Psych unit 5

psychological disorder

psychological disorder

• a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behaviour

• significantly disturbed thoughts, emotions, or behaviours are dysfunctional or maladaptive, + interfere w/ daily life

mislabelling behaviours

• behaviours can be misinterpreted + persuaded thus misdiagnosing patients

medical model

• the concept that diseases(psychological disorders) have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, + in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital

biological influences of psychological disorders

• evolution

• individual genes

• brain structure + chem

psychological influences of psychological disorders

• stress

• trauma

• learned helplessness

• mood-related perceptions + memories

social-cultural influences of psychological disorders

• roles

• expectations

• definitions of normality + disorder

diagnosing psychological disorders

• orders + describes symptoms

• a thumbnail sketch of a person’s disordered behaviour, thoughts, or feelings

• predict future course

• suggest appropriate treatment

• prompt research into its causes

• bring relief + improve function

• DSM-5 can cast too wide of net

• DSM-5 can be arbitrary and create preconceptions + bias

phobia

• an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear + avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

fear

• if intense enough, people may develop agoraphobia—fear or avoidance of public situations from which escape might be difficult

• natural selection

OCD

• a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

obsessive thoughts of OCD

• unwanted

• so repetitive seems like never goes away

• repetitive thoughts

• concern with dirt, germs, or toxins

• something terrible happening

• symmetry, order, exactness

compulsive behaviours of OCD

• responses to obsessive thoughts

• repetitive behaviours

• excessive handwashing, toothbrushing, or grooming

• repeating rituals

• checking doors, locks, appliances, car brakes, homework

reinforcement

• any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

• helps maintain learned fears + anxieties

• anything that enables us to avoid or escape a feared situation can reinforce maladaptive behaviors

dissociative disorders

• controversial, rare disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, + feelings

fugue states

• result of dissociative disorders

• not knowing who you are, perhaps accompanied by travel or relocation to a new place

clusters of personality disorders

• anxiety

  • fearful sensitivity to rejection that predisposes the withdrawn avoidant personality disorder

• eccentric/odd

  • motionless disengagement of schizotypal personality disorder

• dramatic/impulsive

  • attention-getting borderline personality disorder

  • self-focused narcissistic personality disorder

  • callous + often dangerous, antisocial personality disorder

ADHD

• child who displays inattention, hyperactivity, + impulsivity

anxiety disorders

• psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

social anxiety disorder

• intense fear + avoidance of social situations

• become extremely anxious in social settings where others might judge them

• may avoid going out at all

generalized anxiety disorder

• a person is continually tense, apprehensive, + in a state of autonomic NS arousal

• excessive + uncontrollable worry that persists for 6mon+

• worry continually, agitated, jittery, sleep deprived

• cant identify, + therefore relieve or avoid, the tension’s cause

• free-floating

panic disorder

• unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread – panic attacks- in which a person may experience terror + accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations

• followed by worry over a possible next attack

• lead to agoraphobia

PTSD

• characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, +/or insomnia that lingers for 4weeks+ after a traumatic experience

major depressive disorder

• a state of hopelessness + lethargy lasting several weeks or months

• depressed mood most of the time

• reduced interest/enjoyment in activities

• challenges regulating appetite + weight

• challenges regulating sleep

• physical agitation or lethargy

• much less energy

• worthless or guilt

• probs thinking, concentrating, decisions

• thinking of death + suicide

persistent depressive disorder

• similar to major depressive disorder, but w/ milder depressive symptoms that last a much longer period of time

• difficulty w/ decision making + concentration

• feeling hopeless

• poor self-esteem

• reduced energy levels

• problems regulatingsleep

• problems regulating appetite

bipolar disorder

• person alternates between the hopelessness + lethargy of depression + the overexcited state of mania

• mania state follows when a depressive episode ends, a euphoric, overly talkative, wildly energetic, + extremely optimistic start

• speech is loud, flighty, + hard to interrupt

• find advice irritating

• fewer sexual inhibitions

• little need for sleep

• reckless spending or unsafe sex

• poor judgement

• can fuel creativity

schizophrenia

• characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, +/or diminished, distracted easily by unrelated stimuli, inappropriate emotional expression

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

• hallucinations

• talk in disorganized + deluded ways

• exhibit inappropriate laughter, tears, or rage.

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

• absence of emotion in their voices

• expressionless faces

• unmoving—mute + rigid—bodies

• social withdrawal (chronic)

chronic schizophrenia

• form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood

• psychotic episodes last longer + recovery periods shorten

acute schizophrenia

• form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age

• frequently occurs in response to a traumatic event

• more pos symptoms

physical of schizophrenia

• excess dopamine receptors = intensify brain signal

• low frontal lobe activity = reasoning, planning, + solving prob

• enlarged fluid-filled ventricles

• shrinkage + thinning of cerebral tissue

prenatal events of schizophrenia

• maternal diabetes

• older paternal age

• viral infections

• famine conditions

• low weight

• o2 deprivation at birth

• genetically influenced

biological dynamics of bipolar

• genetic predispositions

  • increase risk if parent or sibling

• neurochemical imbalances

• nutritional deficits

neurochemical imbalances of bipolar

• decrease in myelinated axons + enlarged fluid-filled ventricles

• norepinephrine, which increases arousal + boosts mood, is scarce during depression + overabundant during mania

• serotonin is scarce or inactive during depression

nutritional deficits of bipolar

• environmental influences lay down epigenetic marks: molecular genetic tags that can turn certain genes on or off

• Mediterranean diet have a comparatively low risk of developing heart disease, stroke, late life cognitive decline, + depression—all of which are associated with inflammation

• alcohol misuse

somatic symptom disorder

• psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause

• vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty in swallowing, severe and prolonged pain

conversion disorder

• person experiences a very specific physical symptom that is not compatible w/ recognized medical or neurological conditions

• lose sensation in a way that makes no neurological sense

• unexplained paralysis, blindness, or an inability to swallow

illness anxiety disorder

• person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease

• people interpret normal sensations (a stomach cramp today, a headache tomorrow) as symptoms of a dreaded disease

DID

• rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct + alternating personalities

• two or more distinct identities—each w/ its own voice and mannerisms— seem to control a person’s behaviour at different times

• distinct body + brain states associated w/ differing personalities

• shrinkage in areas that aid memory + detection of threat

• symptoms as defences against the anxiety caused by the eruption of unacceptable impulses

personality disorders

• inflexible + enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

antisocial personality disorder

• a personality disorder in which a person exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends + family members

• maybe aggressive + ruthless or a clever con artist

• show lower emotional intelligence— the ability to understand, manage, and perceive emotions

• remorseless criminal behaviour

• low arousal in response to threats

• reduced activation in frontal lobes: helps break impulsive, aggressive behaviour

anorexia nervosa

• feeding + eating disorder in which a person maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight

• sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise

• drop significantly below normal weight

• yet they feel fat, + fear being fat

• binge-purge-depression cycle

bulimia nervosa

• feeding + eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) is followed by inappropriate weight-loss promoting behavior

• such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

binge eating disorder

• significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory behavior (purging, fasting or excessive exercise) that marks bulimia nervosa