Chapter 14 - Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
What are the different ways to define what it means to be psychologically abnormal?
Statistically abnormal (weakness: how do you define a boundary)
Maladaptive behavior (weakness; but you can deal, glide along while suffering)
Emotional distress (weakness: subjective perception of suffering)
What is the DSM? How does it work? What are some of the concerns associated with the
DSM system of diagnosis?
DSM 5 refers to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition. It is used to DIAGNOSE psychological disorders. It contains the defined criteria for all psychological disorders.
- Concerns: disorders are on continuum, DSM 5 just puts people in categories.
What are the symptoms associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
constant, free floating, anxiety/worry with no source. Intrusive worries come out of nowhere, general state of autonomic arousal (ex. been worried for last few months, no clue why, seems like you’re worried about everything)
What are the symptoms associated with panic disorder?
sudden, recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, leads to worry/concern over additional attacks
What are the symptoms associated with major depressive disorder?
most of two weeks in a depressed mood. Feeling worthless, guilt, fatigue, sleep problems, trouble concentrating, thoughts of death
What are the symptoms associated with bipolar disorder?
bipolar I: characterized by manic episodes that impair daily living (inflated self-esteem, talkative, no need for sleep, impulsive)
bipolar II: characterized by depressive episodes that impair daily living (and hypomania, a possibly non-impairing positive emotional episode, little manic episodes)
What are the symptoms associated with schizophrenia? (distinguish between positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms)
Psychosis (“split,” disconnect from reality)
Positive symptoms: delusions (ex. aliens are talking to you through microwave), hallucinations
Negative symptoms:
flat affect (emotional flattening, less responsive to emotional stimuli), anhedonia (loss of pleasure), asociality (social withdrawal)
Disorganized symptoms:
speech (including loose associations), behavior
Be familiar with the material referred to in the “things we know” slides regarding anxiety
disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Anxiety Disorders
- We evolved to be anxious, so lots of false positives
- How you think about what happens matters (catastrophizing, interpreting stimuli as threatening)
- genetic component in for anxiety disorders in general, not specific
- exposure therapy can be very effective
Depression
- Episodic (doesn’t last forever)
-Heterogeneous (different effects for different people)
-Not simple in causes
-Becoming common in young people
-medication helps, but only about 50% of people
-Thoughts matter (CBT helps)
-tends to recur, but get better
-exercise helps
Bipolar Disorder
- Medication limited, usually lithium (stops mania, not depression much)
- High genetic component
- Might be related to reward over-sensitivity (part of BAS)
Schizophrenia
- Heterogeneous (there’s a spectrum)
- key neurotransmitters: dopamine (too much), glutamate (too little)
- structural brain abnormalities: frontal loves, ventricles (enlarged, so there’s less brain matter), thalamus
- excessive pruning of synapses in adolescence
- pre-natal environment is important
- genes and environment matter
How did Hippocrates explain the cause of mental disorders?
- too much bodily fluids leads to mental disorder
ex: too much bile -> depression
Explain the difference between a categorical and dimensional model of mental disorders. What are
weaknesses of a categorical approach?
- categorical: someone has disorder or does not, based on subjective diagnostic cutoff. Fails to capture differences in severity, people rarely fit one category perfectly (often multiple) and would not let people get treatment if they are below cutoff but have symptoms, and therefore could benefit.
- dimensional: on a continuum, measure people vary in degree rather than kind. Treats disorders as extreme versions of regular emotions. Diagnosis is easy at extremes, hard in the middle.
In the context of abnormal psychology, to what does the term “comorbidity” refer? How might the “p
factor” relate to comorbidity?
Comorbidity - multiple disorders can occur simultaneously in a person, ex. depression and substance abuse
P-factor - Underlying, general factor of psychopathology, like g-factor for intelligence. Suggests that many, or even all disorders are comorbid. Higher p-factor is related to life impairment, ex. suicide attempts, criminal behaviors, and worsening of impairments over time
- higher p factor more likely to have psychological disorders
What is the diathesis-stress model?
psychological disorders come from early life experiences/environment and genetics, which impact people’s stress levels. If this level exceeds someone’s ability to cope, they may end up with a psychological disorder
vulnerability + stress –> mental disorder
Describe the distinction between internalizing and externalizing disorders.
internalizing: NEGATIVE EMOTIONS like fear and distress (more prevalent in women)
externalizing: IMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR, ex. alcoholism, antisocial personality disorder (more prevalent in men)
Distinguish between specific phobias, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and generalized
anxiety disorder.
- Specific phobias: are irrational and out of proportion to the stimulus
- Social anxiety disorder: fear of negative evaluation of others in a social setting, ex. worried say something wrong (-> avoidance of social situations)
- Agoraphobia: fear of open spaces, where one cannot escape from (ex: crowds)
Describe Aaron Beck’s cognitive view of depression and the learned helplessness model of depression.
Aaron Beck’s cognitive view of depression:
depression is caused by having negative thoughts about oneself, the world, and the future
Learned Helplessness Model: people come to see that they cannot have an effect on the world around them - negative things will happen to them, they will fail, and that is inevitable, no matter what they try
