Psychological Disorders

Ch. 15

Psychological Disorder: a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.

  • Harmful dysfunction—to be classified as a disorder, it must be harmful to the person or people surrounding them.

  • condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors


Psychopathology: the study of psychological disorders

  • etiology: the causes of psychological disorders


Atypical: different from the norm.


Harmful dysfunction: model of psychological disorders resulting from the inability of an internal mechanism to perform its natural function.


Diagnosis: appropriately labeling a set of defined symptoms

Diagnostic features: overview of the disorder

Diagnostic criteria: specific symptoms required for a diagnosis

Prevalence: percent of population thought to be afflicted

Risk factors


Comorbidity: co-occurrence of two disorders in the same individual

  • May feed off each other.

    • co-occurrence of two disorders in the same individual

  • or not/not related to one another.


International Classification of Diseases (ICD) — EUROPE??

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) — UNITED STATES


Supernatural perspective: psychological disorders attributed to a force beyond scientific understanding.

  • hole in the face/craniotomy to get rid of the spirits



Diathesis-Stress Model:

Diathesis + Stress → Development of a disorder

Diathesis: predisposition for a disorder

Bipolar Disorder: step-by-step progression between mania and depression


Borderline Personality Disorder: rapid switched between mania and depression/other moods/dramatic mood swings


Fear: instantaneous reaction to an imminent threat.


Anxiety: apprehension, avoidance, and cautiousness regarding a potential threat, danger or other negative content.

  • can motivate


Phobia: excessive, distressing, persistent feelings of fear in relation to a specific object.


Social anxiety: extreme and persistent fear or anxiety and avoidance of social situations.

  • negatively affects life — we been knew 🙄


Safety behaviors: mental or behavioral acts that reduce anxiety in social situations by reducing the chance of negative social outcomes.


Behavioral inhibition: a consistent tendency to show fear and restraint when presented with unfamiliar people or situations.


Panic disorder: recurrent and unexpected panic attacks, with at least one month of persistent concern about additional panic attacks.


Panic attack: a period of extreme fear or discomfort that develops abrubtly and reaches a peak within 10 minutes.


Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): continuous state of excessive, uncontrollable, and worry and apprehension.


OCD

Obsessions: unintentional, persistent, and unwanted thoughts and urges that are highly insrusive, unpleasant, and distressing.


Compulsions: repetitive and ritualistic acts, typically carried out to ease the obsessive feelings.


Hoarding disorder: “I might need it later.”

  • Levels to it? do collectors count—like as a good obsession?


Orbitofrontal cortex: involved in learning and decision making.

  • hyperactive in people with OCD



PTSD (pg. 572)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)


Flashbacks: the individual relives the event and behaves as if the event were occurring at that moment



Mood Disorders


Bipolar and Related disorders

Mania: extreme elation and agitation

  • B1: mania/manic state—can’t function, mental hospitals

  • B2: hypo—able to function in a manic episode


Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): at least 5 of these symptoms nearly everyday for at least 2 weeks:

  • insomnia or reverse insomnia

  • psychomotor retardation

  • extreme weight gain or lost

  • extreme fatigue

  • feelings of guilt and worthlessness

  • difficulty concentrating, indecisiveness

  • suicidal ideations


Seasonal pattern: only prevalent during a particular part of the year; seasons, anniversaries.

Peripartum onset (postpartum depression): major depression during pregnancy or in the four weeks following the birth.

Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia): depressed moods most of the day nearly everyday for at least 2 years, as well as at least 2 of the other symptoms of MDD.

  • not meeting the full criteria of MDD


Reckless behavior: not thinking about the future/future consequences of their actions.


Flight of ideas: rapidly switching between topics of conversation.



Depression medication: add-ons; serotonin and norepinephrine


Bipolar medication: lithium blockage of norepinephrine activity at the synapse


Depression:

  • Amygdala: more prone to react emotionally to negative stimuli

  • Prefrontal cortex: slower to react


Depressive schemas: people start ruminating, obsessing, in it, start believing it


Rumination: repetitive thought process we can’t shake and contributes to depression.


Schizophrenia

Delusions: beliefs contrary to reality

  • paranoid

  • grandiose: they think they have special powers, unique knowledge, or is extremely important

  • somatic: smth highly abnormal is happening to one’s body (part); leg

  • thought withdrawl


Disorganized thinking

Abnormal/disorganized motor behavior: unusual behaviors/movements


Schizoeffective: wombo combo of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.


Dopamine hypothesis: overabundance of dopamine or too many dopamine receptors are responsible for the onset and maintenance of schizophrenia.



Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative amnesia: inability to recall important personal information.


Dissociative fugue: rare; put everything down and wander off to start a new life; may adopt a new identity/have confusion about their identity.


Depersonalization: detached from the self.


Derealization: detached from the world.


Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): multiple personalities.

  • amnesia from when personalities split

  • protective measure



Personality Disorders


3 clusters; a, b, and c

A: paranoid, suspiciousness independent; not associated with schizophrenia

B: problematic, dramatic; antisocial, histrionic (provocative, attention seeking), narcissistic, borderline

C: avoidant, dependent (submissive, clingy), OCP(personality)D


Borderline Personality Disorder: cannot tolerate being alone/the thought of it.


Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD): shows no regard at all for other people’s rights or feelings.

  • illegal acts, irritable, lack of remorse, no empathy, impulsive, overinflated sense of self, lying or conning others



ADHD

Neurodevelopmental disorders: involve developmental problems in personal, social, academic, and intellectual functioning.

  • Inattention

  • Hyperactivity



Autism

Deficits in social interaction


Deficits in communication


Repetitive patterns of behavior or interests