Psychopathology and Mental Health Exam 1

Why should we be concerned about mental health issues?

• 1 in 2 people experience a mental health disorder

Discuss stigma and the role that it plays in the lives of individuals w/mental illness

• prejudice & discrimination by public

• self stigma - internalize stereotypes of mental health diagnosis

• people believe those with a mental health daignosis are dangerous, diferent, unpredictable, violent, commit more crimes, or incompetent

What is ‘normal’ vs. ‘abnormal’ behavior?

• psychologists use the DSM to define disorders

• “normal” is not necesarily real, sociocultural factors, cultural values contribute

Describe a history of the treatment of the mentally ill

• Prehistoric / ancient beliefs: evil spirits in a person’s body, exorcisms, sacrfice children or animals

• Middle Ages: supernatural explanations

• 14th - 16th centuries: horendous conditions in asylums, rise of humanism

• 15th - 17th centuries: witchcraft, religious reform

• Moral Treatment Movement: 18th and 19th century, shift to more humane treatment of mentally disabled

• Warehousing: people with mental illness are placed in institutions that are ill-equipped to provide adequate care, or where they are subject to abuse and poor treatment

Describe the assumptions of the biological model of abnormal behavior

• genes determine who we are

• human thoughts, emotions, behaviors are associated w/ nerve cell activities

• change in thoghts, emotions, behaviors equals change in activity/structure of brain

• drugs/medication, intervention/treatment

• epigenetics

Social Anxiety Disorder

• intense fear of being scrutinized or doing something embarassing in front of others

• often comorbid w/ major depressive and substance abuse disorders

• women twice as likely

• chronic and disabling

Specific phobias

• extreme fear of a specific object or situation

  • exposure to stimulus nearly always preduces intense anxiety/panic attacks

• primary types

  • living creatures (spiders)

  • environmental conditions (heights)

  • blood or injury (needles)

  • situational factors (flying)

• multipath model:

  • biological: genetic predisposition

  • social: parental modeling, negative social interactions

  • psychological: conditioning, cognitive distortions

  • sociocultural: gender differences, cultural childrearing practices

Agoraphobia

• intense fear of at least 2 of the following

  • being outside of home

  • traveling via public transportation

  • being in open spaces

  • standing in line / being in a crowd

  • being in stores, theaters, malls etc.

Panic Disorder

• recurrent, unexpected panic attacks combined with apprehension about having another attack or behavior changes to avoid attacks

• 1 month +

• multipath model

  • biological: fewer seratonin receptors, SSRIs effective

  • psychosocial: heightened fear response to bodily sensations

• role of cognitions:

  • internal or external stressor begins

  • cycle continues with next 4

  • perception of bodily sensations (breathing heartrate etc)

  • catastrophizing thoughts (I am dying)

  • increased bodily sensations

  • more catastrophizing

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• persistant high levls of anxiety and excessive, hard to control worry

• develops gradually, usually starts in childhood

• multipath model

  • biological: smal but significant heritability, may disrupt prefrontal cortex modualtion of response to threats

  • psychological: dysfunctional thinking and beliefs

  • sociocultural: minority groups, stressful living conditions

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• obsessions: result of catostrophic misinterpretation of intrusive thoughts

• compulsions: need to perform an act to reduce anxiety

OCD related disorders

• body dysmorphic disorder: preoccupation witha percieved physical defect

• trichotillomania: hair pulling disorder

• skin picking disorder

• hoarding: inability to discard items regardless of value

Depression symptoms

• mood/affective: sadness, emptiness, worthlessness, hopelessness

• cognitive: pessimissism, guilt, difficulty concentrating, negative thinking, sucidal thoughts

• behavioral: social withdrawl, crying, low eneergy, lowered productivvity, poor hygene

• physiolocial: appetite weight changes, sleep disturbance, aches and pains, loss of drive

mania symptoms

• mood/affective: elevated mood, confidence, grandiosity, irritability

• cognitive: disorienttaion, racing thoughts, decreased focus/attention, poor judgement

• behavioral: overactive, rapid/incoherrent speech, impulsivity, risk-taking bheavior

• physiological: high arousal, decreased sleep, increased sex drive

Major Depressive Disorder

• ocurrance of at least 1 major depressive episode (2 weeks)

• 14-19% prevelance

• avg onset in 20s

Persistent Depressive Disorder

• depressed mood that has lasted for at least 2 years

Premenstral Dysphoric Disorder

• severe depression, mood swings, anxiety, or irritability ocurring before onset of menses

• improvement of symptoms within a few days of menstration and minimal to no symotoms following menstration

mania vs hypomania

Hypomania is a milder version of mania that typically lasts for a shorter period

Bipolar I

• at least 1 weeklong manic episode

• mixed features or depressive episodes are common

Bipolar II

• experience hypomania (not mania/ not as severe)

• still experience depressive episodes

Cyclothymic disorder

• periods involving milder hypomanic and milder depression

• symptoms may not meet cruteria for hypomanic, manic, or depressive episodes

etiology of depression

biology

• low levels of neurotransmitters

• genetics ½ of variance in susceptibility

• studies show heightened activity to neg. stimuli and reduced to pos.

cognitive

• pessimism

• damaging self-views

• co-rumination

• Beck’s 6 types of faulty thinking

• learned helplessness

etiology of bipolar

biological

• complex genetics: genes influenced by lithium

• neurological abnormalities: brain dysregulation after reaching a goal in response to obstructed goal

other:

• onset of bipolar sometimes directly follows major stressor

• selective attention

• recall neg. info about self

• biological factors more promient than other factors

The multipath model

• biological: genetics, brain anatomy, biochem processes, CNS

• psycholocial: personality, cognition, emotions, learning, self-esteem, values'

• social: family, interpersonal relationships, social support, belonging, love

• sociocultural: race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, cultural values