Video Lessons: Mental Disorders

Mental disorders were first attributed to supernatural forces

Somatogenic Hypothesis

Mental disorders have physiological causes

Psychogenic Hypothesis

Symptoms are caused by psychological processes

*Most contemporary psychologists view mental disorders comprehensively through what is the Biopsychosocial Model

Biopsychosocial Model

A holistic perspective taking into account psychological processes like stress, trauma, and memories, biological factors like genetics and brain chemistry but also sociocultural influences like poor living conditions, problematic interpersonal relationships, gender, religious, or sexual orientation, race, and culture

Diathesis-Stress Model

Diathesis: The predisposition toward a disorder

Stress: The trigger that sparks the disorder

Both a diathesis and a stress are necessary for the development of a disorder

People who experience childhood adversity or traumatic experiences during adulthood are at a significantly higher risk of developing PTSD if they possess one or two short versions of a gene that regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin. They tendency towards PTSD that they have remains unexpressed until they experience the trauma.

-This suggests that PTSD might be influenced by the interaction of psychological and biological factors

Mental Disorder

Dysfunctional patterns of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that interfere with daily life

DSM-5

(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, fifth edition) Gives definitions of specific mental disorders by providing specific symptoms that are needed for a given disorder to be diagnosed

Anxiety Disorders:

-Affects 15-20% of the population

includes:

-Panic Disorder

-Agoraphobia

-Social Anxiety Disorder

-Generalized Anxiety Disorder

-Phobias

-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

-Trauma and Stress-related Disorders

Panic Disorder

-Having unexpected panic attacks. Often the person is feeling that they’re having a heart attack and is near death.

Agoraphobia

The fear of being in situations in which help might not be available or escape might be difficult or embarrassing.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Intensely afraid of being watched and judged by others (public speaking, using the public restroom, meeting strangers, etc.)

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Continuous and pervasive feelings of anxiety. People tend to feel continually tense and apprehensive, experiencing unfocused, negative and out of control feelings. Feeling it consistently for over six months is the requirement for a professional diagnosis.

-Worry all the time

-Frequently agitated

-Can’t identify what’s causing the anxiousness

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

-Used to be considered an anxiety disorder but now is considered complex enough to be in it’s own category

Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts → Obsessions → Actions → Compulsions.

Debilitating condition whose sufferers take normal behaviors (washing hands, double checking your turned off stove, checking locks) and perform them compulsively and they often use these compulsive/ritualistic behaviors to relieve intense and unbearable anxiety

PTSD

A trauma and stressor related disorder that includes extreme anxiety. The stress that precipitated the disorder is often obvious. Symptoms are classified into four major clusters:

  1. Reliving the event through intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks.

  2. Avoiding situations you associate with the event

  3. Excessive physiological arousal (heart pounding, muscle tension, anxiety, irritability), Major problems sleeping or concentrating

  4. Pervasive negative changes in emotions and belief (feelings of excessive guilt, fear or shame, no longer getting enjoyment out of what you used to)

6% of adults in the US experience PTSD

Higher rates:

-People exposed to mass trauma

-Duty-related trauma exposure

Depression:

The number one cause of disability and lost work days. 22% in the world

A diagnosis is given when an individual experiences the five signs of depression for two or more weeks.

  1. Depressed mood

  2. Significant appetite loss or gain

  3. Too much or too little sleep

  4. Decreased interest in activities

  5. Feeling worthless, fatigued or lethargic

  6. Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

For a diagnosis, these symptoms need to cause the person or others around them prolonged distress.

Bipolar Disorder

Dark lows of depression and bouts of mania. A manic episode is a period of intense, restless, but often optimistic hyperactivity in which one’s estimation of oneself, one’s abilities, and one’s ideas can often get skewed.

For both those with depression and those in a depressive phase of bipolar disorder, the extreme emotional pain can feel unendurable.

Depression is the main driver behind suicide, which now claims over one million lives every year worldwide.

Schizophrenia

Characterized by disorganized thinking, emotions, and behaviors that are often incongruent with their situations and disturbed perceptions including delusions and hallucinations. All involve a loss in contact with reality.

Psychotic Symptoms

The resulting behaviors and mental states associate with breaks from reality

Positive Symptoms

Hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking

Negative Symptoms

Blunted affect, reduced speech and social withdrawal, losing the ability to focus on one thing while filtering other things out

Typically diagnosed in childhood or adolescence.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Where a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating identities.

Eating Disorders

Three main types of eating disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder.