chapters 15-16 Flashcards
medical model
Views psychological conditions as sets of symptoms, causes, and outcomes, with treatments aimed at changing physiological processes
-this approach was somewhat limited, solely focused for finding cures for things rather than trying to reach wellness in the patient
biopsychosocial model
Includes physiological processes within a more holistic view of the person as a set of multiple interacting systems
-takes into account that psychology and social context can affect our mental health and physiological symptoms that accompany this
abnormal psychology
The psychological study of mental illness
-the world is full of unusual people but they aren’t necessarily “crazy”
what is considered to be maladaptive behaviour?
1) Causes distress to self or others
2) Impairs ability to function in daily activities
3) Increases risk of injury, death, and legal infractions
what are some cons of the criteria for “maladaptive behaviour”?
- not perfect criteria, drug users wouldn’t fit into the first criteria because they don’t think they’re hurting themselves
- or in the case where a loved one has died, this can impair someone’s day to day activities but it doesn’t mean someone’s crazy
diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders (DSM)
Establishes criteria for the diagnosis of mental disorders
- set of symptoms
- etiology (causes) of symptoms
- prognosis of how symptoms change over time
-this edition expanded the list of distinct disorders available to be diagnosed, for example OCD
the current version of DSM-V is criticized for what?
- promoting over-diagnoses (ADHD)
- arbitrary diagnostic criteria (some disorders require a certain number of symptoms to qualify, so if someone is missing only one, they could potentially not get the diagnosis)
- lack of objective diagnostic methods (genetics, brain imaging)
How does the DSM-V over-diagnose ADHD?
- as ADHD has become it’s own disorder, the rate in the population has sky rocketed
- 20-70% of children that are originally diagnosed for ADHD are no longer showing symptoms as adults
- unnecessary medical treatments
stigmatization
Negative views of and biases towards the mentally ill
self-fulfilling prophecy and mental illness
-internalization of society’s stigma of mental illness can result in people coming to expect other to reject them, which in turn causes them to behave in ways that result in people rejecting them
Rosenhan experiment
“Being sane in insane places”
-this experiment showed that labels altered the lens through which we view people
- pretended she was crazy to get into the Lunatic house and when he got in, he acted completely normal but the more normal he acted the more crazy they thought he was
- he ended up staying there for 2 months because of a fake illness
mental disorder deffense
The legal strategy of claiming that a defendant was unable to differentiate between right and wrong when the criminal act was committed
-not criminally responsible (NCR)
Ex: Vince Li
personality disorder
Particularly unusual patterns of behaviour for one’s culture that are maladaptive, distressing to oneself or others, and resistant to change
what are the 3 clusters of personality disorders described in the DSM?
- Cluster A disorders (odd eccentric behaviour)
- cluster B disorders (dramatic, emotional, and erratic behaviour)
- cluster C disorders (anxious, fearful, and inhibited behaviour)
comorbodity
The presence of two disorders simultaneously, or the presence of a second disorder that affects the one being treated
- this can complicate the treatment, different treatments may not be complimentary
- difficult to find the source of the disorders when there are more than one
borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Intense extremes between positive and negative emotions, an unstable sense of self, impulsivity, and difficult social relationships
- these people often form intense romantic relationships but fall out of the relationship quickly
- trouble understanding that there should be bounds in a relationship
- tendency for self-injury
- suicide attempts
- interpersonal relationships more than bipolar
narcissistic personality disorder
Characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance and an intense need for attention and admiration, as well as intense self-doubt and fear of abandonment
these people are known for:
- manipulating other people
- behaving in ways that maximize their own interests no matter how it may affect other people
- lack of empathy
histrionic personality disorder (HPD)
Characterized by excessive attention seeking and dramatic behaviour
- typically successful at drawing people in
- doing whatever in necessary to be the centre of attention
- manipulative, overly dramatic
antisocial personality disorder (APD)
Refers to a condition marked by an habitual pattern of willingly violating other’s personal rights, with very little sign of empathy or remorse
- tend to be physically and verbally abusive to people, run into problems with the law, so a lot of people in prison have this
- tend to manipulate other people for their own self-interest
- tend to be under-reactive to stress (graph to the right)
- don’t process rewards and punishment the same way, making this disorder difficult to reform
dissociative disorder
A category of mental disorders characterized by a split between conscious awareness from feeling, cognition, memory, and identity
dissociative identity disorder
A person claims that their identity has split into one or more distinct personalities, or ‘alters’
-likely therapist induced
dissociative fugue
- lose all sense of who they are
- usually short lived episodes
dissociative amnesia
-forgetting about a specific or stressful event, so once these people get out of the fugue state
depersonalization disorder
-view themselves in a very hazy and distorted sense
why is it probable that dissociative identity disorder is likely therapist induced?
-using techniques like hypnosis (very problematic), creating false memories, way back in the 70’s (when there were only a handful of cases), but once a few cases were known, there were a lot more (thousands just a decade later)
how does dissociative identity disorder vary within cultures?
-cultural context can shape the way in which this disorder manifests itself (places like India = people can only switch personalities upon waking up vs. in North America, they can switch whenever)
anxiety disorders
A category of disorders involving fear of nervousness that is excessive. Irrational, and maladaptive
-this anxiety is prolonged more than most people and impairs their functioning
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Involves frequently elevated levels of anxiety that are not directed at or limited to any particular situation
-trouble sleeping/concentrating/identifying the source of anxiety
panic disorder
Disorder marked by repeated episodes of sudden, very intense fear (i.e., panic attacks)
- much shorter in duration but more intense
- overwhelming sense of dread that something bad is going to happen
agoraphobia
An intense fear of having a panic attack or lower-level panic symptoms in public
-leads to people becoming very anti-social
phobia
A severe, irrational fear of a very specific object or situation
specific phobias
Involve an intense fear of an object, activity, or organism
-ex: heights, animals, etc.
social anxiety disorder
An irrational fear of being observed, evaluated, or embarrassed in public
- distinction is whether people build their entire lives around this disorder
- biological dispositions to developing specific phobias (such as snakes)
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Characterized by unwanted, inappropriate, and persistent thoughts (obsessions); repetitive stereotyped behaviours (compulsions); or a combination of the two
-lack of perceived control
Ex: excessive hand washing, obsessive cleaning
major depression
A disorder marked by prolonged and unjustified periods of sadness, feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, social withdrawal, and cognitive and physical sluggishness
depression often comes with what symptoms?
- depressed cognition (more difficulty concentrating/making decisions, bias negative memories)
- lethargic and sleepy, yet experiences insomnia
- appetite change and digestive problems
- pessimistic explanatory style: internalizing (ex: “I’m so stupid it’s my fault; I’m a bad person; I am worthless), stabilizing (ex: It’s always going to be this way; things will never change), and globalizing (ex: and this applies to everything, not just the current situation)
bipolar disorder
Characterized by extreme highs and lows in mood, motivation, and energy
- episodes vary in length and duration
- mania can take several forms (can go through these manias once or twice in a lifetime or several times a year)
Twin studies indicate that there is no underlying genetic risk for developing major depression
True or False?
false
what are the biological aspects of depression?
- problematic feedback between the frontal lobes and the limbic system (limbic system regulating emotional response, tends to be overactive, shuts down the activity of the frontal lobes which are for control)
- neurogenesis and the hippocampus
- neurotransmitter levels imbalanced (Ex: serotonin transporter gene (dopamine and norepinephrine as well)
schizophrenia
A collection of disorders characterized by chronic and significant breaks from reality, a lack of integration of thoughts and emotions, and serious problems with attention and memory
-affects less than 1% of the population, but it is a universal condition