Transcript Class 23 - Disorders - Napa Valley College

Psychology 001
Introduction to Psychology
Christopher Gade, PhD
Office: 621 Heafey
Office hours: F 3-6 and by apt.
Email: [email protected]
Class WF 7:00-8:30 Heafey 650
The remaining classes…

In the final two
classes of the
course, we’ll be
discussing three
major disorder
groups.
– Anxiety disorders
– Mood disorders
– Schizophrenia
Mood Disorders
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Mood disorders all involve long-term problems
with basic emotions

All but one of the most prevalent mood disorders
are associated with a negative, unpleasant mood

There are a number of mood disorders that exist,
with one being the most prevalent and well known
–
–
–
–
Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Dysthymia
Bipolar Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder
and Dysthymia

Seasonal Affective Disorder
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–
–
–
Associated with the change of seasons
Symptoms are similar to those of depression, but to a milder extent
Light therapy is a popular treatment for this disorder
Prevalence of disorder depends upon location
 approx 1% of Floridians
 Approx 9-10% of Minnesotans
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Dysthymia
–
–
–
–
Symptoms are similar to those of depression
Much less severe symptoms
Lasts much longer than depression (2 years before diagnosis)
Not considered traumatic at any given time, but can be very
debilitating through its long-term effects
Bipolar Disorder

AKA manic depressive disorder

Found in only 1% of the population

involves a person alternating between feeling depressed and
feeing manic: constantly active and uninhibited, excited or
irritable

Two forms of bipolar disorder
– Bipolar Type I
– Bipolar Type II (hypomania)

Twin studies suggest a genetic component to Bipolar
Disorder
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Treatments include Lithium and anticonvulsants
Overview

Depression, SAD, Dysthymia, and Bipolar Disorder
are all classified under the same category in the
DSM (affective disorders)

Each again has its own prevalence, defining
characteristics, and causes/solutions

But… just like with anxiety disorders, when looking
at these disorders, they are all considered very
similar by most clinical psychologists
Schizophrenia

What it is NOT: multiple
personality disorder,
sociopathy, or antisocial
personality disorder

What it is: a severe
disconnect with reality with
many cognitive and
emotional symptoms
– Affects about 1% of the
population
– Almost identical incidence in
men & women (7:5 ratio has
been found in recent studies)
– Onset is usually sometime
between 16 and 25 yrs old
(later for women)
Diagnosis of Schizophrenia

The DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia
requires that the person exhibit a complete
deterioration of daily activities along with at
least two of the following symptoms:
– Hallucinations
– Delusions or thought disorders
– Incoherent speech
– Grossly disorganized behavior
– Loss of normal emotional responses and social
behaviors
 Note: If the hallucinations or delusions are severe
enough, no other symptoms are required in the
diagnosis of this disorder
More on the symptoms…

Schizophrenia symptoms
are categorized into two
groups
– Positive Symptoms:
behaviors that are present,
or added to the persons
repertoire of behavior as a
result of the schizophrenia
– Negative Symptoms:
behaviors that are
diminished, or absent from
the persons repertoire of
behavior as a result of the
schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms

Hallucinations: perceiving things that are not there
(auditory and visual)
– Auditory hallucinations are much more common that visual
ones
– Note: Almost all of us occasionally have auditory (any maybe
visual) hallucinations. Schizophrenics are distinguished by
the frequency and complexity of these hallucinations.

Delusions: very rigid false or unfounded beliefs
– persecution: others (groups and individuals) are conspiring
against or persecuting the individual (e.g. “they’re after me”)
– grandiose: unusual importance (e.g. pregnancy ‘flicks’)
– reference: interpreting messages as if they were meant for
oneself (codes in the newspaper headlines)
– bizarre: random delusions that don’t fall under any of the
previous categories (some of my vital organs are missing)
Negative Symptoms
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Flat affect: blunted
expression of emotion, e.g.
mask-like face, flat voice,
poor eye contact
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Anhedonia: Diminished ability
to experience pleasure, e.g.
report little enjoyment in life,
seek out few enjoyable
activities
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Social withdrawal
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Inattentiveness, thought
blocking (a particularly abrupt
or complete interruption of
thought)
Disorganized Symptoms
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Disorganized speech:
– severe tangentiality
– loose associations
– derailment of thought
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Disorganized behavior:
– catatonic behavior
– unusual postures
Theorized Causes

Genetic
– Twin studies suggest a genetic component in susceptibility for
schizophrenia
– No single gene has been linked to schizophrenia
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Brain abnormality/malformation
– the hippocampus and parts of the cerebral cortex are a little
smaller than normal, the cerebral ventricles are larger than
normal, the neurons are smaller there are fewer synapses in the
prefrontal cortex
– Is this a causal or correlational relationship?
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The neurodevelopmental hypothesis
– schizophrenia is the result of nervous system impairments that
develop before and/or around the time of birth
– Caused partially though genetics, but also through environmental
influences:
 poor prenatal care
 difficult pregnancy and labor
 mother’s exposure to influenza virus
Treatments

Medication: Antipsychotic or neuroleptic drugs
– These all relieve symptoms for at least a little while
– Some block dopamine synapses in the brain, others
effect glutamate concentration
– Most in the past produced unpleasant side effects:
tardive dyskenesia
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Hospitalization: useful for only acute episodes
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
– Hallucinations: help patients perceive distinctions
between internal/external
– Delusions: treat self-esteem or other psychological
issues
– Flat affect: increase social skills
– Anhedonia: increase activities
Treatment Success

Most treatments provide temporary success almost
immediately

Over the long run, success rates wane greatly

Success rates are highly associated with the intensity of the
symptoms pre-treatment, and the time between onset and
treatment of the disorder

The Rule of thirds for medication:
– Acute and sudden onset: good response to medication
– Middle: could be either sudden or acute, mixed response to
medication
– Chronic: slow, insidious onset, poor response to medication
THE END
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This marks the end of the lectures for this
class
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In our next class, we’ll have the final exam

Papers are also due at that time, so make
sure to bring them with you

Good luck in your studies, and thanks for
spending some time with me this summer