Transcript Remaining Notes for Chapter 13

Chapter 13:
Psychological Disorders
What is the definition of Mental
Illness?
1.
People with a psychological disorder behave
in a way that is atypical, disturbing,
maladaptive, and unjustifiable
2.
Definitions vary by culture
3.
There have also been changes to what we
think of as mental illness over time
Perspectives of Mental Illness
1.
Medical perspective
2.
Bio-psycho-social perspective
How are Psychological Disorders
Classified?
1.
Diagnostic and Statistically Manual (DSM-IV)

2.
Other countries use the International Classification
of Diseases (ICD-10)
The DSM lists typical symptoms of a given
disorder
Controversy about Diagnosis
1.
While the DSM is the principle way we diagnose
mental disorders, it is plagued by controversy in the
field
1.
Broad categories
2.
Misdiagnosis
3.
Stigma
How Common are Psychological
Disorders?
1.
2.
Recent data indicates that 1 in 6 Americans will
suffer from a period of mental illness during
their lifetime
There are gender and ethnicity differences
Anxiety Disorders
1.
This group of disorders includes those that
are characterized by persistent anxious
feelings or maladaptive behaviors to reduce
that anxiety
Generalized Anxiety and Panic
1.
2.
People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
feel extremely nervous, jittery, and worried all the
time
People with panic disorder feel normal most of the
time, but suddenly, with no warning feel overcome
with intense fear, like they are going to die
Phobias
1.
These are basically panic attacks brought on
by exposure to a specific stimulus

Irrational fears that disrupt behavior
2.
Common phobias
3.
People suffering from phobias live otherwise
normal lives
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
1.
OCD is characterized by excessive, repetitive,
unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and actions
(compulsions)
2.
The compulsive behavior is usually a maladaptive
way to control the obsessive thoughts/anxiety
Why/How do Anxiety Disorders
Happen?
Learning perspective

1.
2.

Fear conditioning
Observational learning
Biological perspective
Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
1.
Drug therapy is widely used


2.
Tranquilizers
Anti-depressant medications
Therapy can be very effective

Desensitization therapy
Dissociative Disorders
1.
2.
These are disorders where conscious
awareness becomes separated from prior
memories/thoughts/feelings
Dissociative identity disorder (a.k.a. multiple
personality disorder)
Personality Disorders
These are enduring patters of behavior that
get in the way of normal social functioning
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Avoidant
Schizoid
Histrionic
Narcissistic
Borderline
Antisocial
Treatment for Dissociative and
Personality Disorders
1.
Treatment for these disorders is most
commonly intense therapy for many years
2.
Antidepressants may be prescribed as well,
but therapy is the main approach
Major Depression
1.
Major depression is a disorder of mood
where a person feels depressed for at least
two weeks at a time
2.
Episodes can occur just once in a lifetime or
can recur, some last for just 2 weeks, others
years
Bipolar Disorder
1.
2.
3.
This mood disorder is when a person swings
between depression and mania
The depressed phase is just like major
depression
The manic phase can be euphoric or irritable
Seasonal Affective Disorder
SAD is a disorder where people become
increasingly depressed as the daylight hours
become shorter in the winter

1.
All the regular symptoms of depression during
the winter months
2.
People feel better in the spring and summer
3.
Occurs for more than one season in a row
4.
Crave carbs/starches
Why/How do Mood Disorders
Happen?

Just like anxiety disorders the Biological
perspective is very popular



Genetic predisposition – mood disorders do run in
families
Physiological basis – there are significant brain
activity changes (frontal lobe) in depressed people
Social-Cognitive perspective


Cycle of negative moods and negative thoughts goes
both ways
Pessimistic thinking is related to depression – college
student study
Treatments for Mood Disorders
1.
Drug therapy (antidepressants & mood
stabilizers) are very common these days


2.
3.
Antidepressants are the #1 prescribed
medications in the country
30% people who take them will not feel relief
Therapy also works well, especially on drugresistant depression
For people with SAD – sitting in front of a
light box for about an hour each morning can
help
Schizophrenia
Symptoms are classified as either negative or
positive and include:

1.
2.
3.
Disorganized thinking
Disturbed perception
Inappropriate emotion/action
5 General Types of Schizophrenia
2.
Paranoid
Disorganized
3.
Catatonic
4.
Undifferentiated
5.
Residual
1.