ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY Flashcards
DEFINING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR
Dysfunction has been defined according to:
•Impairment in cognitive, emotional or behavioural functioning (Dysfunction)
•Distress
•Deviation from the cultural norm
“It is a psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning and a response that is not typical or culturally expected”
DIFFICULT TO DEFINE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR
•Statistical infrequency >not experienced by majority of the population
•Violates social norms >what is expected in social context
•Disability and dysfunction > does it impact the persons life
•Unexpectedness > not normal for that person
•Cultural factors >cultures have particular practises/beliefs which are the norm
METHODS OF ASSESSING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR
CLINICAL INTERVIEW (primary method for a psychologist) •Family of origin •Social history •Mental Health history •Presenting problems
MENTAL STATE EXAMINATION
•Cognitive functioning
> Typically administered in hospitals
BEHAVIOURAL ASSESSMENT (Typical for children) •Antecedents (what happens before) •Behaviour (type and frequency) •Consequences (how does it affect people around them)
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING
•Intelligence tests, personality
PHYSICAL ASSESSMENTS
•Neuroimaging
DIAGNOSIS OF ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR
2 main sources used
•The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases and related Health Problems (ICD)
•Europe uses the ICD , published by the World Health
DIAGNOSIS CONSIDERATIONS
ADVANTAGES
•Facilitate understanding the causes of the disorder, planning treatment and communication among professionals
•Universal language
DISADVANTAGES
•Doesn’t consider the continuum ranging from adjustment to maladjustment
•Results in losing information about important individual differences (we cant lose sight of this)
•Leads to labelling (people feel defective - lecturer often doesn’t share the diagnosis with patients)
ABOUT THE DSM-5
•Diagnostic and statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
•List of criteria or conditions for diagnosis
•Impairment must cause clinically significant distress, or
impairment in social, occupational or other important areas
of functioning
•Creates universal language
ANXIETY DISORDERS - A common negative mood state with accompanying physical symptoms (such as muscle tension), cognitions (typically, thoughts of danger or
misfortune) and behaviours (which entail escaping from the feared situation or avoiding confrontation altogether)
•Anxiety disorders arise when the frequency of intensity of anxiety interferes with everyday activities
TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDERS
condition in which intense feelings of apprehension are longstanding and disruptive
PHOBIA
an anxiety disorder involving strong, irrational fear of an object or situation that does not objectively justify such a reaction
GENERALISED ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD)
a condition that involves relatively mild but long-lasting anxiety that is not focused on any particular object or situation
PANIC DISORDER
panic disorder an anxiety disorder involving sudden panic attacks
SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
A chronic mental health condition in which social interactions cause irrational anxiety.
For people with social anxiety disorder, everyday social interactions cause irrational anxiety, fear, self-consciousness and embarrassment.
Symptoms may include excessive fear of situations in which one may be judged, worry about embarrassment
the exact causes of anxiety disorders are a matter of some debate. However, there is good evidence that biological, psychological and social factors all contribute
> disposition is inherited > thought to have a biological /neurological component
> they have a psychological belief that the world is unsafe and they cant cope
OCD
OCD
> key defining component > person needs to have obsessions as well
>a disorder involving repetitive thoughts and urges to perform certain rituals
> obsessions persistent, upsetting and unwanted thoughts that interfere with daily life and may lead to compulsions
> compulsions repetitive behaviours that interfere with daily functioning but are performed in an effort to prevent dangers or events associated with obsession
> includes
HOARDING
some kind of fear that if they let go something bad will happen. becomes compulsive
BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER
obsessive about how they look, leads to compulsive behaviour
PTSD
also within OCD category
•Psychological trauma is the unique individual experience of an event or
enduring conditions, in which:
•The individual’s ability to integrate his/her emotional experience is overwhelmed,
or
•The individual experiences (subjectively) a threat to life, bodily integrity, or sanity.
•Trauma includes responses to powerful one time incidents or chronic repetitive experiences
HUGE DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA
•EXPOSURE to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence
•Presence of INTRUSION SYMPTOMS associated with the traumatic event(s),
beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred
•Persistent AVOIDANCE OF STIMULI associated with the traumatic event(s),
beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred
•Negative ALTERATIONS IN COGNITIONS and mood associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred
•Marked ALTERATION IN AROUSAL and reactivity associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred
FOR SOMEONE TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH POTSD > THEY NEED TO HAVE ALL 5 CRITERIA
PEOPLE WITH PTSD ARE AT RISK >
>15 x more likely to commit suicide
> 4 x more likely to become alcoholic
>& others
DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS - TYPES
•Disruptive Mood DysregulationDisorder •Major Depressive Disorder, Single and Recurrent Episodes •Persistent Depressive Disorder(Dysthymia) •Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder •Substance/Medication InducedDepressive Disorder •Depressive Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition •Other Specified Depressive Disorder •Unspecified Depressive Disorder •Depression with Melancholic features •Depression with Psychotic features •Depression with Catatonic features •Depression with Atypical features •Depression with Postpartum onset •Depression with Seasonal pattern •Mixed Anxiety Depressive Disorder
bipolar disorders affective disorders in which a person alternates between the emotional extremes of depression and mania
The alternating appearance of two emotional extremes, or poles, characterises bipolar disorders. We have already described one emotional pole: depression.
TWO VERSIONS > BIPOLAR 1 (RARE, WHEN COMPOARED TO DEEP DEPRESSION)
In bipolar I disorder, manic episodes may alternate with periods of deep depression
> BIPOLAR 2
episodes of major depression alternate with episodes known as hypomania, which are less severe than the manic phases seen in bipolar I disorder
> cyclothymic personality (cyclothymic disorder) an affective disorder characterised by an alternating pattern of mood swings that is less extreme than that of bipolar disorders
•A manic episode is defined by the DSM 5 as elevated, expansive or irritable mood with increased goal-directed activity or energy for at least 1 week, plus at least three of the following –Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity –Sleep disturbance decreased need for sleep –Pressure of speech –Flight of ideas –Distractibility –Heightened activity –Risk-taking
•A hypomanic episode only requires symptoms to be present for at
least 4 days, and symptoms tend to be less severe
DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS - EPIDEMIOLOGY
- Prevalence in Australia is around 3.1 per cent in men and 5.1 per cent in women over a one year period
- Women are twice as likely to experience depression as men
- High levels of anxiety and substance abuse are associated with an increased risk of developing depression in young people
- Median age at onset is approximately 30 years
CAUSES •Biological factors •Environmental factors •Psychological factors •Social factors
PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS
positive symptoms (PSYCHOTIC)appear as undesirable additions to a person’s mental life»_space;disorganised thoughts, hallucinations and delusions, behaviour
negative symptoms (DISORGANISED)appear to subtract elements from normal mental life»_space;
>absence of pleasure,
>lack of speech and flat affect
>alogia or poverty of speech, is a general lack of additional,
unprompted content seen in normal speech
Schizophrenia
A. Characteristic symptoms: Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated):
delusions
hallucinations
disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
negative symptoms (i.e., affective flattening, alogia, or avolition)
schizotypal personality disorder
defined as a “pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and eccentricities of behavior, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts
At least five of the following symptoms must be present:
ideas of reference strange beliefs or magical thinking abnormal perceptual experiences strange thinking and speech paranoia inappropriate or constricted affect strange behavior or appearance lack of close friends excessive social anxiety that does not abate and stems from paranoia rather than negative judgments about self.
Schizophreniform Disorder
A. Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1-month period (or less if successfully treated). At least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3):
delusions
hallucinations
disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
negative symptoms,(i.e., diminished emotional expression or avolition)
Schizoaffective Disorder
A. An uninterrupted period of illness during which, at some time, there is either a major depressive episode., a manic episode, or a mixed episode concurrent with symptoms that meet Criterion A for schizophrenia.
Delusional Disorder
A. The presence of one (or more) delusions with a duration of 1 month or longer.
Brief Psychotic Disorder
A. Presence of one (or more) of the following symptoms. At least one of these must be (1), (2), or (3):
delusions
hallucinations
disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence)
grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
Note: Do not include a symptom if it is a culturally sanctioned response pattern.
there’s 4 more not included
DISORDERS OF SOCIAL FUNCTIONING - EATING DISORDERS
Outlined below are the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders:
• Anorexia Nervosa (AN)
• Bulimia Nervosa (BN)
• Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
• Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED)
• Pica
• Rumination Disorder
• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
• Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED)
• Other:
o Muscle Dysmorphia
o Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) proposed criteria
PERSONALITY DISORDERS
“A personality disorder is a long-standing pattern of maladaptive
behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. To be diagnosed with a personality
disorder an adult must have shown these symptoms since adolescence
or early adulthood.”
The DSM-5 organizes personality disorders into three groups, or clusters, based on shared key features.
Cluster A
These personality disorders are characterized by odd or eccentric behaviour. People with cluster A personality disorders tend to experience major disruptions in relationships because their behaviour may be perceived as peculiar, suspicious, or detached.
Cluster A personality disorders include:1
Paranoid personality disorder, which affects between 1% and 2% of adults in the U.S.
Symptoms include chronic, pervasive distrust of other people; suspicion of being deceived or exploited by others, including friends, family, and partners; angry outbursts in response to deception; and cold, secretive, or jealous behaviour.
Schizoid personality disorder, which is characterized by social isolation and indifference toward other people. It affects more men than women.
People with this relatively rare disorder often are described as cold or withdrawn, rarely have close relationships with other people, and may be preoccupied with introspection and fantasy.
Schizotypal personality disorder, which features odd speech, behaviour, and appearance, as well as strange beliefs and difficulty forming relationships.
Cluster B
The cluster B personality disorders are characterized by dramatic or erratic behaviour. People who have a personality disorder from this cluster tend to either experience very intense emotions or engage in extremely impulsive, theatrical, promiscuous, or law-breaking behaviours.
Cluster B personality disorders include:
Antisocial personality disorder, which tends to show up in childhood, unlike most other personality disorders (most don’t appear until adolescence or young adulthood).
Symptoms include a disregard for rules and social norms and a lack of empathy for other people.
Borderline personality disorder, which is characterized by emotional instability, intense interpersonal relationships, and impulsive behaviours.
Histrionic personality disorder, which features a need to always be the centre of attention that often leads to socially inappropriate behaviour in order to get attention. People with this disorder may have frequent mood swings as well.
Narcissistic personality disorder, which is associated with self-centeredness, exaggerated self-image, and lack of empathy for others.
Cluster C
Cluster C personality disorders are characterized by anxiety. People with personality disorders in this cluster tend to experience pervasive anxiety and/or fearfulness.
Cluster C personality disorders include:
Avoidant personality disorder, which can show up during childhood. It’s characterized by a disregard for rules and a lack of empathy and remorse.
Dependent personality disorder, which involves fear of being alone and often causes those who have the disorder to do things to try to get other people to take care of them.
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, which is characterized by a preoccupation with orderliness, perfection, and control of relationships. Though similarly named, it is not the same as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
CHILDHOOD DISORDERS
•Almost one in seven 4-17-year-olds experienced a mental disorder in the
past year
•Males were more likely than females to have experienced a mental disorder
•ADHD was found to be the most common mental disorder among children and adolescents
• A national prevalence of 6.9% for anxiety disorders in young people.
•Mental disorders were more common in families facing a range of disadvantages
EXTERNALISING DISORDERS
The externalising, or undercontrolled, category includes behaviours that are particularly disturbing to people in the child’s environment. (CONDUCT DISORDERS)
characterised by a relatively stable pattern of aggression, disobedience, destructiveness, inappropriate sexual activity, academic failure and other problematic behaviours.
EXAMPLE» attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
ADHD may result from a genetic predisposition »_space; often lead to substance abuse disorders
INTERNALISING DISORDERS (OVERCONTROL DISORDERS) Children in this category experience significant distress, especially depression and anxiety, and may be socially withdrawn
CHILDHOOD DISORDERS - ADHD
ETIOLOGY
•Inherited vulnerability may entail neuropsychological impairment
•Autonomic under arousal seen in preschoolers with ADHD
•Children with ADHD seem to have lower responses to reinforcement
•Parental inconsistency and lack of involvement has been associated with ADHD
•Controversies over the role of diet in the aetiology of ADHD
•Drug therapy is a common approach to treatment
CHILDHOOD DISORDERS - AUTISM SPECTRUM
AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASD)
(neuro developmental disorder)
A few childhood disorders, such as pervasive developmental disorders, do not fall into either the externalising or internalising category.
high-functioning autism or a less severe autistic disorder called Asperger’s syndrome
roots of autistic disorder include genetic factors
- Repetitive and restricted patterns of behaviour
- Deficits in ‘theory of mind‘
- Believed to have 1 per cent prevalence rate
- Boys outnumber girls by 2:1
