Transcript Adult Psychopathology

Adult
Psychopathology
Michael Hoerger
Disclaimer
Today’s lecture is purely for intellectual
discourse. If you are currently undergoing
any type of treatment, changes should be
made based on professional opinion. For
example, it can be extremely dangerous to
suddenly stop taking medications.
Adult Psychopathology Day
Grief
Abuse
Hypochondria
Personality
Eating D/O
Mania
Schizophrenia
Sexual
Antisocial
Anxiety
Depression
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Sleep Problems
Insomnia: difficulty falling asleep
 Breathing retraining / muscle relaxation
 Establish a routine
 Watch TV or read in a dim environment
 Use “white noise” or relaxing music
 Monitor eating / drinking habits
 Sleeping pills / alcohol can be addictive
and have withdrawal reactions

Depression
Sadness, low mood, decreased pleasure
 Peaks in college years, under-diagnosed
in old age
 More common in females
 More common among low SES
 Therapy can be highly effective

Anxiety
Apprehension about the future and
physical symptoms
 Includes phobia, panic attacks, social
phobias, generalized, and PTSD
 Therapies focus on exposure, challenging
unrealistic beliefs, and physical symptoms
 Therapy can be quick and highly effective

“Sex is a problem for everyone. Sex is a
problem for children, sex is a problem for
adolescents, sex is a problem for young adults,
sex is a problem for middle-aged adults, sex is
a problem for elderly adults. Sex is a problem
for celibates, sex is a problem for married
people, sex is a problem for single people, sex
is a problem for straight people, sex is a
problem for gay people. Sex is a problem for
bricklayers and plumbers, sex is a problem for
dentists and lawyers, sex is a problem for
surgeons and therapists and psychiatrists. And
sex is a problem for Scott Peck.”
Sexual
Occasional difficulties are normal
 Premature ejaculation and anorgasmia
 Most problems have some psychological
component
 Physical problems or medication also play
a role
 Treatments: masturbate, have sex again,
decrease shame / increase positive affect,
decrease focus on sex itself, distraction

Schizophrenia
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NOT multiple personality disorder
Unusual beliefs, eccentric/odd, hallucinations,
disorganized speech, depressive symptoms
Age 25
Enormous cultural differences
Psychosocial treatments
Medications and tardive dyskinesia
Eating Disorders
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
 10% mortality rate
 High degree of overlap
 Primarily white females
 Age 10 to 25
 Shame, powerlessness, perfectionism
 Treatments and prevention work poorly

Self-help
Most self-help books are not effective
 What to look for:

 Specific
guidelines
 Research support
 University affiliation
 Used as part of therapy
Medication
Help reduce some symptoms for some
people, but do not solve underlying problems
 Shortest effective dose for the shortest time
period possible
 Dangers:

 Going
on / off, adjusting dose
 Long-term side effects
 Multiple medications
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Breggin & Cohen’s book
Therapy
Highly successful for depression, anxiety,
problems in adjustment
 Mixed success with eating disorders, longstanding personality difficulties, and
schizophrenia
 Can be cheap, quick
 Best predictor of therapeutic success is a
positive relationship, so it may not be
helpful to stick with a disliked therapist

Michael Hoerger
To cite this lecture:
 Hoerger, M. (2007, March 21). Adult
Psychopathology. Presented at a PSY 220 lecture
at Central Michigan University.