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Psychological Disorders
Definition
 Patterns of behaviour and thought that
are atypical, viewed as undesirable,
maladaptive and that usually causes the
persons who experience them
considerable distress.
 Psychological disorders involve biological,
psychological, social and cultural factors.
 Approximately 20% of the population
experience some form of psychological
disorder over the course of their life span.
How Psychologist study
psychological disorders
Assessment interviews
Personality measures
Assessment of Brain Disorders
Behavioural Assessment
Mood Disorders
Major symptoms of depression
include:
Negative mood
Reduced energy
Feelings of hopelessness or
despair
Loss of interest in previously
satisfying activities and difficulties
in sleeping
Bipolar disorders involve
wide swings in mood
between deep depression
and mania
 Mood disorders are influenced by genetic
factors and by disturbances in brain
activity.
Anxiety disorders
These are disorders involving
increased arousal accompanied
by intense, persistent,
generalized feelings of fear or
apprehension
Panic Attacks
Involve symptoms of
arousal coupled with intense
fear-often of losing control
is some specific situation
Phobias
Excessive fears focused
on specific objects or
situations
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
This is a disorder in which
individuals have repetitious
thoughts and engage in
repetitious behaviours they
can’t seem to control.
Somatoform disorders
These are disorders in which
individuals have symptoms typically
associated with physical diseases or
conditions, but in which no known
organic or physiological basis for the
symptoms can be found.
Eating Disorders
In anorexia nervosa, individuals
literally starve themselves until their
body weight falls to dangerously low
levels.
In bulimia, individuals maintain
normal weight but they engaged in
repeated cycles of binge eating and
purging.
Personality Disorders
A continuing, inflexible,
maladaptive pattern of inner
experience and behaviour that
causes a great distress or
impaired functioning and differs
significantly from the patterns
expected in the person’s
culture.
Anti-social personality
Person shows callous disregard for
the rights and feelings of others; is
manipulative, impulsive, selfish,
aggressive, irresponsible, reckless;
is willing to break the law, lie, cheat
or exploit others for personal gain,
without remorse; fails to hold a job.
Paranoid
Highly suspicious, untrusting,
guarded, hypersensitive, easily
slighted, lacking in emotion;
holds grudges
Histrionic
Individual seeks attention and
approval; is overly dramatic,
self-centered, shallow, is
demanding , manipulative
easily bored, craves excitement
Narcissistic
Individual has exaggerated sense of
self-importance and entitlement and
is self-centered, arrogant,
demanding, exploitive, envious;
craves admiration and attention and
lacks empathy
Borderline
Individual is unstable in mood,
behaviour, self-image and social
relationships; has intense fear of
abandonment; exhibits impulsive
and reckless behaviour;
inappropriate anger, often selfmutilates