Download Module 22 psych

Mental Disorders
Causes of Abnormal Behaviors
Throughout the Centuries
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Causes of Mental Disorders
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Demons or devils- being possessed
Witches controlled your mind
Problems that existed in the brain
Medical Model Approach
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Mental disorders involve genetic,
physiological, or neurological factors that
cause systems that can be diagnosed and
treated
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Advantages
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Emphasizes the role of the nervous system,
genetic make-up, & chemical factors in
mental disorders
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Disadvantages
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Genetic or neurological factors cannot always
be identified
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Drugs do not always work
Cognitive –Behavioral Approach
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Mental disorders result from deficits in
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Cognitive processes
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Thoughts and beliefs
Faulty beliefs, attitudes, and thoughts can
result in serious mental behavioral problems
Behavioral problems
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Deficits in skills and abilities
Inappropriate behavior may lead to problems
Behavior therapy can be as effective as antidepressants
Psychoanalytic Approach (Freud)
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Focuses on unconscious or repressed
conflicts underlying mental disorders
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Treatment deals with the therapists helping
the patient identify and resolve his/her
unconscious conflicts
The black couch and the therapists sitting
there taking notes?
Today’s Approach
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Combinations of:
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Neurological
Poor Upbringing
Antisocial Personality
Defining Abnormal Behavior
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Statistical Frequency
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Behavior is considered abnormal
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if it occurs rarely or infrequently
in relation to the behavior of the general public.
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Living in a sewer
Gender change
Getting a Ph.D.
Being President of the United States of America
What is Abnormal here at Riverside?
Defining Abnormal Behavior
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Deviation from Social Norms
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Social Norms Approach
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Behavior is considered abnormal if it deviates
greatly from accepted social standards, values,
or norms.
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Men wearing earrings
Female body beauty
Tattoos
What are some other acceptable social norms
for your generation?
Defining Abnormal Behavior
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Maladaptive Behavior
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Behavior that is psychologically damaging
or abnormal if it interferes with the
individuals ability to function in one’s
personal life or society
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Does it hurt you or the people around you?
Mental health professionals use the definition
most often:
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Whether the particular pattern interferes with a
person’s ability to function normally
Assessing Mental Disorders
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Definition of Assessment
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Clinical Assessment
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Systematic evaluation of an individual’s various
Psychological, biological, and social factors
As well as identifying past and present
problems, stressors, and other cognitive or
behavioral symptoms.
Assessing Mental Disorders
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Definition of Assessment
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Neurological tests
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Reflex test
MRI Scan
FMRI Scan
Check for brain damage or malfunction
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Tumors or disease
“Which mental disorder should we treat?”
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Definition of Assessment
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Clinical Interview
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Gather info about a person’s past or current:
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Structured
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Behavior
Attitudes
Emotions
Problems
Follow a standard format of asking a similar set of
questions
Unstructured
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No set questions (Rorschach Test)
Diagnosing Mental Disorders
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Clinical Diagnosis
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Process of matching an individual’s specific
symptoms to those that define a particular
mental disorder.
DSM-4-TR (2000)
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Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders-4th-Text Revision
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Uniform system for assessing specific
symptoms and matching them to 297 disorders
DSM-4-TR (2000)
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1952- 100 disorders
1968- 182 disorders
1980- 265 disorders
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Established criteria & symptoms for
mental disorders based on research
findings
Has 5 major dimensions (axes) which
serve as guidelines about symptoms
Axis I- 9 major clinical syndromes
Axis I
9 Major Clinical Syndromes
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Disorders usually first diagnosed in
infancy, childhood, or adolescence
Organic mental disorders
Substance-related disorders
Schizophrenia & other psychotic disorders
Mood disorders
Anxiety disorders
Somatoform disorders
Dissociative disorders
Sexual & gender identity disorders
Axis II- Personality Disorders
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Longstanding, maladaptive, and
inflexible traits
Impairment of functioning or distress
Example:
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antisocial personality disorder
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Form a pattern of disregard for, and violation
of, the rights of others
borderline personality disorder
DSM-4-TR (2000)
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Axis III
 General medical conditions
 Diabetes
 Arthritis
 Hemophilia
Axis IV
 Psychosocial & environmental problems
 experiencing a traumatic event
 Inadequate social support
Axis V
 Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale
Axis V- Scoring the DSM-4-TR
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Scores range from 10 (severe danger of
hurting self) to 100 (superior functioning in
all activities)
3 Advantages of DSM-IV-TR
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Helps professionals communicate
Researchers use the classification
system to study & explain mental
disorders
Therapists use the classification system
to design a treatment program that
best fits their client’s needs
3 Potential Problems with the DSM-IV-TR
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Labeling
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Labels place people into categories
May have positive or negative associations
“Mentally retarded”, “schizo”
Mental health professionals do not
always agree as to whether a client fits
a particular diagnosis
Steps in Making a Clinical Diagnosis
Anxiety Disorders
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Panic Disorder
Phobias
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
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Characterized by excessive or
unrealistic worry about almost
everything or feeling that something
bad is about to happen
Anxious feelings occur on most days for
at least 6 months
Treatment
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Benzodiazepines
Psychotherapy
Panic Disorder
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Characterized by recurrent and unexpected panic
attacks
 Symptoms include:
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pounding heart
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Feelings of choking
Chest pain
Nausea
Dizziness
Fear or losing control/dying
Panic Disorder
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Intense worrying interferes with normal psychological
functioning
Treatment
 Benzodiazepines
 Antidepressants
 Psychotherapy
Phobias
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Characterized by an intense &
irrational fear that is out of all
proportion to the possible danger of the
object or situation
Fear is accompanied by physiological
arousal
Person goes to great lengths to avoid
the feared event/object
Treating Phobias
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Social Phobia
 Characterized by irrational, marked & continuous
fear of performing in social situations
 Individuals fear they will humiliate or embarrass
themselves
Specific Phobias
 Marked & persistent fears that are unreasonable &
triggered by anticipation of, or exposure to, a
specific object or situation
 Agoraphobia
 anxiety about being in places or situations from
which escape might be difficult or embarrassing
Treating Phobias
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
 Changing negative or distorted beliefs by substituting
positive, healthy, realistic beliefs
 Changing limiting or disruptive behaviors by learning and
practicing new skills to improve function
Exposure Therapy
 Gradually exposing the
person to real, anxiety
producing situations or objects
Drug Treatment
 Benzodiazepines
 Antidepressants