AP Psychology Unit 5 - Psychological Disorders Summary

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

These disorders have early signs and symptoms. It can impair human functions.

ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and inattention. This causes the individual to have difficulty focusing, constantly moving, and acting without thinking.

Autism

A neuraldevelopmental disorder characterized by challenges with social communication, repetitive behaviors, restricted movement, and increased sensitivity. This is a spectrum.

Causes:

• Inherited genes

• Environmental factors that influence how the brain develops

• Physiological imbalances

• Teratogen exposure

Schizophrenic Spectrum Disorders

Individuals may show symptoms in one or more of five key areas.

• Delusions

• Disorganized thinking

• Hallucinations

• Flat affect

• Catatonia

Mainly believed that causes point to genetic factors

Positive Symptoms

Behaviors or experiences that add to a person’s behavior

Negative Symptoms

Behaviors or experiences that are absent from or reduced from an individual

Delusions

Common positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

These are false beliefs that an individual may have despite having clear or reasonable contradictory evidence

Two Types of Delusions:

• Delusions of Persecution: Believing that others are out to harm you

• Delusions of Grandeur: Believing that you have exceptional abilities

Hallucinations

Common positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

These are false perceptions an individual may have. They will experience sensory stimulus when nothing is there

Most common is auditory hallucinations, when a person is hearing voices that are not actually there. But visual, smell, and taste is possible

Disorganized Motor Behavior

A negative and positive symptom of schizophrenia depending on what is happening to the individual

• Catatonia: Condition that affects a person’s movement or behavior

• Catatonia Excitement: Experiencing sudden and out of control movements

• Cataonic Stupor: In a state of unresponsiveness with minimal movement or speech

Flat Affect

A negative symptom of schizophrenia that causes an individual to have reduced emotional expression, causing them to have little to no facial expressions and monotone

Alogia

Common negative symptom of schizophrenia where speech is reduced

Disorganized Thinking or Speech

A positive symptom of schizophrenia where cognition and linguistic functions are abnormal

Word Salad

A phenomenon when individuals throw words together without any logical connections

Loose Associations

When an individual jumps between topics that are not connected with each other

Tangental Speech

A type of speech where an individual’s speech strays off topic and does not connect back to the main point

Acute Symptoms

The type of symptoms that are triggered by stress or a major life event. They appear suddenly and are more reactive to a situation

Chronic Symptoms

The type of symptoms that develop over time and remains persistent. It can lead to functional decline if not properly managed

Dopamine Hypothesis

The hypothesis that proposes that dopamine can contribute to the onset or intensity of schizophrenia symptoms

• Too much dopamine activity is linked to positive symptoms like hallucinations or delusions

• Too little dopamine activity can lead to negative symptoms like lack of motivation or flat affect

Depressive Disorders

Disorders that consist of mood changes, leaving individuals feeling sad or empty, or becoming easily frustrated

Symptoms Include:

• Suicidal thoughts

• Difficulty concentrating

• Forgetting details

Major Depressive Disorder

A type of depressive disorder that consists of periods where individual loses interest in most activities, experiences significant sleep or appetite changes, and negative thoughts. To be diagnosed, symptoms must last two weeks

Causes:

• Inherited vulnerability

• Serotonin and norepinephrine imbalances

• Traumatic life events

• Lacking a support system

• Poor diet

• Lack of excercise

• Inadequate coping mechanisms

• Improper reinforcement patterns

• Learned helplessness

• Substance abuse

• Pessimistic thoughts

Persistent Depressive Disorder

A type of depressive disorder that are less intense compared to major depressive disorder, but symptoms last longer

Genetic Predisposition

Having an existing genetic vulnerability can be pushed over to the edge with an individual's pessimism that makes them more likely to develop depression

Bipolar Disorders

Disorders that shift between two mood states. Mood swings can vary in intensity and duration from person to person

Causes (likely a combination of these):

• Heredity component

• Dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine imbalances

• Significant trauma or major loss

• Substance misuse

• Irregular sleep schedules

• Maladaptive thoughts

Manic Episodes

Bipolar episodes with feelings of high energy, impulsivity, and euphoria

Depressive Episodes

Bipolar episodes with moments of low energy, sadness, and hopelessness

Bipolar Cycling

When individuals experience alternative periods of mania and depression

Bipolar 1 Disorder

A type of bipolar disorder where there is at least one full manic episode that lasts at least seven days, followed by depressive episodes that typically last around two weeks

Bipolar II Disorder

A type of bipolar disorder that contains hypomanic episodes, which are less severe than full mania but noticeable shifts from one’s typical behavior

Anxiety Disorders

Disorders consisting of excessive fear and or worry. These feelings go beyond normal unease and are strong enough to impact an individual’s ability to perform their daily activities.

They often engage in avoidant behavior

Specific phobia

An intense irrational fear or anxiety that is directed at a particular object or situation

Example: Arachnophobia (fear of spiders)

Agoraphobia

The fear of being in situations where there is no escape

Panic Disorder

An anxiety disorder that consists of an intense, unexpected episode of fear accompanied by physical symptoms

• Rapid heartbeat

• Shortness of breath

• Sweating

• Nausea

• Chest pain

Ataque de Nervous

A type of panic attack experienced among individuals of Caribbean or Iberian descent.

• Involves similar symptoms to an average panic attack, but also includes screaming

Culture-Bound Discord

A psychological condition that is specific to a cultural group

Social Anxiety

A type of anxiety disorder that one has intense fear or anxiety about social situations where one might be judged, criticized, or watched by others

Another variant of social anxiety is Taijin Kyofusho:

• A form of social anxiety where the fear focuses on offending or displeasing others rather than personal embarrassment

Generalized Anxiety Disorders

A type of anxiety disorder where an individual experiences excessive, uncontrollable worry about their life in a long period of time

Causes:

• Learned associations where people can develop anxiety by pairing a neutral stimulus with a traumatic experience that reinforces the anxious response

• Observational learning such as seeing negative consequences

• Maladaptive thinking

• Imbalances in serotonin, norepinephrine, or GABA

• Traumatic upbringing

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders (OCD)

Obsessions: Intrusive and unwanted thoughts that repeatedly pop into a person’s mind

Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors done to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsessions

Goes into a cycle

• Obsession → Anxiety → Compulsion → Temporary Relief

Causes:

• Conditioning

• Maladaptive thinking

• Heredity

• Imbalances in serotonin

Hoarding Disorder

A type of OCD in which the individual has difficulty discarding possessions regardless of their actual value

Selected Dissociative Disorders

A type of disorder that involves a disconnect or seperation from a person’s consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, or perception

Causes:

• Severe trauma

• Adverse experiences

Dissociative Amnesia

A type of dissociative disorder that involves a person’s inability to recall important personal events due to trauma or stress

Disssociative Fugue

A dissociative phenomenon where an individual forgets key details about themselves, but also unexpected travel away from one’s environment

This can lead to the loss of identity and taking on a new persona

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

A type of dissociative disorder where an individual has two or more distinct personality traits or identities. They commonly experience gaps in memory and behavioral changes.

Often caused by severe and repeated trauma in childhood, leading to the individual developing multiple personas to protect themselves

Selected Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Disorders that originate after experiencing or witnessing a highly disturbing event or dangerous event. They may experience hypervigilance (always on the lookout for danger)

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A stress related disorder when an individual re-experiences the traumatic event they witness or experienced through flashbacks of nightmares. This can be triggered in many ways.

They may struggle with intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and being reminded from something

Selected Feeding and Eating Disorders

A type of disorder that involves disturbed eating habits, such as restricting food, binging, or purging

Causes:

• Serotonin imbalances or other hormonal imbalances

• Genetic vulnerability

• Societal pressures on beauty standards

• Maladaptive reinforcements on limiting eating

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder that is characterized by extreme food restriction with the intense fear of gaining weight and having a distorted body image.

Individual may have nutritional deficiencies, organ damage, weakened bones, and life threatening complications

Bullemia Nervosa

An eating disorder that is characterized by binge eating that is followed by purging afterwards.

• Vomiting

• Using laxatives

Individuals may have digestive issues, heart problems, and psychological distress

Selected Personality Disorders

Disorders that remain fixed over time, which lead to emotional suffering or problems with daily activities. They may cause an individual to have abnormal personality traits or behaviors. These are usually grouped in three clusters

Causes:

• Abnormalities in brain function or neurotransmitter activity

• Heredity

• Abusive, neglectful, or over critical environments that lead to maladaptive coping styles or self perceptions

Cluster A Personality Disorders

These personality disorders are considered “odd or eccentric.” It is characterized by social awkwardness, suspiciousness, and difficulty relating to others

• Paranoid Personality

• Schizoid Personality

• Schizotypal Personality

Cluster B Personality Disorders

These personality disorders are considered “dramatic or erratic.” It is characterized by intense emotions, impulsive behaviors, and/ or a strong need for attention or admiration

Cluster C Personality Disorders

These personality disorders are considered “anxious or fearful.” It is characterized by having behaviors that avoid perceived harm or rejection

Paranoid Personality Disorder

A cluster A personality disorder that involves the individual believing that others will harm them or deceive them, causing them to have trust issues with others

Schizoid Personality Disorder

A cluster A personality disorder that is characterized by detachment from social relationships and restricted range of emotional expression

Schizotypal Personality Disorder

A cluster A personality disorder that is characterized by an individual feeling discomfort in social settings, believing in odd beliefs, and exhibiting odd or eccentric behaviors or speech

Antisocial Borderline Personality

A cluster B personality disorder that is characterized by an individual that disregard the rights of others and avoid social situations.

Histrionic Borderline Personality

A cluster B personality disorder that is characterized by attention seeking tendencies. They always want to be the center of attention

Narcissistic Borderline Personality

A cluster B personality disorder that is characterized by the need for validation and admiration, while lacking empathy for others

Borderline Personality Disorder

A cluster B personality disorder that is characterized by instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions. They may have a fear of abandonment and self harm

Avoidant Personality Disorder

A cluster C personality disorder that is characterized by social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation.

This causes the individual to avoid social interactions in fears of rejection or embarrassment

Dependent Personality Disorder

A cluster C personality disorder that is characterized by an individual feeling like they need to be taken care of. They struggle to be independent

Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

A cluster C personality disorder that is characterized by an individual needing to be perfect, seeking control over all aspects of their life, and wanting it to be in order