Psychological Disorders Flashcards
What are the statistics of abnormality?
In Canada, 20% of people have experienced some serious psychological disturbance, and by age 40, 50% of people will have or have had a mental illness.
Neuroscience
Structural or biochemical malfunctions in the brain
Developmental Psychopathology
Early risk factors combined with poor resilience throughout life stages
Cognitive-Behavioural
Abnormal behaviors acquired through conditioning, modelling, and cognition.
Socio-cultural
Societal, cultural, social, and family pressures and conflicts that result in bizarre/maladaptive patterns.
Psychodynamic
Unconscious conflicts often rooted in childhood
Humanistic/Existential
Distorted views of self prevent decision making and personal growth.
What are the four D’s of abnormality?
- Deviance- Behaviour, thoughts, emotions that are different than society’s ideas of proper functioning.
- Dysfunction- Maladaptive behaviours, ideas, or emotions.
- Distress- Behaviours, ideas, or emotions that cause distress or unhappiness.
- Danger- Posing risk to themselves or others
Diagnosis and Comorbidity
Diagnosis- when a clinician determines that a persons cluster of symptoms is best explained by a type of disorder
Comorbidity- When a person qualifies for 2+ disorder diagnoses.
Criticisms of diagnosis
Culturally entrenched, fails to consider individual and societal level causes of symptoms, historically situated oppressive practices, influenced by insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
What are the statistics of psychological disorders?
Between 1/3 and 1/2 of the population will experience a psychological disorder at some point in their lives, 1/5 report substance use disorder, 1/10 report mood disorders, 1/3 report needs not met or partially met.
What percentage of Canadians experience a type of anxiety disorder?
Around 12%
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Excessive anxiety accompanied by at least 3 symptoms- Restlessness, keyed-up, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension sleep problems, dysfunctional assumptions.
Phobias
Unrealistic, persistent fears of an object, activity, or situation.
Panic Disorder
Recurring and unpredictable panic attacks without provocation. 21% of Canadians have had panic attacks, mostly aged 15-24 and 2/3 female.
Cognitive vs Neuro Panic
Cognitive-Associated with magnification Neuro: norepinephrine and panic circuit: amygdala, hypothalamus and locus ceruleus.
Agoraphobia/Social Anxiety Disorder
Severe, persistent, irrational fears of social or performance situations. 7.1% of westerners have this, and you’re 50% more likely to have it if you’re poor.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
Repeated, abnormal, anxiety-provoking thoughts and /or repeated rigid behaviours. 2-3% of the population.
Four Symptom Factors of OCD
Obsessions/Checking, Symettry/Order, Cleanliness/washing, hoarding.
Acute Stress Disorder
Disorder of fear and related symptom experienced soon after a traumatic event; lasts less than 1 month.
PTSD
Disorder of fear and related symptoms experienced soon after a traumati event; lasts more than 1 month. 7-8% of Canadians have experiened it, more women than men.
Etiology of Anxiety Disorders
Biological (GABA, serotonin), family members with genetic similarity. Conditioning and learning, cognitive factors
Dissociative Disorders
Major loss of memory or consciousness that disrupts identity. 5 major types.
Dissociative Amnesia
Large chunks of traumatic memory are forgotten and typically come back with time.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Alternate personalities created to help deal with trauma. Each has unique set of memories, thought processes, behaviours, emotions.
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorders
Memory unaffected; gradual or sudden onset, can last for decades. Perception as an observer, outside the body of self.
Unipolar vs Bipolar Mood Disorders
Unipolar-Depression: persistent sad state, life seems dark, challenges overwhelming
Bipolar- Mania mixed with depression
Major Depressive Disorder
Characterized by persistent sadness, despair, and loss of interest in previously pleasurable experienes (annedonia). 13-16% of North Americans experience this, women 2 times more likely. Episodic, lasts around 5-7 months.
Characteristics of Depression to be Diagnosed
5-9 symptoms at the same time over a period of 2 weeks, represent a change in previous functioning, causes significant distress/impairment in social functioning, not attributable to drugs.
Bipolar 1 Disorder (manic depression)
Mania- euphoric and sociable, racing thoughts, flight of ideas, delusions, over confidence, hyperactive, increased sex drive etc.
Depressive-Gloomy, irritable, withdrawn, slowness, obsessive worrying, guilt, negative self image, less active, decreased sex drive, tired.
Etiology of mood disorders
Genetic-Monozygotic twins have around a 68% chance of both experiencing depression vs dizygotic twins at around 15%. Neurotransmitters: Serotonin and norepinephrine. Hippocampal volume and supressed neurogenesis, cortisol levels.
Beck’s Cognitive Behavioural Contributors of Depression
Negative thinking, attitudes, erroneous thinking. Cognitive triad, which is repeated patterns of negative thinking about oneself, ones future, ones experiences, or the way things are.
Seligman’s Learned Helplessness (cognitive behavioural)
Experimented with shocking dogs, discovered that dogs will just give up and let the shocks happen, even when presented with a way out of the situation. Implicates feelings of control or lack thereof as explanation for passive behaviour.
Interpersonal Style
Support networks buffer against depression.
Schizophrenia
Disorder of disorganized thoughts, psychosis, deterioration of adaptive behaviour, negative emotional symptoms, hallucinations.
Positive and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Positive- pathological excess: delusions (most commonly of persecution), disorganized thinking and speech, hallucinations, inappropriate emotions.
Negative- pathological deficits: poverty of speech, flat effect, loss of volition, social withdrawal.
Etiology of Schizophrenia
Identical twins have a 48% chance of both being schizophrenic, whereas fraternal is 17%. Biochemical abnormalities (dopamine hypothesis), enlarged ventricles, smaller temporal and frontal lobes, hippocampus, amygdala and thalamus. Neurological trauma at or before birth.
Personality Disorders
Extreme, inflexible personality. Most commonly experienced in social interactions, appear in adolescence or early adulthood. 9-15% of adults have this.
DSM 5 Classification of Personality Disorders
Odd/eccentric, dramatic/erratic, anxious/inhibited.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Intellectual disabilities, ADD & ADHD, specific learning disorders, motor and tic disorders.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Social and or emotional deficits along with repetitive and stereotypical behaviours, interests, and activities. Used to be 4 different disorders (aspbergers, autism, childhood disintegrative, and pervasive) but is now on a spectrum. Associated with overgrowth of neurons.
Culture Bound Disorders: Koro
Chinese in Malaya, fear of penis withdrawing into ones body.
Culture Bound Disorders: Windigo
Algonquin- individual is taken over by greed and hunger, resorts to cannibalism.
Culture Bound Disorders: Pibloktoq
Inuit-Arctic hysteria, bizarre version of SAD
Anorexia Nervosa
Found mostly in western countries.
What makes a disorder universal?
The more biological the cause, the more universal and common the symptoms. However, the content of schizophrenic delusions is different across culture, and somatoform is present in Eastern depression
