Download Introduction to Psychology

INTRODUCTION to
Psychological Disorders
“Developmental structure of
genetic influences on antisocial
behavior across childhood and
adolescence.”
“Surgery for Mental Ills
Offers Both Hope and
Risk”
“Parents Go On 'Track Watch'
After Calif. Teen Suicides”
“A rise in mental-health help on campus:
Colleges respond as more students seek
help for problems small or serious.”
“MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in the
Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)”
“Ruminative Self-Focus and Negative
Affect: An Experience Sampling Study”
Defining abnormality
How would you define a
“psychological disorder?”
Please get in pairs and follow the
handout instructions
Defining disorder
Key elements of symptoms (according to DSM):
• disturbances in behavior, thoughts, or
emotions
• associated with significant personal distress
or impairment
• stem from an internal dysfunction -biological, psychological, or both
Criticisms?
Understanding Pathology
Description
Study of
Psychological
Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome
Describing Disorders
DSM-IV
 Diagnostic
system for
classifying
psychological
disorders
 Various classes
of disorders:
anxiety, mood,
dissociative, etc.
Potential problem of Diagnosis
Diagnoses can become labels
Consequences of labeling
 Impact on others? (e.g., Rosenhan study)
 Impact on self? (“I’m ADHD”)
Stigma
 70% of people with diagnosable mental
disorders do not seek treatment… stigmarelated?
– Historically
– Medical model
– Biopsychosocial model
Bio-psycho-social Perspective
Biological
(heredity; brain
structures;
neurochemistry)
Socio-cultural
(socialization, stressful
life circumstances,
social inequities)
Psychological
(maladaptive learning &
coping, cognitive biases,
Interpersonal probs)
Treatment / Outcome
Treatments should stem from:
• an attempt to understand multiple
causes
• research that has provided evidence of
significant effectiveness for specific
problems (i.e., Evidence-based Treatment,
EBT)
Case study: Depression
Description
Study of
Psychological
Disorders
Causation
Treatment/Outcome
Describing Depression
 Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
 Loss of appetite and/or weight loss, or conversely
overeating and weight gain
 Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
 Restlessness or irritability
 Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt,
helplessness, hopelessness
 Difficulty thinking, concentrating, making decisions
 Thoughts of death or suicide or attempts at suicide
 Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
that were once enjoyed, including sex
 Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling sluggish
Mood Disorders –
Causal Factors
Biological
Heritability estimates (40%)
(e.g., twin studies: MZ vs DZ
twins -- 3 X risk)
 Drugs that affect NTs (e.g.,
dopamine and serotonin) can
relieve depression. Is this a NTdeficit, then?
 Brain findings (limbic-cortical
dysfunction)
Psychological factors
(e.g., Cognitive-behavioral explanation)
1
Stressful
experiences
4
Cognitive and
behavioral changes
2
Negative
explanatory style
3
Depressed
mood
Cognitive styles
(e.g., attributions,
rumination
Socio-cultural factors
Poverty
Discrimination
Expectations of what it means to be happy
Level of violence in society (exposure to trauma)
Environmental factors (e.g., sunlight)