9-Psychological Disorders Flashcards
4 D’s of abnormality
- Deviance: thoughts emotions and behaviours that fall far from the standard
- Distress: intense negative feelings
- Dysfunction: in areas of their daily lives
- Danger: to oneself or another
these aren’t perfect indicators of good/poor mental health
Two main functions of the DSM5
- Categorize and describe disorders to create a common set of diagnostic criteria for clinicians
- Allows for communication between clinicians with a common language
Categorical classification model
define
- categories defined by rigid boundaries
- mutually exclusive
eg: can only be tall or short
Dimensional classification model
define
- classified items on either end of a spectrum
- individuals fall along the spectrum
- does not need to be linear can be a set of symptoms each with their own scores
eg: measuring height in cm allows for classification beyond tall and short
What does the high degree of comorbitity among DSM5 disorders suggest?
May be evidence that it is an ineffective classification system
(diagnostic criteria overlap too much)
Epidemiology
definition within abnormal psych
the study of the distribution of disorders in a population
eg: women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression
Prognosis
definition + types
the probable course of an illness
- acute: fast onset, requires immediate treatment
- chronic: long lasting, develop over time
- episodic: recurrent phases separated by periods of “normal” functioning
Prevalence
definition
= (# of people in sample with x) / (total # of people in sample)
can be measured at a point, annually or over a lifetime
eg: (# of women with depression) / (# of women in sample)
x = characteristic
Symptomatology
definition
collection of behaviours, thoughts or feelings that may be a potential indicator of a specific psychological disorder
Heterogeneity
definition in the context of psych disorders
the possibility that two people diagnosed with the same disorder may have different symptoms at different severities
MDD (Major Depressive Disorder)
symptomatology
- hopelessness/helplessness
- anhedonia
- sadness
- restless (catatonic excitement) or slowed (catatonic stupor)
- guilt or worthlessness
- difficulty concentrating
GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
symptomatology
- intense, prolonged anxiety that interferes with daily activity
- anxiety triggered by trivial situations
- physical stress (fatigue, heart racing, sweaty palms…)
- difficulty concentrating
- cannot control these anxieties
Schizophrenia
symptomatology
Positive: addition of abnormal behaviours
- hallucinations
- delusions
- disorganized thinking
- disorganized motor behaviour: catatonic excitement or stupor (restlenessness or slowedness)
Negative: abscence of typical behaviours
- Alogia: reduction in speech
- Anhedonia: inability to feel pleasure
- Affect: very little emotional responsiveness
- Asociality: decreased engagement with the world
- Avolition: lack of motivation
two classifications of symptoms
Etiology
definition
the cause of, or set of causes, of a disorder
Twin studies
list types + define + explain how they’re used
Dizygotic: Fraternal twins, as genetically similar as siblings, but may have more similar upbringings
Monozygotic: Identical twins, same genetics
If monozygotic twins have a higher concordance rate than dizygotic twins, the trait likely has a strong genetic component
genetics
Concordance
when individuals (particularily in twin studies) share a trait
What are some disorders with a large genetic component?
- Schizophrenia
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression Disorders
Neurotransmitters linked to disorders
list
- Depression: low levels of dopamine and norepinephrine activity
- Anxiety and Depression: serotonin and GABA levels often involved
these are links, not the exhaustive cause of the disorder
Which part of the brain is implicated in anxiety disorders and how?
Hyperactive amygdala correlated to specific phobias, social anxiety and panic disorder
Limitations of the biological model
- gaps in knowledge
- simplifications
- many assumptions need to be made
Diathesis-Stress model
visualise the graph
A graph explaining how the diathesis (strong genetic influence) and stress (environmental factors) can combine to increase the likelihood of developing a disorder
eg: schizophrenia is well explained by this model
Behavioural model
External factors are not the cause, but our response to external factors can induce mental illness.
Our behaviours/responses have been trained through rewards, punishments and modelling. These behaviours are the cause of the development of disorders.
Behavioural model and depression
how does the model explain depression
Individuals with poor social skills don’t develop the proper behaviours around socialization.
They cannot derive positive reinforcement from others and hence develop low mood and self blame.
These behaviours can elicit sympathy, attention and concern from others, which may in turn excacerbate symptoms.
Learned Helpnessness
Exposing creatures to mild electric (non-fatal) shocks in a closed cage leads them to stop attempting escape
Later, if they are placed in an open cage and given a shock, they will not attempt to escape
Flaws with the bahavioural model
- cannot explain all disorders
- not always effective outside of therapist office
- thought to ignore our capability to think, plan and remember
Cognitive model
Mental disorder results from maladaptive or inappropriate ways of selecting and interpreting information from the environment
Maladaptive thoughts are reinforced by cognitive distortions (misperceptions) of reality
Cognitive distortions
define + list (optional)
misperceptions of reality that occur in the absence of any external evidence
- catastrophizing
- overgeneralizing
- personalizing
- minimizing
- selective abstraction
- dichotomous thinking
Cognitive model and depression
- tend to interpret neutral or positive events as negative
- depressogenic schemata: maladaptive way of evaluating themselves and their experiences
