exam 3 psychopathology Flashcards
what are the 3 common definitions of abnormal behavior
1) conformity to norms
2) experiencing subjective distress
3) disability/disfunction
how does conformity to norms define abnormal behavior? pros and cons?
- abnormal behavior is anything that doesn’t conform to the norm (any deviant behavior = abnormal)
- pros: cutoff points; intuitive & makes sense –> definition appeals to people
- cons: cutoff points are blurry; how many deviations makes a person mentally ill?; doesn’t account for variation in cultures which may make something seem deviant but it’s not deviant in the individual’s culture
how does subjective distress define abnormal behavior? pros and cons?
- does the individual have negative experiences bc of the behavior?
- pros: people are their own expert and know what’s normal for them; takes diagnostic burden off the therapist
- cons: doesn’t have objective criteria
- not all people experience distress
- how much distress should be considered abnormal?
how does disability/disfunction define abnormal behavior? pros and cons
- the behavior must cause social or occupational problems
- pros: less inference from the therapist
- cons: might be hard to determine who should define normality; hard to get to an agreement across many sources
what is used to classify/identify psych disorders?
DSM-V (DSM-5): diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
- doesn’t have explanations or causes; only symptoms
4 types of disorders covered in class in the DSM
1) anxiety
- anxiety disorders (GAD, phobia, panic)
- OCD
- PTSD
2) dissociative disorders
3) mood disorders
4) schizophrenia
How are anxiety disorders characterized? what are the types of anxiety disorders discussed in class
- distress; persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors to reduce anxiety
- GAD
- panic disorder
- phobia
- OCD
- PTSD
how is GAD characterized
continuously anxious without any apparent cause
how is panic disorder characterized
episodes of intense dread; physical symptoms often mistaken for heart attack
how is phobia characterized
persistent irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object/situation
- ex) agoraphobia: fear of situations w/o escape in case of emergency
how is OCD characterized
- repetitive unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions)
- obsessions: ideas, impulses, or images
- compulsions: repeated rigid behaviors to reduce anxiety of obsessions
- has to interfere with normal functioning
how is PTSD characterized
- repeatedly reliving traumatic event through memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, anxiety, insomnia
- usually for at least 4 weeks after trauma
what are dissociative disorders
- separating an experience from yourself
- usually have periods of amnesia
what is dissociative identity disorder (DID)/ multiple personality disorder
- person has 2+ distinct alternating personalities
- each personality / alter has own traits (vitals/phys characteristics and abilities/preferences)
- primary/host alter is dominant
- transitioning btwn alters = switching
what is fugue state
sudden amnesia in dissociative identity disorder
typical DID alters
- depressed and tired (unsure when you will switch again)
- strong angry protector (to prevent abuse again)
- scared hurt child (age of abuse)
- helper
- internal persecutor
*women have ~15 alters; men ~8
when does DID begin? When is it typically diagnosed?
- symptoms start in early childhood after abuse
- diagnosed usually in adolescence/adulthood
Why are there more cases of DID now?
- drs are more willing to make this diagnosis
- diagnostic methods have improved
what’s the issue with diagnosing DID
- there’s a belief that therapists can cause it by mentioning it
- others don’t believe it’s real
evidence DID is real
- different personalities have access to different memories; have different physical abilities and characteristics; different personality tests
evidence DID is not real
- the number of personalities a person with DID can have changed from 3 to 12; wouldn’t expect it to change
- no genetic link when studies in twins
what are the two categories of mood disorders
1) depressive
2) bipolar
what is major depressive disorder
- 2+ weeks of depressed mood for no reason
- triggered by something but persists
- women are twice as likely to have unipolar depression than men, but diagnostic criteria are based on women
symptoms of MDD (5 areas)
1) emotional: anxiety, anger, agitation, crying spells
2) motivational: lack of motivation; paralysis of will (forcing yourself to do regular behaviors)
3) physical: dizzy spells, indigestion (usually misdiagnosed as physical medical problems)
4) cognitive: negative self views, self blame
5) behavioral: moving/speaking slowly; rarely self-credit, pessimistic