MENTAL DISORDERS Flashcards
abnormal psychology
the scientific study of abnormal behaviour to help describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
clinical perspective
a psychological perspective that seeks to identify hw causes and treatment of psychological diorders, with the gial of improving well-being, functioning, and relationships
what is psychological abnormality
Deviance (different, extreme, unusually bizarre)
Distress (unpleasant, upsetting)
Dysfunction (might interfere with a person’s ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive way)
Danger (posing a risk of harm)
deviance
divergence from the accepted social norms of behaviour
Behaviours, thoughts and emotions that differ markedly from a society’s idea about proper functioning
distress
Behaviour, ideas or emotions usually have to cause distress before they can be labeled as abnormal
Always? Those who have skitohenia, psychopaths
dysfunction
Abnormal behaviour tends to interfere with daily functioning
Relationships
Work
Education
General health
danger
Abnormal behaviour may become dangerous to oneself or others
Behaviour may be consistently careless, hostile, or confused
One’s physical health may be affected
Self harm, suicide attemps, starvation
But research consistency shows that dangereousness is the exception rather than the rule
psychology abnormality summary
Although abnormality generally is defined as behaviour that is deviant, distressful, dysfunctional, and sometimes dangerous, these criteria often are vague ad subjective
- Few categories of abnormality are as clear-cut as they seem
- Most continue to be debated by clinicians
- Cultural context influences how mental disorders are experienced, described assessed and treated
DSM-5 Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edition)
Describes 22 major categories containing >200 different mental disorders
Continuous and categorical method
Lists specific criteria essential to diagnosis
Commonly used by health care professionals as a guide to diagnosis
Also useful to researchers as it establishes consistent and reliable diagnoses
Looking at symptoms from self-reports instead of looking at signs form clinicians
causes of disorders
medical model
biopsychological perspective
diathesis-stress model
medical model
abnormal psychological experiences are conceptualized similarly to physical illness, having
- Defined symptoms
- Distinctive biological and environmental causes
- Possible cures
Biopsychological perspective:
explains mental disorders as the result of interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors
Bio- genes, brain structure, hormones
Psyc- learning, perceptions, memory
Social- support, environment, culture
Diathesis- stress model:
suggests that mental illness develops when a person who has some predisposition or vulnerability to mental illness (the “Diathesis”) experiences a major life stressor (the “stress”)
Research domain criteria project (RDoC)
New initiative that aims to guide the classification and understanding of mental disorders by revealing the basic processes that give rise to them
Long-term goal is to better understand what abnormalities cause different disorder and to classify disorders based on those underlying causes, rather than observed symptoms
dangers of labelling
stigma are likely attached to labelling people with psychological disorders
Roughly ()% of sufferers do not seek treatment
Education does not dispel the stigma
Labelling may result in unnecessary consequences
Labelling may be tough to shake
Labelling may lead to low self-esteem
May contribute to an external LOC
Importance of language
Eg. “being an anorexic” vs “having anorexia nervosa”
Eg. “being bipolar” vs “having BPD
anxiety disorders definition
a class of mental disorders involving excessive fear, anxiety, and avoidance
Cause much stress and interfere with their day to day functioning
anxiety disorder in the DSM-5
phobic disorder
panic disorder
generalized anxiety disorder
phobic disorder characterization
persistent and excessive fear an avoidance of specific object, activities and situation
specific phobia
irrational fear of a particular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’s ability to function
specific phobia categories
animals, natural environment, situations, blood,, and others (clowns)
125 life prelevence
social anxiety disorder
anxiety about social or performance situations where they might be scrutinized by others and embarrassment may occur
- some people fear positive evaluation from others
-women more than men
- 12-14 life pelevence
why do people develop phobias
preparedness theory (evolution)
classical conditioning
behavioural accounts
temperament
biological model
stress
preparedness theory
fears that are evolutionary relevant
family relevant- fearing the same things as parents
classical conditioning
neutral situation with negative stimuli
behavioural accounts
direct, vicarious, and informational pathways
direct- dog jumping on you as a kid
vicarious- mom ushering you away from dogs
informational- telling yo to stay away from dogs
temperament
shy kids more likely to have phobic disorders
biological model
hormones, neuro chemistry and neuro anatomy
panic disorders
involves the sudden occurrence of multiple psychological and physiological symptoms that contribute to a feeling of stark terror (called )
panic disorder additional info
must fear the idea of a future panic attacks to get diagnosed
hereditary components
physiological effects- upset stomach, heart race, dizziness, dry mouth and hot/cold flashes
agoraphobia
specific phobia involving fear of public places (comorbidity)
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
characterized by chronic excessive worries accompanied by restlessness, fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance
lower SES and unpredictable surroundings
irrational or exaggerated
bio and physical and neuro transmitter imbalance are contributors
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
presence of
obsessions - repetitive and intrusive thoughts
compulsions- repetitive behaviour to reduce anxiety
the just not right experience
jack rackman
obsessions are caused by the catastrophic misinterpretatiion of our thoughts, images and impulses
Intrusive thoughts and repetitive behvaviors are common
Difference between those who have OCD or not is not based on the content of the thought or the frequency but rather the interference and distress
PTSD
A traumatic event
Chronic physiological arousal; (eg hypervigilnce)
Recurrent unwanted thought or images of the trauma
Eg flashbacks
Avoidance of things hat call the traumatic event to mind
lifetime relevance 10%
mood disorders
depressive disorders
bipolar and related disorders
major depressive disorder (unipolar depression)
depressive disorders
major depressive disorder
persistent depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder
Characterized by a severley depressed mood and diminished interest or pleasure that lasts 2+ week,adn three other symptoms
MDD symptoms
Weight loss/gain or increase/decrease in appetit
insomnia/hypersomnia
Psychomotor agitiation/retardation
fatigue/ loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
Indecisiveness, or reduce ability to think concentrate
Recurrent thoughts of death/suicide, a suicide attempt, or a plan
cognitive perspective
Dysfunctional attitudes adn negative mood states play a central role in depression
Depressed individuals tend to have cognitive biases
Interpretation, attention and memery
Aaron beck
helplessness theory
individuals who are prone to depression automatically attribute negative experiences to causes that are internal, stable, and global
bipolar disorder
an unstable emotional condition characterized by cycles of abnormal, persistent high mood (mania) and low mood (depression)
Mania lasts 1+ week and involves any of grandiosity, energy, decreased need for sleep, elated or irritable mood, feeling of invincibility and/or grandiosity, racing thought, reckless behaviour, sometimes with psychotic features
Schizophrenia characterization
A profound disruption of basic psychological processes;
A distorted perception of reality
Altered or blunted emotion; and
Disturbances in thought, motvaftion, and behaviour
Positive and negative symptoms, disorganized behaviour
people with schizophrenia often have little insight into their symptoms
Because the syptoms feel like reality
1% of the population, rarely develops before adolescence
schizophrenia symptoms (3 types)
positive, negative, cognitive
pos schizophrenia symptoms
presence of abnormal thoughts and behaviours
hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, gross disorganized behaviour
catatonic behaviour- decrease in all movement
neg schizophrenia symptoms
deficits/ disruptions of normal emotions, absence or insufficiency of normal behaviour, motivation and emotion, including
Emotional and social withdrawal, apathy, poverty of speech
cognitive schizophrenia symptoms
deficits in cognitive abilities in executive functioning, attention, and working memory
