Download Psychological Disorders Chapter 15

Psychological Disorders Chapter 15
Abnormal Behaviour Example
• Two weeks ago, a man jumped from a 401 overpass after
throwing his 5 year old daughter off. He died and she is
still in guarded condition in the hospital. He left a suicide
note that seemed to indicate that he wanted to punish his
wife.
• What would cause someone to take such a drastic act?
What Is Abnormal Behaviour?
Abnormal behaviour is characterized as
(a) not typical
(b) socially unacceptable
(c) distressing
(d) maladaptive
(e) result of disorganized
cognition
• Model:
• Abnormal psychology:
Models of Abnormal Behaviour
The Medical-Biological Model
• focuses on the physiological conditions that initiate and underlie
abnormal behaviour
• Many terms used in abnormal psychology borrowed from medical
field
• Diagnose, treat, cure with emphasis on drugs and hospitalization
The Psychodynamic Model
• rooted in Freud’s theory of personality
• assumes psychological disorders result from anxiety
produced by unresolved conflicts outside a person’s
awareness
The Humanistic Model
• focuses on individual uniqueness and decision making
• Maladjustment occurs when a person’s needs are not met
The Behavioural Model
• Abnormal behaviour is learned through selective
reinforcement and punishment
The Cognitive Model
• Human beings engage in both prosocial and maladjusted
behaviours because of their thoughts
The Sociocultural Model
• Maladjustment occurs within and because of a context
• Frequency and type of disorders varies across cultures
The Evolutionary Model
• humans evolved in a specific environment
• Maladjustments may be expressions of behaviour that
would once have been normal in evolutionary history
Which Model Is Best?
• Some psychologists use only one model to analyze all
behaviour problems
• Others may take an eclectic approach
Diagnosis: DSM
Diagnosing Psychopathology: The DSM
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Diagnosing Psychopathology
GOALS of DSM
Table 15.1 Major Classifications of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, Fourth Edition (TR)
Diagnosising Psychopathology
Criticisms:
- Potential biases
- Symptom focus rather
than etiology
- Too complex
- Medical model focus
- Reliability
- Pathologize everyday behaviour
Anxiety Disorders
Defining Anxiety
• Anxiety :
a generalized feeling of
fear and apprehension
that may be related to a
particular situation or
object often
accompanied by
increased physiological
arousal
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria:
• Excessive anxiety and worry for at least 6 months
• Difficult to control the worry
• At least three of the following: restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle
tension, sleep disturbance
• Focus of anxiety is NOT associated with other anxiety disorders
• Symptoms cause clinically significant distress
• Not due to direct effects of substance abuse or medical condition
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Prevalence
• Risk factors
• Comorbidity
Phobic Disorders
• Phobic disorders :
• Three main Types
Agoraphobia
• Excessive fear and avoidance of being alone in a place from which escape
may be difficult or embarrassing
• Accompanied by panic attacks
• More common in females than males (5.8% : 2.8%)
• Often brought on by interpersonal stress
Social Phobia
• Excessive fear and avoidance of situations where one might be scrutinized by
others
• Fear of acting in a way that may lead to humiliation or embarrassment
• Affects males and females equally
• Identified in all cultures
Specific Phobias
• Irrational and persistent fear and avoidance of a particular object or situation
• 5 – 12% of the population has one or more specific phobias
• Categories of specific phobias:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Persistent, uncontrollable thoughts and irrational beliefs that cause
compulsive rituals that interfere with daily life
– Obsessions =
– Compulsions =
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• 80% of cases report both obsessions and compulsions
• Compulsions are used to combat anxiety associated with obsessions
• 2% of the population (males = females)
• Neurological mechanisms identified (frontal lobe and amygdala)
Mood Disorders
Depressive Disorders
• Depressive disorders
• Major depressive disorder
Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder
• Poor appetite
• Insomnia
• Weight loss
• Loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• Inability to concentrate
Major Depressive Disorder: Onset and Duration
• Onset
– usually prior to age 40
• Duration
– days, weeks, or months
– Single episode or recurring episodes
Major Depressive Disorder: Prevalence
• Major depressive disorder affects about 1.3 million Canadians
each year
• Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed
Major Depressive Disorder: Clinical Evaluation
• Diagnosis of depression (or any other mental disorder) should involve a
complete clinical evaluation:
• A physical examination
• A psychiatric history
• A mental status examination
Causes of Major Depressive Disorder
Biological Theories:
e.g. Monoamine theory
Learning and Cognitive Theories
• Learning and thoughts underlie depression
• Lewinsohn:
• Beck:
Figure 15.2 Lewinsohn’s View of Depression
Learned Helplessness
• The behaviour of giving up or not responding exhibited by people
and animals exposed to negative consequences over which the
feel they have no control
• Seligman suggests that people’s beliefs about the causes of failure
determines whether they will become depressed
The Biopsychosocial Model
Diathesis-stress model
• Combination of factors lead to vulnerability
• Vulnerability: person’s diminished ability to deal with life
events
• Increased vulnerability means less stress is needed to
initiate depression
Bipolar Disorder
• originally known as manic-depressive disorder
• People with the disorder experience behaviour varying
between two extremes
Bipolar Disorder
• Manic Phase:
• Depressed Phase:
MEDIA DEPICTION OF DEPRESSION
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
• Dissociative disorders are characterized by a
sudden, temporary, alteration in consciousness,
identity, behaviour, and/or memory
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Disorders include:
• Dissociative amnesia –
• Dissociative identity disorder -
MEDIA DEPICTION OF DID
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
• Schizophrenic disorders –
• Psychosis –
Essential Characteristics of Schizophrenic
Disorders
• People who suffer from schizophrenia can have
significantly different symptoms, yet still be given the same
label
• Schizophrenia is a group or class of disorders and each
case is identified according to some kind of basic
disturbance in one of the following areas: language,
thought, perception, affect (emotions), and behaviour
Essential Characteristics of Schizophrenic
Disorders
• Positive symptoms –
• Negative symptoms -
Schizophrenia: Language and Thought
Disturbances
• Difficulty maintaining logical thought and coherent conversation
• Word Salad –
• Neologism –
Delusions - mistaken beliefs maintained in spite of strong evidence to
the contrary. Three common delusions include:
 Thought broadcasting
 Thought insertion
 Thought withdrawal
Schizophrenia: Perceptual Disturbances
• The senses of people with schizophrenia may either be enhanced or blunted
• Sensory stimulation is jumbled and distorted
• Hallucinations –
• Auditory hallucinations are most common
Schizophrenia: Emotional Disturbances
• inappropriate affect –
• ambivalent affect –
• flat affect –
Schizophrenia: Behavioural Disturbances
• Disturbances in behaviour may take the form of unusual actions that
have special meaning
• The abnormal behaviours of individuals with schizophrenia are often
related to disturbances in their perceptions, thoughts and feelings
Five Types of Schizophrenia
• Paranoid -
• Catatonic - two subtypes:
• Excited type • Withdrawn type • Disorganized - characterized by severely disturbed thought processes,
incoherence, disorganized behaviour, and inappropriate affect
Five Types of Schizophrenia (cont’d)
• Residual -
• Undifferentiated –
Causes of Schizophrenia
• Diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia -
Causes of Schizophrenia
Biological Factors:
• Genetics • Neurotransmitters –
• Brain Function –
Psychosocial (Environmental) Factors:
Nature and Nurture
• The development of schizophrenia does not occur through a simple
mechanism
• Both biology and environment are involved
• Vulnerability is a diminished ability to deal with demanding life events
MEDIA DEPICTION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA
Personality Disorders
Personality Disorders
• Axis II of the DSM classification system
• Personality disorders – psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and
long-standing maladaptive behaviours that typically cause stress and/or
social or occupational problems
Personality Disorders: Clusters
• Three broad classes:
A) odd or eccentric –
B) dramatic, emotional, or erratic –
C) anxious or fearful –