Transcript Abnormal Behavior

Abnormal Behavior

Definition


Actions, thoughts, and feelings harmful to a
person or others; experiencing discomfort
enough to not function
Continuity hypothesis
 Insanity and mental illness terms should not be
used

Discontinuity hypothesis
 Only strong terms can accurately portray true
nature of abnormal behavior
Abnormal Behavior

Supernatural theories


Resulted in more harmful treatments like
exorcism, drinking foul concoctions, witches
put to death (mostly women)
Biological theories



Ancient Greece: four humors of body
1800s: bacteria, syphilis, and penicillin
Made effective drug therapies possible
Abnormal Behavior

Psychological theories

Pythagoras: psychological factors like stress
caused problems

Freud revived the theory; able to compete with
supernatural and biological approaches
 Model of unconscious conflicts
Abnormal Behavior

The DSM-IV


American Psychiatric Association’s manual
Multi-axial system of classifications
 Axis I: Clinical disorders
 Axis II: Personality disorders and mental
retardation
 Axis III: General medical conditions
 Axis IV: Psychosocial and environmental problems
 Axis V: Global assessment of functioning
Abnormal Behavior

Abnormal behavior stigmatized – negative
perceptions associated with it (frightening,
uncomfortable, or viewed as dangerous)

Can make mental health problems worse

Can prevent afflicted persons from seeking
treatment

Why stigmatize? Unwillingness to let others see
one’s flaws and weaknesses?
Abnormal Behavior

Not guilty by reason of insanity



Competence to stand trial


Hinckley trial in 1982
Insane: at time of conduct, person had disease or
defect, lacked substantial capacity to know act
was wrong or broke a law
Insanity: cannot understand trial proceedings
Involuntary commitment

Person poses danger to self or others
Abnormal Behavior

Anxiety Disorders




Excessive levels of kinds of negative emotions
Uncomfortable and disruptive levels of anxiety
Affects women more than men
Phobias


Intense, unrealistic or irrational fear
Specific phobia (least disruptive), social phobia,
agoraphobia (most impairing)
Abnormal Behavior

Generalized anxiety disorder




Free-floating anxiety (usually relatively mild)
No periods of calm experienced
Vague, uneasy sense of tension
Panic anxiety disorder



Intensely uncomfortable attacks of anxiety
Extremely sensitive to small bodily changes
Attack causes exaggerated bodily reactions
Abnormal Behavior

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)



Affects soldiers from Vietnam, Operation Desert
Storm, and Iraqi wars; also Nazi death camp and
prison camp survivors)
Suffering severe reactions years after traumatic
event (some recover, some get worse over time)
Experiences include:
 Dreams with horror
 Intense emotional bodily reactions
 Difficulty concentrating or sleeping
Abnormal Behavior

Combat-related events

Sudden death of loved one

Involved in or witnessing accidents


Physical assault, rape, sexual molestation
experienced by women
Terrorism experiences
Abnormal Behavior

Four factors involved


Severity of stress
 Risk increased when physical injury occurs

Person’s characteristics before event
 Affects those with higher anxiety levels, lower
intelligence, previous mental health problems

Social support
 More support lessens risk

Sex of the victim
 Women more at risk
Abnormal Behavior

Definitions

Obsessions – continuous anxiety-provoking
thoughts

Compulsions – irresistible urges to engage in
behaviors

Two separate disorders; often found together in
same person
Abnormal Behavior


Experiencing symptoms of physical health
problems with psychological causes
Four types
Somatization disorders – intensely and
chronically uncomfortable conditions
 Hypochondriasis – preoccupation with health
 Conversion disorders – symptoms not
medically possible
 Somatoform pain disorders – primary
symptom is pain with no physical cause

Abnormal Behavior

Broad category of loosely related conditions

Four kinds

Depersonalization – distorted, unreal feelings

Dissociative amnesia – psychological cause

Dissociative fugue – complete loss of memory

Dissociative identity disorder – once known as
multiple personality disorder; very controversial
issue
Abnormal Behavior

Two forms

Depression
 Major depression - episodic disorder, quite
common, often mild but takes its toll
 Rare to have psychotic distortion of reality
 Bipolar disorder (depression and mania)
 Caused by high levels of anxiety; genetic influences
 Cognitive factors – negative views of self
Abnormal Behavior

Two forms

Depression
 Major depression - episodic disorder, quite
common, often mild but takes its toll
 Rare to have psychotic distortion of reality
 Caused by high levels of anxiety; genetic influences
 Cognitive factors – negative views of self
Probability of developing major depression
for the first time in a given year
.025
Females
Males
.020
.015
.010
.005
.000
0
7
17
27
37
47
Years
57
67
77
87
Abnormal Behavior

Ethnic and gender differences in
depression and suicide

Women more at risk for depression

Depressed persons more at risk for suicide

American Indians have highest rate of suicide

African Americans have lowest rate and
Hispanic groups have second lowest rate (rates
vary among Hispanic subgroups)

White women have highest rate of females
African American
Non-Hispanic white
Asian/Pacific Islanders
American Indian
% deaths due to suicide
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Percent of
deaths due to
suicide among
different raceethnic groups
in the U.S.
Abnormal Behavior

Alternating irregular periods of severe
depression and mania

Mania – mood disturbance in which person
experiences a high, intense euphoria
 High self-esteem, unrealistic optimism
 Psychotic distortion during episodes; damaging or
extreme behavior
 Occurs in multiple episodes; cause unknown
Abnormal Behavior

Uncommon disorder affecting more men
than women


Can appear gradually or with sudden break
Characterized by 3 types of serious problems
 Delusions and hallucinations
 Disorganized thinking, emotions, behavior
 Reduced enjoyment and interests

Causes: genetic and environment
Abnormal Behavior

Subtypes

Paranoid schizophrenia
 False beliefs, delusions (grandeur, paranoia,
persecution), hallucinations

Disorganized schizophrenia
 Delusions, hallucinations, cognitive processes highly
disorganized or fragmented
 Extreme social withdrawal
Abnormal Behavior

Subtypes

Catatonic schizophrenia
 May have delusions and hallucinations; most
abnormalities in social interaction, body posture and
movement (waxy flexibility in stupors)
Abnormal Behavior

Characterized by paranoid delusions of
grandeur and persecution
Dangerous because of believability of delusions
 Reverand Jim Jones and Jonestown deaths
 David Koresh and Waco (TX) deaths

Abnormal Behavior
• Inattention symptoms
–
–
–
–
–
–
Cannot focus
Fails to see details
Careless mistakes
Highly distractible
Incomplete tasks
Often loses items




Does not listen
Dislikes/avoids
focused tasks
Often forgetful
Disorganized
Abnormal Behavior
• Hyperactivity-impulsivity
– Often fidgets or squirms
when seated
– Often leaves seat when
should remain seated
– Runs/climbs excessively
– Difficulty engaging in
play/leisure quietly
– Often interrupts/intrudes
Often on-the-go;
driven like a motor
 Talks excessively
 Blurts out answers
before question is
finished
 Can’t wait for turn

Abnormal Behavior

Schizoid personality disorder


Blunted emotions, social withdrawal, but no
serious cognitive disturbances
Antisocial personality disorder



Feel little guilt, exploit others, frequent violation of
social rules and laws
Difficulty with personal relationships
Low tolerance for frustration, lie easily/skillfully
Abnormal Behavior
Schizotypal personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder
Avoidant personality disorder
Dependent personality disorder
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Abnormal Behavior