Module 47: Introduction to Psychological Disorders

Question 1

psychological disorders

Answer 1

marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
(disturbed or dysfunctional thoughts, emotions, or behaviors are maladaptive)

Question 2

psychological disorders 4 D’s

Answer 2

Deviant (outside the norm)
Distress (under pressure, emotional)
Dangerousness (danger to others or themself)
Dysfunctional (cannot work)

Question 3

Medical model

Answer 3

Search for physical causes of mental disorders and curative treatments.
Mental illness is diagnosed based on symptoms and treated through therapy.

Question 4

Biopsychosocial model

Answer 4

general approach positing that biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors play significant roles in human functioning in the context of disease or illness.

Question 5

Classification system of psychological disorders

Answer 5

Predicts the disorder’s future course
Suggests appropriate treatment
Prompts research into its causes

Question 6

DSM-5

Answer 6

American Psychiatric Association, fifth edition, Describes disorders and estimates their occurrence
Changes: Some label changes, new/altered diagnoses, new categories
Criticism: Antisocial personality disorder and generalized anxiety disorder did poorly on field trials, DSM-5 contributes to the pathologizing of everyday life, and System labels are society’s value judgments.
Benefits: System helps mental health professionals communicate and is useful in research

Question 7

Suicide

Answer 7

Affects 1 million people worldwide.
Higher risk with diagnosis of depression but may occur with rebound
More likely to occur when people feel disconnected from or as if they are a burden to others

Question 8

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)

Answer 8

Cutting, burning, hitting oneself, pulling out hair, inserting objects under nails/skins, self-administered tattooing

Question 9

Does Disorder Equal Danger?

Answer 9

Mental disorders seldom lead to violence, and clinical prediction of violence is unreliable.
Most people with disorders are nonviolent and are more likely to be victims than attackers

Question 10

What increases vulnerability to mental disorders?

Answer 10

Academic failure
Birth complications
Caring for those who are chronically ill or who have a neurocognitive disorder
Child abuse and neglect
Chronic insomnia
Chronic pain
Family disorganization or conflict
Low birth weight
Low socioeconomic status
Medical illness
Neurochemical imbalance
Parental mental illness
Parental substance abuse
Personal loss and bereavement
Poor work skills and habits
Reading disabilities
Sensory disabilities
Social incompetence
Stressful life events
Substance abuse
Trauma experiences