CHP 14 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS Flashcards
Psychopathology
sickness or disorder of the mind; psychological disorder
Etiology
factors that contribute to the development of a disorder
Diagnostic + Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
3 main sections
1. Intro with instructions for using the manual
2. Diagnostic criteria for all of the disorders, which are grouped so that similar categories of disorders are located near each other
3. A guide for future psychopathology research
Categorical approach
Either the person is in the category or not
Dimensional approach
Pyschological disorders exist along a continuum
Comorbidity
Many psychological disorders occur together (maybe because of common underlying factors)
P-factor
A common general factor, analogous to general intelligence.
High scores on the p-factor were associated with more life impairment (suicide, criminal behavior, etc.)
US National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIHM) research domain criteria (RDoC)
a method that defines basic aspects of functioning and considers them across multiple levels of analysis, from genes to brain systems to behavior. Its purpose is to guide research rather than classify disorders
Assessment
examination of a person’s cognitive, behavioral, or emotional functioning to diagnose possible psychological disorders so treatment can be provided
Diathesis-stress model
a diagnostic model that believes a disorder may develop when underlying vulnerability is coupled with an event (like a stressful situation) that causes a disorder to develop
Biological perspective
Physiological factors contribute to psychological disorders
Genes–>size of brain structures and connectivity, production and levels of neurotransmitters and receptor sites
Environmental effects–>prenatal malnutrition, exposure to toxins, maternal illness; postnatal exposure to toxins/malnutrition during childhood/adolesence
Situational factors
play role in expression and treatment of mental disorders
Situational factors models
Family systems model: diagnostic model that considers problems within an individual as indicating problems within the family
Sociocultural model: diagnostic model that views psychopathology as the result of the interaction between individuals and their cultures
Cognitive behavioral approach
diagnostic model that views psychopathology as the result of learned, maladaptive thoughts and beliefs
abnormal behavior is learned and can be unlearned
mental disorders result from classical and operant conditioning
thoughts can become distorted and cause maladaptive behaviors and maladaptive emotions
Internalizing disorders
characterized by negative emotions (ex. anxiety, depression, etc.) and more common in women because of societal pressures to be up to an unachievable standard
Externalizing disorders
characterized by impulsive or out-of-control behavior (ex. alcoholism, antisocial, etc.) and more common in men
Cultural syndromes
Disorders with a strong biological component will tend to be more similar across cultures
Anxiety Disorders
psychological disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety in the absence of true danger
1 in 4 Americans
Anxiety disorder symptoms
chronic arousal of autonomic nervous system (sweating, dry mouth, rapid pulse, shallow breathing, inc blood pressure, inc muscular tension)
Specific phobia
diagnosed with a specific phobia based on the object of fear (involve particular objects and situations)
1 in 8 people
Social anxiety disorder
(formally called social phobia) fear of being negatively evaluated by others (fear of public speaking, speaking up in class, meeting new people, eating in front of thers)
the more social fears a person has, the more likely they are to develop other disorders (ie depression and substance abuse problems)
Often develops around age 13
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
state of constant anxiety not associated with any specific object or event
6% of pop has it (more women than men)
Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder
fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, headaches, restlessness, light-headedness, muscle pain
Panic disorder
anxiety disorder that consists of sudden, overwhelming attacks of terror (sweating and trembling, racing heart, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizzy and light-headed)
3% of pop has it, more common in women than men
Agoraphobia
anxiety disorder marked by fear of being in situations in which escape may be difficult or impossible
fear causes panic attacks
Factors of development of anxiety disorder
biased thinking
biased toward perceiving neutral stim as threatening
excessive attention on perceived threats
learning
developed fear by observing another person’s fearful reaction to a neutral stim
biological
inhibited temperament is more likely to develop anxiety
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
disorder characterized by frequent intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions
1-2% of pop, more common in women
Obsessions
recurrent, intrusive, unwanted thoughts or ideas or mental images that INCREASE anxiety
Compulsions
particular acts that person feels driven to perform repeatedly that reduce the anxiety
Causes of OCD
conditioning: person engages in behavior and is reinforced as the behavior reduces the anxiety
genes: OCD runs in families
neuroimaging: the caudate (brain structure involved in suppressing impulses) is smaller and has strucutral abnormalities in people with OCD
environment: streptococcal infection can cause odd symptoms of OCD in kids (repetitive behaviors, irrational fear + obession, facial tics)
may be caused by autoimmune response that damages an area of the brain involved in reward learning
treatments that enhance the immune system diminish symptoms
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
disorder that involves frequent nightmares, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks related to an earlier trauma
Symptoms of PTSD
chronic tensions, anxiety, health problems, memory and attention problems, hyperviligance (always on guard against danger)
7% of pop, women more likely
genetic component (decreases in serotonin receptors are correlated to more PTSD symptoms)
Major depressive disorder
disorder characterized by severe negative moods or lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities
Major depressive disorder symptoms
sufferers are highly impaired by the condition and it tends to persist over several months
women are 2x more likely
7-8% of Americans
Persistent Depressive Disorder (dysthymia)
a form of depression that’s not severe enough to be diagnosed as a major depressive disorder
Persistent Depressive Disorder (dysthymia) symptoms
have a depressed mood most of the day, more days than not, for at least 2 years
lasts from 2-20+ years, although the typical duration is about 5-10 years
affects 2-3% of pop
Causes of depression
deficiency of 1+ monoamines
(norepinephrine, serotonin (prozac is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)), life stressors, multiple negative events (often in the year before diagnosis)
Cognitive triad
(CAUSE OF DEPRESSION) people with depression think negatively about themselves and their situations, and about their future
Attributional pattern
(CAUSE OF DEPRESSION) blame misfortunes on personal defects, positive occurrences due to luck
Learned helplessness
a cognitive model of depression in which people feel unable to control events in their lives
Bipolar disorder
a mood disorder characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania
Mania
an elevated mood that can vary in degree and is accompanied by major shifts in energy level and physical activity
Maniac episodes
elevated mood, increased activity, diminshed need for sleep, grandiose ideas, racing thoughts, distractibility
Bipolar 1 disorder
characterized by extremely elevated moods during manic episodes and, frequently, depressive episodes as well
Bipolar 2 disorder
characterized by alternating periods of extremely depressed and mildly elevated moods (not true mania)
Hypomania
less extreme mood elevations
Cause of bipolar disorders
family history of bipolar disorder is the strongest and most consistent risk for bipolar (identical twins 70% chance v fraternal twins 20% chance)
if it’s genetically passed on, it’ll be worse in proceeding generations
Psychosis
difficulty distinguishing real perceptions from imaginary ones
Dissociative disorders
disorders that involve disruptions of identity, memory, or conscious awareness
Dissociative amnesia
person forgets an event happened or loses awareness of substantial block of time (but they can recognize that it existed and they lost it)
Dissociative fugue
rarest and most extreme form of dissociative amnesia in which identity is lost, often involves travel to another location and sometimes the assumption of a new identity (don’t remember events during a fugue state)
Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka multiple personality)
the occurence of 2+ distinct identities in the same individual
Dissociative identity disorder origin theory
kids cope with abuse by pretending it’s happening to someone else, and over time the dissociated state takes on its own reality (steven from moon knight)
Schizophrenia
disorder characterized by alterations in thoughts, perceptions, or consciousness resulting in psychosis (difficulty distinguishing real from fake perceptions)
Schizophrenia symptoms
motor, cognitive, behavioral, and perceptual abnormalities
1 in 200 people have it
POSITIVE (added behaviors) symptoms of Schizophrenia
Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganized speech
Disorganized behavior
Catatonic behavior
Hallucinations
(a symptom of schizophrenia) false sensory perceptions that are experienced without an external source (associated with activation in areas of cortex that produce external stimuli)
Delusions
(a symptom of schizophrenia) false beliefs based on incorrect inferences about reality
persecutory
referential
grandiose
identity
guilt
control
Disorganized speech
(a symptom of schizophrenia) speaking in an incoherent fashion that involves frequently changing topics and saying strange or inappropriate things
Disorganized behavior
(a symptom of schizophrenia) acting in strange or unusual movement of limbs, bizarre speech, inappropriate self-care
Catatonic behavior
holding strange postures for hours, as though “scared stiff”
NEGATIVE (subtracted behaviors) symptoms of schizophrenia
Don’t express emotion, movements may be slowed and overall amount of movement reduced w little initiation of behavior
often persist with antipsychotic medications
Personality disorder clusters
a: odd or eccentric behavior
b: dramatic emotional or erratic behavior
c: anxious or fearful behavior; avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive
Borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by disturbances in identity, in affect, and in impulse control
lack strong sense of self (fear of abandonment)
emotional instability
impulsivity
Antisocial personality disorder (APD)
people engage in socially undesirable behavior, are hedonistic and impulsive, and lack empathy (anyone who behaves in socially undesirable ways and feels no remorse)
Extreme versions of Antisocial Personality Disorder
psychopath and sociopath (glibness (superficial), a grandiose self-worth, shallow affect, cunning/manipulative)
Autism spectrum disorder
developmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, and restrictive/repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities
3-6 out of 1000, males outnumber females
Biological factors of Autism
exposure to antibodies in the womb, impairments in the mirror neuron system, schizophrenia and autism may share the same gene mutations
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
disorder characterized by restlessness, inattentiveness, and impulsivity (DSM requires 6+ inattentive symptoms persisting for at least 6 months and interfering with functioning or development)
ADHD across the lifespan
kids don’t outgrow ADHD, adult prevalence is 4%, kids aren’t diagnosed until they’re put in structured settings
