1. Characteristics of an affective/psychotic/anxiety disorder Flashcards
Anxiety Disorders: Phobias definition
General characteristics of a panic disorder include a definite, persistent fear of a particular object or situation which the person realises is irrational.
Specific phobia (7 things and definition)
Specific phobias are characterized by strong, persistent and irrational fear of an object
Specific phobia:
- Fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation.
- It provokes immediate fear or anxiety.
- It is actively avoided or endured with intense fear.
- The fear is out of proportion to the actual danger.
- The fear is persistent, lasting 6 months or more.
- The fear causes significant distress or impairment.
- It is not explained by another mental disorder
Complex phobia (1+1eg)
- Fear or anxiety is not just one object or situation.
- E.g. Social phobia could include meeting new people, public speaking and being with friends
DSM?
Descriptive Text?
Medicalisation of social life?
Anxiety Disorder?
Specific phobia?
Arachnophobia?
DSM
The modern classification system used by USA- It’s a list disorders with a set of diagnostic criteria indicating symptoms that must be present (how long), disorders, and conditions that may rule out a particular diagnosis and impact on functioning.
Descriptive text
Additional information used by doctors alongside the DSM5 diagnostic criteria to assist psychiatrist in making accurate diagnosis e.g. cultural and gender differences considerations and whether symptoms overlap with other disorders (differential diagnosis
Medicalisation of social life
Szasz points out the ever increasing number of disorders and suggests that normal behaviours and emotions are being labelled as mental illness
Anxiety disorder
Feelings of anxiety and fear, often about things that will happen in the future. These feelings are often coupled with physiological reactions such as increased heart rate, irregular breathing an stomach ache
Specific phobia
A strong, persistent and irrational fear of an object, situation or activity. Individual sometimes take extreme measures to avoid contact with it and it interferes with normal life
Arachnophobia
Fear of spiders
Strengths of Phobias (2)
There are practical applications from the diagnosis:
- By classifying the disorder it allows the patient to be treated effectively – such as the use of Systematic Desensitisation
- SD can be used to treat phobias; its aim is to replace a faulty association between CS and CR that has resulted in a phobic response – found to be 75% effective
Weaknesses of Phobias (4)
Subjective
- The characteristics are subjective and dependent on the clinicians interpretation as well as the self-report of the person as to how they are experiencing the phobia
- This can lead to mis-diagnosis
Medicalising normal life
- The diagnosis suggests that the phobia is irrational, however many fears can be seen as rational e.g. fear of heights. In fact some studies show that this an evolutionary trait that we carry with us to ensure survival.
Comorbidity
- Comorbidity refers to more than one disorders or diseases that exist alongside a primary diagnosis.
DSM 5: differential diagnosis
- The process of differentiating between two or more conditions which share similar signs or symptoms.
Affective Disorders (3)
- Affective refers to mood/emotional state.
- The characteristics of affective disorders are disabling moods:
- means that the disorder prevents the individual from leading a normal life, at work, socially or within their family, which would cause them to be diagnosed with an affective disorder.
DSM 5: Diagnosing Depression
In order to be diagnosed with Depression, an individual must have a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities for more than a two-week period. In addition, at least five of the following nine symptoms must be present nearly every day:
D – Depressed mood and tearfulness ( MUST BE PRESENT to be depression)
R – Recurrent thoughts of death
E – Excessive feelings of worthlessness fear or guilt
A – Appetite loss - At least a 5% weight change or a significant change in appetite
D - Diminished concentration and loss of energy
I – Insomnia or excessive sleep
N- Noticeably reduced interest or pleasure in all activities – Anhedonia (MUST BE PRESENT to be depression)
G- General restlessness or less activity
Strengths of diagnosing depression (2)
- There are practical applications from the diagnosis: By classifying the disorder it allows the patient to be treated effectively.
- By stating some symptoms must be present increases reliability of diagnosis.
Weaknesses of diagnosing depression (2)
- Based on subjective judgement: Diagnosis is based on the opinion of the clinician. Differences in the skill and experience of the clinicians can introduce reliability issues
- Differential diagnosis (symptom overlap): During depression there can be overlap with negative symptoms of Schizophrenia such as loss of appetite or energy . This could lead to misdiagnosis
Psychotic Disorder- Schizophrenia (6)
- Psychotic disorders involve a lack of contact with reality.
- When schizophrenics are ill they do not realise they are ill.
- When they are well again, they do not remember being ill.
- Symptoms must not be attributable to the effects of a substance.
- Symptoms must be present for 6 months and include at least one month of active symptoms and exhibit at least 2 of the following:
- Delusions - Hallucinations - Disorganised thinking - Grossly disorganised or abnormal motor behaviour including catatonia - Negative symptoms
Schizophrenia Symptoms (5)
Hallucinations:
False sensations from any of your senses.
- Auditory hallucinations = hearing voices
- Visual hallucinations = seeing auras or the devil etc.
Delusions:
Strongly held false beliefs
- Grandiose delusions = the belief that you’re very important
- Persecution (paranoia) = belief that someone is out to get you
Negative symptoms:
Loss of regular functioning
- Anhedonia = loss of pleasure from previously interesting activities
- Blunted affect = lack of emotion
- Alogia = poverty of speech
Disorganised Speech:
Disorganised thinking which affects speech and is confusing to others.
- Loose links between sentences
- Words in the wrong order or made up
Grossly disorganised or abnormal motor behaviour:
Purposeless movement or behaviour with no reason.
- Catatonia = being stuck in a disorganised position
- Rocking/repetitive movement
Diagnosing Schizophrenia Weaknesses (5)
Lacks validity:
- Diagnosed based on the subjective opinion of the psychiatrist, open to bias so not an accurate diagnosis. Eg. Males are more likely to be diagnosed.
- Does sz really exist? Sz manifests in many different ways (eg disorganised speech vs catatonia); are these actually separate disorders.
Lacks Reliability:
- As it is subjective, psychiatrists may disagree about the diagnosis of a particular patient.
- No biological test so no definite diagnosis, may be misdiagnosed.
- Differential diagnosis (symptom overlap): manic episodes with bipolar can look psychotic, negative symptoms similar to depression, flashbacks with PTSD can be seen as hallucinations
Affective disorder?
Psychotic disorder?
Anxiety disorder?
Affective = Depression
Psychotic = Sz
Anxiety = Phobias
