of eating disorders

biology, sociocultural, behavioral/cognitive

biological causes of eating disorders

changes in hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, genetics

sociocultural causes of eating disorders

social media exposure, parenting styles, hobbies

behavioral/cognitive causes of eating disorders

learned association and maladaptive thought patterns

major depressive disorder

extreme sadness and despair, apathy towards life (at least two weeks of symptoms)

persistent depressive

long term “less severe” depression (at least two years of symptoms)

mania

heightened mood, risky behaviors, fast talking, flights of ideas

bipolar I

manic episodes, usually full depressive episodes

bipolar II

hypomanic episodes, full depressive episodes

causes of depressive and bipolar disorders

biology, cognitive, behavioral, sociocultural, and biopsychosocial and diathesis stress model apply

biological causes of depressive and bipolar disorders

lower levels of serotonin and norepinephrine linked to depression, higher levels of norepinephrine linked to mania; runs in families suggesting genes, twin studies also support this

cognitive causes of depressive and bipolar disorders

negative thought patterns lead to depression

behavioral causes of depressive and bipolar disorders

learned helplessness

sociocultural causes of depressive and bipolar disorders

more common in women, LGBTQ, low socioeconomic status

acute schizophrenia

severe episodes with normal functioning in between

chronic

repeated episodes with decreased functioning

positive symptoms

symptom is added (ex. hallucinations, the added symptom is seeing things)

hallucinations (+)

sensory experiences without sensory stimulation (seeing and/or hearing things)

delusions (+)

false beliefs (persecution: people are out to get them and grandeur: “I am God”)

disorganized thinking/speech

word salads (string together sentences in nonsensical ways)

disorganized motor behavior

excited catatonia (sudden/unpredictable movement)

negative symptoms

something taken away (ex. not being able to express your emotions anymore)

flat affect

lack ability to show emotions

disorganized motor behavior

catatonic stupor (become frozen/unmoving over periods of time)

causes of schizophrenia

genetics, dopamine hypothesis, prenatal virus exposure, diathesis-stress

dopamine hypothesis

too much dopamine in the brain

diathesis-stress model

explains mental disorders as a result of both a genetic predisposition and environmental stressors; suggests that individuals with a genetic vulnerability for a disorder are more likely to develop it when exposed to significant stress; highlights the interaction between nature (genetics) and nurture (environment) in the development of mental health issues

phobic

irrational fear that disrupts your life

acrophobia

fear of heights

arachnphobia

fear of spiders

agoraphobia

fear of specific social situations (using public transport, being in open places, being in enclosed spaces with people, standing in a line or being in a crowd, being outside of the home alone)

panic disorder

frequent and sudden panic attacks

panic attacks

unanticipated and overwhelming biological, psychological, and cognitive experiences of fear/anxiety (feels like a heart attack)

ataque de nervios

uncontrollable screaming, shouting, crying associated with stressful event (often family); associated with Caribbean and Iberian descent

social anxiety disorder

intense fear of being judged, criticized, watched by others (can be paired with agoraphobia)

taijin kyofusho

people fear others are judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing (seen in Japan)

generalized anxiety disorder

person is generally anxious, all the time

causes of anxiety disorders

behavioral, biological/evolutionary, cognitive

behavioral causes of anxiety disorders

conditioning leads to anxiety, which is then reinforced and/or associated with other objects/events

biological/evolutionary causes of anxiety disorders

natural selection favored those with certain phobias (heights); twins often share disorders; often see less GABA in the brain; overactive autonomic nervous system

cognitive causes of anxiety disorders

maladaptive thinking/emotional responses

dissociative amnesia (with or without fugue)

inability to remember parts of the past as a result of trauma—if with fugue: following a traumatic event a person leaves, taking on a whole new life and personality with no memory of the previous one

dissociative identity disorder

formerly multiple personalities—person fractures into several distinct personalities who normally have no awareness of each other (NOT schizophrenia)

causes of dissociative disorders

usually result of severe trauma or stress (often childhood abuse)

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

person is overwhelmed with both obsessions and compulsions

obsessions

persistent unwanted (intrusive) thoughts (did I leave the stove on?)

compulsions

intrusive repetitive behaviors (checking something, hand washing)

hoarding

subtype of OCD—compelled to accumulate and keep things; hard to get rid of stuff

causes of obsessive compulsive disorder

biological, behavioral, cognitive

biological causes of obsessive compulsive disorder

genetics, overactive frontal lobe

behavioral causes of obsessive compulsive disorder

learned associations

cognitive causes of obsessive compulsive disorder

maladaptive thought patterns

post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD)

flashbacks, hypervigilance (always on the look out for something terrible to happen), severe anxiety, insomnia, emotional detachment, hostility

cause of post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD)

stressful/traumatic event (not just war—can be an accident, natural disaster, unexpected injury/loss)

personality disorders

disruptive, inflexible, enduring behavior patterns

cluster a personality disorder

odd/eccentric cluster

cluster a can be categorized as

paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal

paranoid (a)

distrust, suspicious about people’s motives

schizoid (a)

no interest in relationships, lack emotions (think devoid)—similar to negative symptoms of schizophrenia

schizotypal (a)

discomfort with social interactions, extremely superstitious, delusion thinking, unusual speech—similar to positive symptoms of schizophrenia

cluster b personality disorder

dramatic, emotional, erratic

cluster b can be categorized as

antisocial*, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic

antisocial* (b) (AP exam fav)

NOT “avoidant of socialization” more like “anti-society”—disregard for others, manipulative, breaks laws

borderline (b)

instable interpersonal relationships and self-image

histrionic

excessive emotionality and attention seeking

narcissistic

need for admiration and lack of empathy

cluster c personality disorder order

anxious and fearful cluster

cluster c can be categorized as

avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive

avoidant (c)

severe social anxiety, feel inadequate, strong want for intimacy

dependent

helpless, submissive, need to be taken care of and constant reassurance, can not make decisions for self

obsessive-compulsive

preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, control