Psych Unit 14 and 15 Flashcards
Disorder Definitions
Statistical Abnormality:
- if someone is outside the frame (2 standard deviations away from the mean) we consider them as abnormal
Deviation from “Ideal” behavior:
- People are different
Abnormal Behavior as Distressing/Harmful to self and others:
- causes person/others distress and harm
Systems for Diagnosis Disorders
- DSM (American Psychiatric Association) USA uses this
- ICD (WHO) rest of the world uses this
Personality Disorders NOT Diagnosed in Children
they can’t be diagnosed with personality disorders as their personality isn’t really developed yet
Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- hard to read social situations
- they tend to read the wrong parts of face (instead of eyes and mouth they look at cheeks or other part)
- communication delays (speak later on in life)
- don’t have theory of the mind
- cognitive impairments (trouble in one area but excel in another)
- like routine
- stimming (repetitive behaviors, can mask them when they older, self-soothing, can indicate an oncoming meltdown)
*wide spectrum because people do different behaviors and have differing levels of functioning (ex: high functioning – average person might not know they have autism)
Savantism
- it’s rare
- they have remarkable abilities in a specific area (like being a prodigy)
Stephan Wiltshire: has autism
- Savant in reading and art
- he could look at something and then draw it in detail from memory
- photographic memory (sees something and then draws it from memory by only referencing his memory of it)
Casual Factors for ASD
- primarily biological – 70-90% concordance rate for MZ twins (tells us autism is biological)
- parents who have older kids
- brain growth differences (tends to be very fast but becomes very slow during adolescence
- either ASD is because of environmental factors or we are better at diagnosing it
- not due to vaccines
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
- used to treat autism when kids with autism have repeated behaviors that are harmful so they are put in an institution
- the institution uses operant conditioning and positive reinforcement – it’s an intensive therapy
ADHD Symptoms
- impulse control disorder
- restless, impulsive, inattentive
- have difficulty following instructions, maintaining attention on tasks, maintaining friendships
- ADHD is very prevalent
- it’s possible people are over-diagnosing it (young kids are active and it’s normal if they have difficulty focusing)
*people can also just have ADD (not hyperactive)
Casual Factors of ADHD
- it’s biological (MZ twins’ concordance rate = 55%)
- there could be an issue with the frontal lobe connecting to the limbic system
- environmental dangers: lead contamination, low birth weight, prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco
Stimulant Medication to treat ADHD
- Ritalin and Adderall
- *they’re agonists so they increase the activity of neurotransmitters (dopamine and norepinephrine)
- *it’s a stimulant – it doesn’t slow down but helps the person focus their attention
- the meds help people have more positive behaviors and reduce negative behaviors
Behavioral Treatments for ADHD
- can use treatment using operant conditioning
- parent training – train parents how to manage their child with ADHD
- classroom management: teachers can help manage students with ADHD
Diathesis Stress Model
- it’s a general framework to understand the cause of any disease
**tells us how psychological disorders develop because of the interaction between biological or predisposition (diathesis) and environmental stressors
Diathesis:
- predisposing factors (nature or environmental factors)
- interacts with the stress
- genetics, personality traits, environment, early and prolonged stressors
ex: a family history of depression could increase their susceptibility to depression
stress: nurture
- triggering factors
- stressful major life events that can be associated with the onset of psychopathological symptoms in adulthood
ex: childhood abuse
- tells us how we might develop mental health issues based on the interactions of genetics and the environment
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Symptoms
- not everyday anxiety
- have to have anxiety for more days than not in the past 6 months
- person finds it difficult to control the worry
- restless feeling (feeling on edge)
- sleep disturbances
- hard to concentrate
- irritability
- easily fatigued
Panic Disorder Symptoms
sudden occurrence of symptoms that contribute to a feeling of terror; panic attacks
- panic attacks can occur without a trigger
- person reports terror after panic attack
agoraphobia: an extreme fear of going out into public places
- the fear is that they will not get help when needing help
**sympathetic nervous system is activated for all of these disorders
Phobic Disorders Symptoms
phobia: excessive fear of an object or situation
- specific phobia: heights, snakes, germs, elevators
social anxiety: fear of being scrutinized or criticized by others
- fear of meeting new people
- fear of public speaking
agoraphobia
**people with these fears have them because their ancestors passed them down as a way to survive evolutionary
ex: snakes were threatening so they passed down a fear of snakes
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Symptoms
Obsessions: repetitive, intrusive thoughts
- Ex: Charlie’s mom is afraid of her son getting hurt so she knocks on wood 3 times before he leaves the house
Compulsions: ritualistic behaviors designed to fend of obsessions
*the compulsion is the action being repeated
*the obsession is the thought you perseverate on
- diagnosed when you are doing compulsions that prevent you from living normally
OCD Cycle: you obsess over thoughts or worries – drives anxiety which causes the compulsions and then you feel temporary relief from them only to go back to the obsession
*obsessions–> anxiety–> compulsions–> relief–> obsessions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms
- occurs after a traumatic event
ex: first responders after 9/11 - in a constant state of alertness because their sympathetic nervous system is activated
hypervigilance – they’re jumpy and on edge
- avoid stimuli associated with the trauma
- flashbacks, intrusive thoughts or nightmares about the traumatic event
Casual Factors of OCD
- biological (MZ concordance of 60-80%)
- dysfunction in brain regions
- low serotonin because their brain is more efficient at processing serotonin
- strep infection as a young child
Similarities among Psych Disorders
**BIOLOGICAL – MZ Twin Concordance Rate
**Sympathetic Nervous System is ACTIVATED
Cognitive Therapy
helping a patient correct and identify distorted thoughts about the self, others, or the world
ex: someone thinking that everyone will judge them if they raise their hand in class
Cognitive Restructuring/Reframing
team patients to question when they have automatic beliefs, assumptions or predictions that lead to negative thinking
- want patients to replace NEGATIVE thinking with POSITIVE thinking
ex: telling yourself you’re a good student
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- a blend of cognitive and behavioral therapeutic strategies
- cycle of behavior, thoughts, feelings
ex: thinking you’re a bad student and will fail a test
- you can ask yourself why you think this
- what evidence in the past supports this claim?
- what contradicts this? Why will you do well?
**idea that thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are all interconnected
- common therapy practice
Systematic Desensitization
you gradually expose someone to what they’re afraid of
- you change their conditioned emotional response (CER) to the stimuli they don’t like using classical conditioning
ex: patients who are afraid of snakes
- you have them look at the snake and get closer and closer while asking them how they feel
- eventually they touch it and realize that it’s not so scary
Height Phobia Video Example
the man was afraid of taking elevators so he used VR to not be afraid
- the VR simulated that he was high up so he wouldn’t be afraid
- in real life, he wasn’t afraid of heights anymore
**the thinking is that you have to face your fear and the fear will decrease – you will see that you will be okay
Anxiety Disorder Medications
– people with anxiety don’t have enough GABA in their central nervous system
**the meds act to increase the GABA (agonists)
**the drugs used to treat anxiety are GABA agonists
meds: SSRIs
panic disorder usually involves meds and CBT
What is the Most Effective Treatment for Anxiety Disorders?
CBT and medication together
***psychotherapy and medication is the best combination/way to treat anxiety disorders
Major Depressive Disorder Symptoms (MDD)
profound, persistent depression for 2 or more weeks
- need at least 5 of the 9 symptoms
- depressed mood
- diminished interest in activities they used to enjoy
- significant weight loss/gain
- DISTURBANCES IN sleep, movement, energy (disturbances = they have a lot of or a little – excessive sleep or little sleep)
- feel worthless or guilty
- can’t concentrate
- think about death or suicide ideations
Dysthymia (Persistent Depressive Disorder)
- a type of depression (low-grade depression)
- the person has felt sad more days than not for at least 2 years
- doesn’t meet the criteria of MDD
- less intense than MDD – they are higher functioning than people with MDD
symptoms:
- low-grade depression
- disturbances in appetite, insomnia, energy, poor concentration, self-esteem
Bipolar I
history of manic episodes
- history of depressive episodes
- person fluctuates between having manic and depressive episodes
**Bipolar I is more extreme than Bipolar II
Bipolar II
- history of hypomanic episodes (they have episodes that are below the threshold for mania – it could last for a couple of days)
- history of major depressive disorders
***Bipolar I is more extreme than Bipolar II