Introduction To Psychology Chapter 15 (Psychological Disorders)

Question 1

What is a symptom and a syndrom

Answer 1

A symptom is a certain characteristic

A Syndrom is a set of related symptoms

Question 2

What conditions should be met for a mental disorder to be treated

Answer 2

1. Clinical importance (problematic in daily life)
2. Internal source (not because of external situation)
3. Involuntary (not by personal choice)

Question 3

What are the different perspectives of psychological disorders

Answer 3

1. Biological perspective (the brain is ill)
2. Cognitive/learning theortical perspective (person has learnt the wrong things)
3. Sociocultural perspective (Problems are culturally determined (homosexuality))
4. Psychodynamic (problems because of unconscious mental conflicts and drives from childhood)

Question 4

What are the 3 types of causes for a disorder

Answer 4

1. Predisposing causes (a person’s predisposition to a disorder like genes)
2. Precipitating causes (direct trigger for a disorder like events)
3. Perpetuating causes (sustainment for a disorder like easily recalling bad memories)

Question 5

What is the 3 aims of diagnostics

Answer 5

1. Identifying the disorder objectively (often by DSM book)
2. Facilitating scientific research
3. Treating the disorder

Question 6

What are the most common disorders of DSM 5

Answer 6

1. Anxiety (phobias)
2. Mood disorder (depression)
3. Substance abuse and addiction disorder

Question 7

What are dangers in diagnosing and labelling subjects

Answer 7

Confirmation bias and self fulfilling prophecies are very often happening
It is also mentally challenging to be labeled with a disorder

It’s therefore better to replace labels with a formal discribtions (alcoholic –> a person with alcohol addiction)

Question 8

What the students disease

Answer 8

Disagonising someone because he shows some symptoms
Nearly everybody has to some degree a few symptoms of every disorder
Very often done by students

Question 9

Explain generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 9

4.5%
Psychological symptoms are worrying about everything constantly
It is also long lasting (>6 months)
Causation is a mix between genetically being predisposed and frequent traumatic experiences in childhood (hypervigilance)
There is a strong increase over the last 50 years (less security in daily life)
Often cooccurs with depression

Question 10

Explain panic disorder

Answer 10

They are unpredictable spontaneous panic attacks (fear of death and strong physical reactions)
Anxiety about next attack should be severe
Can be triggered by things like caffeine

Question 11

Explain phobias and its 2 different types

Answer 11

Intense irrational fear to a distinctive object or event
Specific phobias (7.9%) like animals, blood or situation
Social phobias (9.3%) is the fear of judgement and being looked at
Agoraphobia is the fear of a certain gathering place and public situation

Being phobic means being on a continuus scale between normal fear and phobia
Aetiology says that phobias may be caused because of classical conditioning and genetic predisposition to certain fears (snakes instead of pigeons)

Question 12

Explain obsessive compulsive disorder (0.9%)

Answer 12

Irrational fear and distress but instead of phobia it is the consequence of a thought
Obsessions (instructive thoughts)
Compulsive (forced Action)
It is associated with a brain abnormaly that links conscious thought to action and also doesnt allow the feeling of completeness after executing a task

Question 13

Explain depressive disorder

Answer 13

Prolonged sadness, self blame, sense of worthlessness and inability to enjoy things.
There may be other symptoms like deviation in sleeping pattern and eating habits
There is major depression (25% in woman, 13% in men) which is major symptoms for at least two weeks, and dysthymia (1%) less severe symptoms but very long (>2 years)
There are clear indications for genetic factors and enviromental factors (losses), it is also similar geneticly to anxiety disorder
It also may be adaptive in natural selection, as people think more realisticaly and often leave depression with better goals and better life choices

Question 14

Explain bipolar disorder

Answer 14

Two extremes and alternation of depressive and maniac episodes
The manic phase is a extreme sensation of power, self confidence, sometimes extraordinary irretaded by inability
There is a link between bipolar disorder and creativity, which is why many writers and artists have it.

Question 15

Explain schizophrenia

Answer 15

0.5%
It is sooner in men than in woman in life
People with schizophrenia are sperated from reality (can’t distinguish what is real and what is not)
Symptoms are disorganized thought and speech, delusions (paranoia), hallucinations (Hearing voices), disorganized behaviour and negative symptoms (reduced behaviours)
There are also problems with working memory.
Reduced neural mass in brain may be a cause
There is a strong genetic influence, but also other causes like traumas or oxygen deficiency)

Question 16

Explain reliability and validity in diagnosing disorders

Answer 16

Reliability: independent diagnostics agree on a diagnosis
Validity: is the diagnosis helpful and does it really grasp a disorder

Question 17

Explain 3 ways in which culture affects psychological disorders

Answer 17

1. Western culture has more anorexia and bulimia disorder, because of the high standard of role models
2. Culture may also see different traits as disorders or illegal (homosexuality)
3. ADHD may have been increased because there is more emphasis on school performance

Question 18

Explain 4 reasons why there are sex differences in disorder diagnosises

Answer 18

1. Some sex report disorder more
2. clinicians expect a disorder more in one sex
3. stress through social roles
4. sex differences in responding to stress

Question 19

Explain Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Answer 19

It is caused by one or more traumatic lifeevents
Symptoms are Reexperiencing, highthened arousal and avoidance of trauma related stimuli
Other disorders are often then associated (not caused) t o PTSD
It also is often associated with low emotional regulation, which may be regulated by genes and social support

Question 20

Explain the hopelessness therory

Answer 20

Depression is caused by a recuring thinking pattern
1. A negative event leads to a catastrophic outcome
2. The negative events is proof for negative trait of person
3. It is stable (will not change) and global (will affect many future events)
Remination focuses a person to negative aspects

Question 21

Why are there more recoveries from schizophrenia in developing countries

Answer 21

Differences in living conditions, cultural attitudes and lower use of antipsychotic drugs may play a role