Psychological Disorders

Chapter 4: Psychological Disorders

Fundamental Concepts of Abnormal Behavior

  • Definitions of Abnormal Behavior:
      - Deviant: This refers to behavior that is different, extreme, unusual, or bizarre.
      - Distressing: Describes behavior that is unpleasant or upsetting to others.
      - Dysfunctional: Indicates interference with daily activities.
      - Dangerous: Pertains to behaviors that pose risks to oneself or others.

Approaches to Understanding Normal and Abnormal Behavior

  • Deviation from Social Norms: This can manifest in various forms of behavior, such as those exhibited by terrorists, which are seen as extreme deviations from societal standards.

  • Maladaptive Behavior: Refers to behaviors that hinder an individual's ability to adjust and cope with everyday life.

Historical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders

  1. Supernatural and Magical Forces: Early beliefs attributed abnormal behavior to supernatural causes.

  2. Biological or Organic Approach: Understanding disorders in terms of physical causes.

  3. Psychological Approach: Explores internal dynamics and processes.

  4. Organismic Approach:
       - Historical figures like Hippocrates, Socrates, and Plato discussed conflicts between emotion and reason, emphasizing an organismic viewpoint.
       - Galen's Four Elements: Proposed a connection between bodily humors (blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm) and mental health.
       - Ayurveda: Introduces the concept of three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) from the Atharva Veda, linking physical health with psychological well-being.

  5. Middle Ages: Dominated by demonological explanations of mental illness and the influence of superstition, as noted by St. Augustine.

  6. Renaissance Period: Thinkers like Johann Weyer brought attention to psychological conflicts and disturbed relationships.

  7. Age of Reason and Enlightenment: Shifted perspectives towards more scientific understandings of human behavior.

  8. Bio-Psycho-Social Approach: A modern framework that incorporates biological, psychological, and social factors.

Diagnostic Manuals and Classification Systems

  • American Psychiatric Association (APA): Provides guidelines and standards in psychiatry.

  • DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders): A comprehensive classification of mental health disorders.

  • ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases): A global standard for health diagnosis.

Questions for Reflection

  1. Explain the 4Ds of abnormal behavior.

  2. What is meant by deviation from social norms?

  3. Define maladaptive behavior.

  4. How does the psychodynamic model explain abnormal behavior?

Factors Underlying Abnormal Behaviors

  • Biological Factors:
      - Faulty genes, endocrine imbalances, malnutrition, and injuries can all contribute to abnormal behaviors.
      - Issues in neuron messaging lead to disorders:
        - Anxiety may stem from low GABA levels.
        - Schizophrenia is associated with excess dopamine.
        - Depression is linked to low serotonin levels.

  • Genetic Factors: Disorders such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and intellectual disabilities possess genetic components.

  • Psychological Models:
      - Psychodynamic Model: Examines internal forces and interpsychic conflicts as described by Freud:
        - Id: Represents instinctual needs and impulses (Pleasure Principle).
        - Ego: Involves rational thinking and conscious decisions.
        - Superego: Embodies moral standards and ethics (Morality Principle).
      - Behavioral Model: Focuses on learned behaviors through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning.
      - Cognitive Model: Addresses wrong attitudes or assumptions individuals may have about themselves.
      - Humanistic-Existential Model: Considers the importance of empathy and human connection.

Freud's Structural Theory of Mind

  • Ego: Mediates between the id and superego, operating in the conscious mind.

  • Superego: Represents moral standards.

  • Id: Houses instinctual drives and impulses.

Socio-Cultural Influences

  • Socio-cultural Model: Analyzes the impact of:
      - War, violence, prejudicial groups.
      - Economic and employment issues.
      - Rapid social changes on individual mental health.

  • Diathesis-Stress Model:
      - Highlights the role of inherited vulnerability (diathesis) and the impact of stressors in the development of psychological disorders.

Major Psychological Disorders Overview
Anxiety Disorders

  • Symptoms: Include rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fainting, dizziness, sweating, sleeplessness, frequent urination, and tremors.

  • Types of Anxiety Disorders:
      1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
      2. Panic Disorder
      3. Phobias:
         - Specific Phobias
         - Social Phobias
         - Agoraphobia
      4. Separation Anxiety Disorder

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Obsessive Behavior: Involves repetitive thoughts that are distressing (example: shameful thoughts).

  • Compulsive Behavior: The urge to perform certain actions repeatedly.

  • Types of OCD:
      1. Hoarding Disorder
      2. Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)
      3. Excoriation (Skin-Picking Disorder)

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A reaction to experiencing or witnessing traumatic events.

Somatic Disorders

  • Definition: Physical symptoms without identifiable physical illness.

  • Types of Somatic Disorders:
      1. Somatic Symptom Disorder
      2. Illness Anxiety Disorder
      3. Conversion Disorder

Dissociative Disorders

  • Definition: A disconnection between thoughts, memories, and emotions.

  • Types of Dissociative Disorders:
      1. Dissociative Amnesia
      2. Fugue
      3. Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)
      4. Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

  • Definition: Characterized by a prolonged depressive mood and loss of interest in activities.

  • Symptoms: Includes changes in body weight, sleep issues, fatigue, concentration difficulties, agitation, suicidal thoughts, excessive guilt, or feelings of worthlessness.

  • Factors Contributing to Depression:
      1. Genetic Factors
      2. Age: Varies between genders; females during young adulthood and males during middle age.
      3. Gender Differences
      4. Negative life events and lack of social support.

Bipolar Disorders

  • Bipolar I: Characterized by episodes of mania and depression.

  • Bipolar II: Involves less severe manic episodes along with depressive episodes.

  • Cyclothymic Disorder: A milder form of bipolar disorder.

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Psychotic Disorders

  • Symptom Types:
      - Positive Symptoms: Excesses in thoughts, emotions, and behaviors such as delusions, disorganized thinking, and heightened perceptions.
      - Negative Symptoms: Deficits in emotional responses and behavior.
      - Psychomotor Symptoms: Include catatonia.

Classification of Delusions Departing From Reality

  1. Delusions of Persecution: The belief that one is being spied upon.

  2. Delusions of Reference: Attributing personal meanings to unrelated events.

  3. Delusions of Grandeur: Beliefs of being specially empowered.

  4. Delusions of Control: The belief that one's thoughts and actions are being controlled externally.

Formal Thought Disorder Features

  • Characteristics:
      1. Loosening of Associations
      2. Neologisms: Creation of new words.
      3. Perseveration: Repetition of the same thoughts.

Hallucinations in Psychotic Disorders

  • Types:
      1. Auditory Hallucinations
      2. Tactile Hallucinations (e.g., sensations of tingling or burning)
      3. Somatic Hallucinations (e.g., sensations of crawling)
      4. Visual Hallucinations (e.g., seeing objects or people that are not present)
      5. Gustatory Hallucinations (distorted taste sensations)
      6. Olfactory Hallucinations (sensation of toxic smells)

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

  1. Alogia: Lack of speech.

  2. Blunted Affect: Diminished emotional expression.

  3. Flat Affect: Absence of emotional expression.

  4. Avolition: Lack of motivation and inability to initiate or sustain activities.

Child and Adolescent Disorders

  • Manifest Early: Disorders tend to appear in childhood or adolescence.

  • Examples:
      - ADHD: Characterized by inattention and hyperactivity.
      - Autism Spectrum Disorder: Non-social behavior and repetitive speech patterns.
      - Intellectual Disability: Significant limitations in intellectual functioning.
      - Specific Learning Disability: Difficulties with academic skills.
      - Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Displaying defiance and irritability.
      - Conduct Disorder: Involves aggressive behaviors and violation of rules.

Substance-Related Disorders

  • Alcohol:
      - Interferes with social behavior and cognitive ability.
      - Leads to tolerance and dependence.
      - Causes sociopathic consequences including family and career damage.
      - Influences children’s psychological development, leading to higher rates of disorders.

  • Heroin:
      - Causes severe social and occupational dysfunction, dose tolerance, and risks of overdose.

  • Cocaine:
      - Impairs social relationships and cognitive functions.
      - Withdrawal leads to depressive symptoms.

  • Other Substances:
      - Stimulants: (e.g., caffeine, cocaine)
      - Hallucinogens: (e.g., LSD, Mescaline)
      - Inhalants: (e.g., gasoline, paint thinners)
      - Tobacco: (cigarettes, bidi)
      - Opioids: (e.g., morphine, heroin)
      - Sedatives and Hypnotics: (e.g., sleeping pills)

Reflection Questions for Understanding

  1. Explain hyperactivity and identify symptoms of ADHD.

  2. Describe how to diagnose conduct disorder and major symptoms of autism.

  3. Analyze specific symptoms of eating disorders such as bulimia.

  4. Discuss impact of substance abuse on psychological health.

Key Terminologies in Psychological Disorders

  • Abnormal Psychology

  • Antisocial Behavior

  • Anxiety

  • Autism

  • Bipolar and Related Disorders

  • Delusions

  • Depressive Disorders

  • Diathesis-Stress Model

  • Feeding and Eating Disorders

  • Genetics

  • Hallucinations

  • Hyperactivity

  • Intellectual Disability

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders

  • Neurotransmitters

  • Norms

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

  • Phobias

  • Schizophrenia

  • Somatic Symptoms

Additional Resources

  • Notes available at www.careerinnova.com

  • Instagram: career_innova

  • YouTube: CareerInnova

  • Learn Psychology with Vishal Pandey