Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders Flashcards
Abnormal Behavior
Behavior that is deviant; maladaptive, or personally distressful
- Deviant: atypical behavior that deviates from culturally accepted norms
- Maladaptive: behavior that interferes with a person’s ability to function effectively
- Personally distressful: behavior that causes personal distress
DSM-IV
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition; the APA’s major classification of psychological disorders
- Axis I: All diagnostic categories except personality disorders and mental retardation
- Axis II: Personality disorders and mental retardation
- Axis III: General medical conditions
- Axis IV: Psychosocial and environmental problems
- Axis V: Current level of functioning GAF score
Medical Model
A biological approach that describes psychological disorders as medical diseases with a biological origin
Anxiety Disorders
Psychological disorders that include these features: motor tension, hyperactivity, and apprehensive expectations and thoughts
Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
An anxiety disorder that consists of persistent anxiety over at least 1(6?) month(s?); the individual with this disorder cannot specify reasons for the anxiety
- Etiology
- — biological factors
- ——- chronic over arousal
- ——- genetic predisposition
- ——- GABA deficiency
- — psychological and socio-cultural factors
- ——- harsh self-standards
- ——- negative thoughts
- ——- life stressors
Anxiety Disorders
Panic Disorders
An anxiety disorder marked by the recurrent sudden onset of intense apprehension or terror
- recurrent, sudden onsets of intense terror that often occurs without warning
- chest pains
- trembling
- sweating
- dizziness
- feelings of helplessness
Anxiety Disorders
Phobic Disorders
Commonly called phobia, an anxiety in which the individual has an irrational, overwhelming, persistent fear of a particular object or situation
- Etiology
- — Biological factors: genetic disposition
- — Psychological factors: learned
Anxiety Disorders
Agoraphobia
A cluster of fears centered around public places and being unable to escape or to find help should one become incapacitated
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
An anxiety disorder; the individual has persistent anxiety-provoking thoughts that will not go away (obsession) and/or urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors to prevent or produce some future situation (compulsion), checking, counting, cleaning
- Etiology
- — Biological factors
- ——- genetic
- ——- overactive frontal cortex & basal ganglia
- — Psychological factors
- ——- inability to “turn off” negative thoughts
- ——- life stress
Anxiety Disorders
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
An anxiety disorder that develops through exposure to a traumatic event, severely oppressive situations, severe abuse, and natural and unnatural disasters. Symptoms develop as a result to exposure to a traumatic event, oppressive situations, severe abuse, natural or unnatural disasters
- flashbacks
- constricted ability to feel emotions
- excessive arousal
- difficulties with memory and concentration
- sexual abuse & assault victims –> largest sufferers
- onset of symptoms can be significantly delayed
Mood Disorders
Psychological Disorders in which there is a primary disturbance in mood (prolonged emotion that colors the individuals entire emotional state). Two main types are depressive disorders (major and dysthymic) and bi-polar disorder
Mood Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Mood disorders in which the individual suffers depression without ever experiencing mania
Mood Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder
Indicated by a major depressive episode and depressed characteristics, such as lethargy and hopelessness, lasting at lease 2 weeks
- significant depressive episode that lasts for at least 2 weeks
- defined by presence of at lease 5 out of the 9 symptoms
- — depressed mood
- — Anhedonia: reduced pleasure in activities
- — weight change: appetite
- — change in sleep patterns
- — psychomotor agitation or retardation
- — loss of energy
- — feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- — difficulty concentrating
- — suicidal ideation
Mood Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Dysthymic Disorder
A depressive disorder that is generally more chronic (unbroken depressed mood lasting at least 2 years) and has fewer symptoms than major depressive disorder (defined by presence of 2 out of the 9 symptoms)
- Etiology
- — biological factors:
- ——- genetic disposition
- ——- under active prefrontal cortex
- ——- regulation of neurotransmitters
- — Psychological factors:
- ——- ruminating on negative, self-defeating thoughts
- ——- pessimistic attribution
- ——- life stressors
- ——- Freud: aggression turned inward
Mood Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
A mood disorder characterized by extreme mood swings that include one or more episodes of mania (episodes usually separated by 6 months to a year)
- Mania: extreme feelings of…
- — euphoria
- — energy
- — impulsivity
- Etiology
- — strong genetic component
- — under active cerebral cortex
- — overactive amygdala
- — levels of neurotransmitters
- Suicide
- — Prevalence
- ——- over 32,000 in year 2004
- ——- one completion for every 8 to 25 attempts
- ——- 3rd leading cause of death in early adolescence
