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Psychology I
Psychological Disorders
• 100 million Americans have a family
member who suffers from a major mental
illness
• 1.5 billion people around the world suffer
• By 2020, it is estimated that major
depression will be the main cause of
disability and the 2nd leading cause of
death in the world
What is a psychological disorder?
• Harmful dysfunction
Must be judged to be …..
• Atypical (so out of the ordinary that it violates a
norm
• Disturbing (feel uneasy if you witness it)
• Unjustifiable (without rationale basis)
• Maladaptive (destructive to oneself or others)
• Must meet all four criteria
What is a humane way to
deal with people who suffer
from a psychological
disorder?
Points to consider
• Since treatment can be a lifelong ordeal,
should a family be expected to pay for it?
• Should a person suffering from a major
psychological disorder be found guilty of a
crime?
• Should they face the same consequences
as a non-sufferer?
Points to consider
• Should a mentally ill individual be forced to
take medication?
• Should that individual be forced into
therapy?
• Should that individual be forced into an
institution?
• Should there be consequences for
refusal?
Ancient Understanding of
Psychological Disorders
Perspectives on Understanding
Psychological Disorders
• Demonic possession – prayer & magic
• Punishment for sin – religion
• Demons – tortured/executed; paraded
around like zoo animals
• Medical model – sickness/mental disease
• Bio-Psycho-Social Model - Conclusion is
that all behavior arises from the interaction
of nature/nurture
Bio-Psycho-Social Model
DSM-IV-TR
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders
• Psychology (science) classify according to
symptoms
• Why do they do it? (describe the disorder,
predict the future course of the disorder,
and treat it appropriately)
• Use it for research into causes of disorder
• 17 categories
• Does not list causes
The Pros and Cons of Labeling?
• Clear bias against those that are labeled
• Influences our perception
• Helps psychologists understand and
communicate so that we can have better
outcomes in their treatment
Anxiety Disorders
• Characterized by
nervousness, inability to
relax, and concern about
losing control
• Most common of all
psychological disorders in
America
• Phobias, generalized
anxiety, obsessivecompulsive,
posttraumatic disorder,
and panic disorders
Phobias
• Most common of all
anxiety disorders
• Persistent excessive
or irrational fear of a
particular object or
situation
• Zoophobia – animals
• Acrophobia – heights
• Arachnophobia spiders
Panic Attack/Agoraphobia
• Short period of
intense fear
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Rapid heart beat
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Excessive or
unrealistic worry
about life
circumstances
• Six months
• Focus on finances,
illness, work
Post-traumatic Stress
• Intense, persistent
feelings of anxiety
• Natural disasters,
plane crashes,
assault
• Flashbacks
• Nightmares
• numbness
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Obsessions –
Unwanted thoughts,
ideas, or mental
images that occur
over and over
• Compulsions –
repetitive ritual
behaviors, involving
checking or cleaning
• Compulsions help
relieve anxiety
Explaining Anxiety Disorders
Psychological View
Biological View
• Many are no longer accepted
• Childhood urged that have
been repressed
• Argument is that if urges
surface, they come in the form
of obsessions
• Learning theorists contend that
we may have been conditioned
in childhood (phobias)
• Genes play a role
• Some believe we are
genetically inclined to fear
things that were threats to our
ancestors
• One study revealed that if one
pair of identical twins exhibited
an anxiety disorder, there was
a 45% chance that the other
twin would also exhibit the
disorder
Mood Disorders
(disturbance of emotions)
Major Depression
• 5 of 9 symptoms of
depression are met
and persist for two or
more weeks
• At least one of the
individual’s five
symptoms must be
one of the first two
symptoms in the list
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Persistent depressed mood for
most of the day
Loss of interest or pleasure in all,
or almost all, activities
Significant weight loss or gain due
to changes in appetite
Sleeping more or less than usual
Speeding up or slowing down of
physical and emotional reactions
Fatigue or loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or
unfounded guilt
Reduced ability to concentrate
Recurrent thoughts of death or
suicide
Mood Disorders
Bipolar
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Manic depression
Highs and low
Inflated self-esteem
Going on wild
spending sprees
• Quitting jobs to
pursue wild dreams
Explaining Mood Disorders
Psychological View
Biological View
• Prone to depression because
they suffered a real or
imagined loss of a loved object
or person in childhood
• The person internalizes their
anger towards himself/herself
which leads to feelings of guilt
which in turn leads to
depression
• Learned helplessness –
people prone to depression
develop the attitude that bad
things will always haunt them
• There’s a connection between
genes and mood
• A lack of serotonin and
noradrenaline may be linked to
depression
• Such finding are important in
drug therapy for mood
disorders
Somatization
• Expressing psychological distress
(anxiety/depression) through physical
symptoms
• Not faking
• Symptoms include: Sexual problems for
men, menstrual problems, vision, and
paralysis
• Last for several years
Somatoform Disorders
(Types of Somatoform Disorders)
• Conversion Disorder – Sudden/Severe
loss of physical functioning
(vision/paralysis) without a medical
explanation
• Hypochondria – preoccupation with the
fear that he or she has a severe disease;
minor issues mean bigger issues
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder – The
preoccupation with defects of their bodies
Explaining Somatoform
Disorders
• Some psychologists suggest people
convert psychological stress into actual
medical problems
• For example, an individual potentially
could suffer paralysis of the legs after
nearly been run over by a car
Schizophrenia vs.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple
Personalities)
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Mental illness
Excessive dopamine
Biological factors
Larger fluid-filled space
One personality
Hallucinations
Diagnosed cases of 12
year olds with
schizophrenia
• (son of Sam, John
Hinkley, Jr., and John
David Chapman)
• Controversial
• Hard to confirm; some
argue that a psychologist
could plant the seed in
the patient that they have
other personalities
• Means of coping
• Linked to stress and/or
trauma in childhood
• More than one
personality
Dissociative Disorders
(Separation of certain personality components from conscious thought in an
attempt to avoid stressful events or feelings)
• Dissociative Amnesia – Sudden loss of
memory following a particularly stressful
event or traumatic event
• Dissociative Fugue – Characterized by not
only forgetting personal information and
past events but by suddenly relocating
from home or work and taking on a new
identity