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Chapter 16
Psycho!
Psychological Disorders
 Psychological Disorder
 a “harmful dysfunction” in which
behavior is judged to be:
 maladaptive--harmful
 unjustifiable--sometimes there’s a good
reason
 disturbing--varies with time and culture
 atypical--not enough in itself
Historical Perspective
 Perceived Causes
 movements of sun or moon
 lunacy--full moon
 evil spirits
 Ancient Treatments
 exorcism, caged like animals, beaten,
burned, castrated, mutilated, blood
replaced with animal’s blood
Psychological Disorders
 Medical Model
 concept that diseases have physical causes
 can be diagnosed, treated, and in most cases,
cured
 assumes that these “mental” illnesses can be
diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms
and cured through therapy, which may
include treatment in a psychiatric hospital
Psychological Disorders
 Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective
 assumes that biological,
sociocultural, and psychological
factors combine and interact to
produce psychological disorders
Psychological
Disorders--Etiology
 DSM-IV
 American Psychiatric Association’s
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition)
 a widely used system for classifying
psychological disorders
 presently distributed as DSM-IV-TR
(text revision)
Psychological
Disorders- Etiology
 Neurotic Disorder (term seldom used
now)
 usually distressing but that allows one
to think rationally and function socially
 Psychotic Disorder
 person loses contact with reality
 experiences irrational ideas and
distorted perceptions
Anxiety Disorders
 Anxiety Disorders
 distressing, persistent anxiety or
maladaptive behaviors that reduce
anxiety
 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 person is tense, apprehensive, and in a
state of autonomic nervous system
arousal
Anxiety Disorders
 Panic Disorder
 marked by a minutes-long episode of
intense dread in which a person
experiences terror and accompanying
chest pain, choking, or other frightening
sensation
Anxiety Disorders
 Phobia
 persistent, irrational fear of a specific object
or situation
 Agoraphobia: Fear of situations the person
views as difficult to escape from. Fear of
leaving one’s home or room in the house
 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
 unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions)
and/or actions (compulsions)
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders
 Mood Disorders
 characterized by emotional extremes
 Major Depressive Disorder
 a mood disorder in which a person, for
no apparent reason, experiences two or
more weeks of depressed moods,
feelings of worthlessness, and
diminished interest or pleasure in most
activities
Mood Disorders
 Manic Episode/Disorder
 a mood disorder marked by a
hyperactive, wildly optimistic state
 Bipolar Disorder
 a mood disorder in which the person
alternates between the hopelessness
and lethargy of depression and the
overexcited state of mania
 formerly called manic-depressive
disorder
Mood Disorders
 Dysthymic Disorder
 Dysthymia is a chronic type of
depression in which a person's moods
are regularly low. However, symptoms
are not as severe as with major
depression.
Mood DisordersDepression
 The vicious
cycle of
depression
can be
broken at
any point
Dissociative
Disorders
 Dissociative Disorders
 conscious awareness becomes separated
(dissociated) from previous memories,
thoughts, and feelings
 Dissociative Identity Disorder
 rare dissociative disorder in which a person
exhibits two or more distinct and alternating
personalities
 formerly called multiple personality disorder
Dissociative
Disorders
Dissociative Amnesia
 selective memory loss often brought on
by extreme stress
Dissociative Fugue
 flight from one’s home and identity
accompanies amnesia
Schizophrenia
 Schizophrenia
 literal translation “split mind”
 a group of severe disorders
characterized by:
 disorganized and delusional thinking
 disturbed perceptions
 inappropriate emotions and actions
Schizophrenia
 Delusions
 false beliefs, often of persecution or
grandeur, that may accompany
psychotic disorders
 Hallucinations
 sensory experiences without sensory
stimulation
Schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
 Personality Disorders
 disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring
behavior patterns that impair social functioning
 usually without anxiety, depression, or delusions
 Narcissistic personality disorder
 Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which
people have an excessive sense of self-importance, an
extreme preoccupation with themselves, and lack of
empathy for others.
Personality Disorders
 Dependent Personality Disorder
 Behave in clingy, submissive ways and displays a
strong need to have others take care of them
 Paranoid Personality Disorder
 Shows deep distrust of other people, which gets in
the way of personal relationships
 Different than paranoid schizophrenia
 Avoidant Personality Disorder
 So sensitive about being rejected that personal
relationships become difficult
Personality Disorders
 Borderline Personality Disorder
 Exhibit instability of emotions, self-image, behavior, and
relationships
 Antisocial Personality Disorder
 disorder in which the person (usually men) exhibits a lack of
conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family
members
 may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist
 Schizoid Personality Disorder
 Is detached from social relationships
 Are true hermits, preferring life alone and avoiding intimate
interactions at all costs
Somatoform Disorders
 Symptoms suggest a physical disorder
 Symptoms cannot adequately be explained
physiologically
 Symptoms are often (but not always) described
in dramatic ways
 Other disorders, such as anxiety disorders,
mood disorders, and personality disorders, often
co-exist
Somatoform Disorders
Somatoform Disorders Include:
 Conversion
 Pain and Hypochondriasis
 Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Conversion Disorder
 Physical symptoms suggesting
neurological problems
 Sensory impairment: Any modality
 Paresthesias and paralysis (demonstrate)
 Sudden onset, sudden termination,
sudden reappearance
 Mostly women; men in combat
 Often misdiagnosed: Overpathologized
Pain Disorder
 Main symptom is pain
 May be exacerbated by psychosocial factors
 May be maintained by gain
 Primary gain
 Secondary gain
Hypochondriasis
 No physical symptoms are necessary
 Preoccupied with the possibility that normal
sensations are symptoms of serious disease
 Frequent visits to physicians
 Persists despite medical reassurance
 Over-report bodily sensations
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
 Excessive concern with real or imagined
defects in appearance, especially facial
marks or features.
 Frequent visits to plastic surgeons
 Culturally-influenced, but not culturebound
 May be a symptom of more pervasive
disorders: Obsessive-compulsive or
delusional disorder, for example.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Childhood Disorders
These disorders are developed in the childhood
Childhood disorders can be caused by a combination of
many factors.
Being aware and seeking treatment for these conditions
is critical because if treated effectively, they can live a
good, healthy adulthood.
Childhood Disorders
 Oppositional Defiant Disorder
 Oppositional defiant disorder is a pattern of
disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior
toward authority figures
ADD/ADHD
 ADD- Attention Deficit Disorder
 ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder
 Technically, ADD is more common, it is
possible to have just ADD, but it isn’t
possible to just have ADHD
ADD/ ADHD Symptoms
 ADHD is common in children and teens,
but adults also can have ADHD
 The two main symptoms of ADHD include
inattention and/or hyperactivity.
 Inattention
 difficulty paying attention to details and
tendency to make careless mistakes; easily
distracted
 difficulty finishing tasks, good deal of
procrastination
 Hyperactivity
 fidgeting, squirming when seated
 getting up frequently to walk or run around; has
difficult staying quite and still
Effects of ADD/ADHD
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Physical (due to emotional stress, leads to):
headaches
stomach/back aches
pains in the hands/ legs
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Psychological:
aggressive or violent behavior
withdrawal, anxiety and depression
low self-esteem
Autism
 Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that
typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime
 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it
more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and
AIDS combined
 It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is
four times more likely to strike boys than girls
Symptoms of Autism
 Three Common Symptoms are:
 Social interactions and relationships
 Significant problems developing nonverbal
communication skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing,
facial expressions, and body posture.
 Verbal and nonverbal communication
 Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as
40% of people with autism never speak
 Limited interests in activities or play
 An unusual focus on pieces or parts on
something
Effects of Autism
 Physical:
 appear physically normal and have good
muscle control
 odd repetitive motions
 cause a stressful surrounding environment
 Psychological:
 inherent emotional differences in autistic
people, way think of things. love of patterns
and predictability, decreased need for
interaction
 differences due to lack of social
communication of emotions