Psychological Disorders Flashcards
What are psychological disorders? How prevalent are psychological disorders?
Patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that are deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional
THREE D’s
Any 6 month period: 40%
During your lifetime: 50%
How do psychologists determine what is a disorder?
Patterns - collection of symptoms that tend to go together
THREE D’s
Must be:
Deviant - differ from norm (abnormal)
Distress & Disfunction - maladaptive in some way
How do psychologists diagnose a disorder and why are diagnostics important?
DSM - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
Common vocabulary Predict outcomes Guide treatment choices Bill insurance Patients relieved with info
What is the DSM and what are some criticisms of the DSM?
DSM - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
- Labels too many people
- Border between disorder and normal seems arbitrary
- Value judgements (eg. Homosexuality, Women v Men)
What did David Rosenhan find in his study on psychiatric hospitalization?
Pseudopatients were diagnosed as schizophrenic (remission) even after stopping simulations of symptoms
What are mood disorders?
Sad, low-energy moods or swings between extremely high and low moods
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
What are the criteria for major depressive disorder?
THREE or more of:
Depressed mood Nothing's interesting Change in appetite Insomnia/oversleeping Lethargy/Fatigue Worthlessness Can't think/concentrate Suicidal thoughts
What are some causes of depression?
Stress + Genetic Susceptibility (weak)
Low norepinephrine or serotonin
What is bipolar disorder and mania?
Alternates between depression and mania
Mania - a hyperactive wildly optimistic state during which poor judgement is common
What are anxiety disorders? What are the types of anxiety disorders?
Intense anxiety that can cause serious problems
Generalized anxiety disorder OCD PTSD Panic Disorder Phobias
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Obsessions - repeated intense, unwanted worries, ideas, and images
Compulsion - repeatedly strong feeling of “needing” to carry out an action
What are some causes of anxiety disorders?
Stimuli, imitate others worrying, uncertainty is danger
Genetic inborn high-strung temperament
