P - Mental disorders

Question 1

What are the most common mental disorders we need to know about?

Answer 1

Phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Question 2

What category of mental disorders are phobias in?

Answer 2

Anxiety disorders.

Question 3

What are phobias/phobic disorders?

Answer 3

Instances of irrational fears that produce a conscious avoidance of the feared object or situation.

Question 4

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias?

Answer 4

Fear that is marked and persistent, and is likely to be excessive and unreasonable.

Feelings of anxiety and panic.

Question 5

What do we mean by emotional characteristics?

Answer 5

How you feel

Question 6

What are the emotional characteristics of phobias cued by?

Answer 6

The presence of anticipation of a specific object or situation - they are out of proportion to the actual danger exposed.

Question 7

What are the behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 7

Avoidance (immediate response).

Freeze or faint.

Question 8

What impact does avoidance of a phobia have on functioning?

Answer 8

It interferes significantly with the person’s normal routine, occupation, social activities or relationships, and there is marked distress about having the phobia.

Question 9

What are the cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 9

Irrational nature of the person’s thinking and the resistance to rational arguments.

The person recognises that their fear is excessive or unreasonable - although this feature may be absent in children.

Question 10

What do we mean by behavioural characteristics?

Answer 10

What you do

Question 11

What do we mean by cognitive characteristics?

Answer 11

How/what we think

Question 12

What do cognitive characteristics of phobias relate to?

Answer 12

Thought processes.

Question 13

What characteristic can we use to distinguish between a phobia and a delusional mental illness (such as schizophrenia)?

Answer 13

In phobias, the person recognises that their fear is excessive or unreasonable whereas for delusional mental illnesses, the individual is not aware of the unreasonableness of their behaviour.

Question 14

What are phobias?

Answer 14

A group of mental disorders characterised by high levels of anxiety in response to a particular stimulus or group of stimuli. The anxiety interferes with normal living.

Question 15

What is depression?

Answer 15

A mood disorder where an individual feels sad and/or lacks interest in their usual activities. Further characteristics include irrational negative thoughts, raised or lowered activity levels and difficulties with concentration, sleep and eating.

Question 16

What distinguishes between major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder which is long term and/or recurring?

Answer 16

DSM-V

Question 17

What does DSM-V do in depression?

Answer 17

Distinguishes between major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder which is long term and/or recurring.

Question 18

What are emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 18

Sadness. 
Loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities. 
Feeling empty, worthless and hopeless. 
Experience low self-esteem. 
Despair and lack of control. 
Anger (at others of self).

Question 19

What are behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 19

Shift in activity level - either reduced or increased.
Reduced energy, a sense of tiredness and a wish to sleep all of the time (hypersomnia).
Increasingly agitated and restless (insomnia), may pace around a room, wring their hands or tear at their skin.
Increased or reduced appetite.

Question 20

What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 20

Negative thoughts such as negative self-concept (negative self-beliefs) as well as guilt, a sense of worthlessness etc.
Negative view of the world, expect things to turn out bad rather than good.
Negative expectations about their lives and relationships and the world generally.
Irrational negative thoughts - they do not accurately reflect reality.

Expectations can be self-fulfilling - believing you are bad at something will reduce effort and/or increase anxiety and so you will be bad at it, confirming your negative self-beliefs.

Question 21

What does the formal diagnosis of ‘major depressive disorder’ require?

Answer 21

The presence of at least 5 symptoms and must include either sadness or loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities.

Question 22

What is OCD?

Answer 22

Obsessive-compulsive disorder where anxiety arises from both obsessions (persistent thoughts) and compulsions (behaviours that are repeated over and over again). Compulsions are a response to obsessions and the person believes the compulsions will reduce anxiety.

Question 23

What are obsessions in OCD?

Answer 23

Persistent thoughts.

Question 24

What are compulsions in OCD?

Answer 24

Behaviours that are repeated over and over again. They are a response to obsessions and the person believes the compulsions will reduce anxiety.

Question 25

What type of disorder is OCD?

Answer 25

An anxiety disorder.

Question 26

When does OCD typically begin?

Answer 26

In young adult life.

Question 27

What are the 2 main components of OCD?

Answer 27

Obsessions and compulsions.

Question 28

What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 28

Obsessions and compulsions are a source of considerable anxiety and stress.

Sufferers are aware that their behaviour is excessive and this causes feelings of embarrassment and shame.

A common obsession concerns germs which gives rise to feelings of disgust.

Question 29

What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 29

Obsessions are recurrent, intrusive thoughts or impulses that are perceived as inappropriate or forbidden. They may be frightening and/or embarrassing so that the person doesn’t want to share them with others.

Common obsessional themes include ideas, doubts, impulses or images. These are not simply excessive worries about everyday problems but they are seen as uncontrollable, which creates anxiety. The person recognises that the obsessional thoughts or impulses are a product of their own mind.

At some point during the course of the disorder, the person does recognise that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable.

Question 30

What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD

Answer 30

Compulsive behaviours are performed to reduce the anxiety created by obsessions. They are repetitive and unconcealed, such as hand washing or checking. They may be mental acts such as counting or praying.

Patients feel they must perform these actions otherwise something dreadful may happen, which creates anxiety.

These behaviours aren’t connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralise or prevent and are clearly excessive. Some patients only experience compulsive behaviours with no particular obsessions - e.g. compulsively avoiding certain objects.