Chapter 15 Slides Flashcards
Biopsychosocial approach to psychological disorders
Biological: genes, brain structure and chemistry
Psychological: stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories
Social: roles, expectations, definitions of normality and disorder
Psychological Disorders diagnostic classification
- predicts the disorder’s future course
- suggests treatment
- prompts research into its causes
DSM-5
describes disorders and estimates their occurrence
Changes to DSM-5
- changes in labels
- new diagnoses
- new categories
DSM-5 Criticism
- DSM-5 contributes to treating everything as abnormal
- system labels are society’s value judgements
DSM-5 Benefits
helps mental health professionals communicate and is useful in research
Generalized anxiety disorder
- global, persistent, chronic, excessive state of apprehension
- often referred to as free-floating anxiety. Because the identified course of apprehension constantly changes or cannot be identified
- physical manifestations include furrowed brow, sweating, twitching, trembling, high BP
Panic Disorder
Characterization: unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread
During panic attacks: person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking , or other terrifying sensations
This disorder involves fear of the next attack. Attempts to avoid all situations that might trigger an attack can lead to agoraphobia, the fear of being in panic-triggering situations with inadequate chance of help or escape
Agoraphobia
the fear of being in panic-triggering situations with inadequate chance of help or escape
Social phobia
intense fear of being embarrassed, judged, or scrutinized by others in social situations
Obsessions
unwanted repetitive thoughts
Compulsions
urges to perform certain actions
when is a behaviour considered a disorder?
when it brings significant distress or when the time spent on obsessions and/or compulsions interferes with daily life
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety and/or insomnia that lingers for longer than four weeks after the traumatic experience
- rises from traumatic experiences
Learning perspective
anxiety disorders are a product of fear conditioning, stimulus generalization, reinforcement of fearful behaviours, and observational learning
Biological Perspective
anxiety disorders are explained by natural selection and adaptation, genetic inheritance of high levels of emotional reactivity, and abnormal responses in the brain’s fear circuits (anterior cingulate cortex)
Cognition
includes worried thoughts, as well as interruptions, appraisals, beliefs, predictions, and ruminations
includes mental habits such as hyper vigilance (persistently watching out for danger). This accompanies anxiety in PTSD
Major depressive disorder
person experiences two or more weeks with five or more symptoms. At least one of which must be either 1) depressed mood 2) loss of interest or pleasure
Persistent depressive disorder
person experiences mildly depressed mood more often than not for at least two years, along with at least two other symptoms
Less common condition of bipolar disorder
person experiences not only depression but also mania - impulsive behaviour
Depression Symptoms
- emotional
- cognitive
- behavioural
- physical
Emotional Symptoms of depression
- feeling of sadness, hopelessness, guilt, emptiness, or worthlessness
- feeling emotionally disconnected from others
- turning away from other people
Cognitive symptoms of depression
- difficulty thinking, concentrating, and remembering
- global negativity and pessimism
- suicidal thoughts or preoccupations with death
Behavioural symptoms of depression
- dejected facial expression
- makes less eye contact; eyes downcast
- smiles less often
- slowed movements, speech, and gestures
- tearfulness or spontaneous episodes of crying
- loss if interest or pleasure in usual activities, including sex
- withdrawal from social activities
physical symptoms
- changes in appetite resulting in significant weight loss or gain
- insomnia, early morning awakening or oversleeping
- vague but chronic aches and pains
- diminished sexual interest
- loss of physical and mental energy
- global feelings of anxiety
- restlessness, fidgety activity
who has more depression, women or men?
women’s risk of major depression is nearly double men’s
How many people commit suicide a year?
1 million
Biopolar Disorder
-a person alternating between despondency and lethargy of depression and a state of extreme euphoria, excitement, physical energy, wild optimism, and rapid thoughts and speech
PET scans show that brains energy consumption rises and falls with the patient’s emotional switches
During Depression (in the brain)
- brain activity slows
- left frontal lobe less active
- scarcity of norepinephrine and serotonin
Mood disorders (biopsychosocial)
Biological: genetic predispositions, changes in brain chemistry, brain damage due to stress and other factors
Psychological influences: negative explanatory style, learned helplessness, gender differences
social-cultural influences: traumatic/negative events, cultural expectations, depression-evoked responses
Evolutionary perspective on the biology of depression
depression, in its milder, non-disordered form, may have had survival value
under stress, depression is social-emotional hibernation. It allows humans to:
- conserve energy
- avoid conflicts and other risks
- let go of unattainable goals
- take time to contemplate
How to prevent/reduce depression
- adjust neurotransmitters with medication
- increase serotonin levels with exercise
- reduce brain inflammation with a healthy diet (especially olive and fish oils)
- prevent excessive alcohol use
Antisocial Personality Disorder
-parttern of irresponsible or unlawful behaviour violating social norms, absent shame or remorse
Borderline personality disorder
- great instability and intensity in personal relationships
- difficulties controlling anger, impulsitivity, self-harm, fear or abandonment and difficulty with emotional control
Dissociative disorders
- this category of disorders involves extreme and frequent disruptions of awareness, memory, and personal identity that impair the ability to function
- people who suffer this kind of disorder are “dissociated” or separated from previous memories or feelings
Dissociative amnesia
partial or total inability to recall important personal information; causes are psychological (e.g. extreme stress), not neurological (e.g. brain damage)
Dissociative fugue
sudden and unexpected travel away from home, forgetting a previous identity and creating a new one
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
- characterized by memory disruption of personal identify combined with the exhibition of two or more distinct and altering personalities
- formerly known as multiple personality disorder
- dissociative disorders are thought to be reactions to stress or traumatic experiences but the how and why of the different experiences are known
- dissociative identity disorder is extremely controversial. Skeptics point to how DID is localized in time and place, and speculate that it involves role-playing spurred by therapist suggestion. Some sympathetic researchers point to genuine differences in brain activity of the alternate personalities
