Download File

Schizophrenia
Learning Targets:
 16: Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia, and differentiate delusions and hallucinations.
 17: Distinguish the five subtypes of schizophrenia, and contrast chronic and acute schizophrenia.
 18: Outline some abnormal brain chemistry, functions, and structures associated with
schizophrenia, and discuss the possible link between prenatal viral infections and schizophrenia.
 19: Discuss the evidence for a genetic contribution to the development of schizophrenia.
 20: Describe some psychological factor that may be early warning signs of schizophrenia in
children.
Key Terms:








Schizophrenia- a mental disorder where a person is split from reality, resulting in disorganized
thinking, warped or false perceptions, and inappropriate emotions or actions
Delusions- false beliefs that accompany mental disorders
Word salad- a mix of words in a sentence that represent different ideas and doesn’t flow well
Hallucination- seeing or hearing something that isn’t actually there
Flat effect- a state of apathy associated with psychological disorders
Catatonic- a state of motionlessness that can last for hours and ends in agitation
Positive symptoms- the presence of inappropriate behaviors
Negative symptoms- the absence of appropriate behaviors
Key People:
Nicol and Gottesman (1983)-studied schizophrenia to see if it was caused by environmental factors.
They found out that biological factors increase one’s susceptibility.
Emil Kraepelin (1887)- the first person to identify schizophrenia as an illness.
Schizophrenia:
Although literally, Schizophrenia means ‘split mind,’ it is a break from reality, and it shows
itself in various ways: Disorganized thinking, warped perceptions, and inappropriate actions.
—Disorganized Thinking—
The thinking of someone afflicted with schizophrenia is broken, weird, and even warped by
delusions, false experiences or beliefs. Sometimes schizophrenic people can shift ideas midsentence, forming what is called a word salad. An example of this would be if one day in class,
Mrs. G was giving a lecture on schizophrenia. “You see, it’s a disease of the mind that tell her
thank you for the nice bagels, John.” Obviously that makes no sense at all, and this skewed
thinking makes it difficult to communicate with schizophrenic patients. The reason for this may
be because schizophrenics cannot filter irrelevant stimuli. Tapping a desk, rainfall outside, even
just another person’s voice from far away can change their train of thought.
—Disturbed Projections—
A person with schizophrenia is prone to hallucinations. They’re usually sounds and come in
the form of insults or orders. In one situation, voices might tell a patient that he is bad and must
burn himself with a lighter. In less common situations, patients can see, taste, feel, or smell
things that aren’t there. When these perceptions mix into reality, it leads to some horrifying
experiences.
—Inappropriate Actions and Emotions—
Most schizophrenics have emotions that don’t match the situation. This can include laughing
at the memory of a family member’s death, or getting mad for no reason. Other schizophrenics
can sink into lapse effect. Actions can also come off as inappropriate. The person can do things
that make no sense, like rubbing their arm aggressively, or rocking back and forth (Twerking
down a hallway has yet to be recorded, but is possible.). Catatonic schizophrenics tend to stay
motionless, even for hours.
All the symptoms of schizophrenia would make it hard for a person to have friendships or
keep a job. In their most severe periods, victims can feel trapped in their own world, trapped by
unreal images and illogical ideas. The frequent hospitalization of schizophrenics explains why
most countries have to appoint ~2% of their health budget to the care and treatment of
schizophrenics.
Types of Schizophrenia:
Schizophrenia doesn’t represent just one disease, but a cluster of disorders. Each type shares
a few characteristics, but they have different symptoms. Some types of schizophrenia have
positive symptoms, like hallucinations, deluded mannerisms of speech, and outbursts of tears,
laughter or anger. Other types of schizophrenia exhibit negative symptoms, like toneless voice,
expressionless face, or mute or rigid bodies. Since schizophrenia varies, these symptoms can
each have a different cause.
Sometimes, schizophrenia develops gradually, a process called chronic schizophrenia. Most
victims of chronic schizophrenia don’t recover. On other occasions it appears suddenly, to
previously mentally healthy individuals, and usually because of stress. This method of
development is called acute schizophrenia, and its victims are more susceptible to psychiatric
drugs and treatment.
Schizophrenia on a Scientific Level:
Schizophrenia may be on the most dangerous psychological disorders, but it’s also the most
heavily researched. New research studies link it with brain abnormalities and genetic
dispositions. Schizophrenia’s symptoms may affect the mind, but it is a physical disease of the
brain, according to these factors.
—Brain Abnormalities—
Chemical imbalances have been said to influence schizophrenia. The phrase ‘mad as a hatter’
is based off of the psychological downfall of British hatmakers, whose brains were poisoned as
the moistened the tips of mercury-laden hats with their lips. Schizophrenia symptoms most
prominently lie in the biochemical effects.
After death, it was found that schizophrenia patients had an excess of dopamine receptors in
the brain, as much as six times the usual amount. This much dopamine could intensify brain
signals, leading to positive symptoms like hallucinations and paranoia. Drugs that block
dopamine receptors have been shown to reduce these symptoms, and drugs that increase
dopamine levels can intensify them. Dopamine-halting drugs can’t affect the negative symptoms
associated with schizophrenia. However, a different neurotransmitter, glutamate, has been
proven to alleviate schizophrenic symptoms. When drugs become available that can increase
the levels of glutamate, negative symptoms well be able to be treated much more effectively.
Chronic schizophrenics have abnormal activity in many brain areas. Some have low activity in
the frontal lobe, which is responsible for reasoning, problem solving, and planning. While
hallucinating, PET scans show that brain activity surges in the thalamus, a structure in the brain
that filters incoming sensory signals. People with paranoia had increased activity in the
amygdala, the brain’s fear processing center.
Studies have also found enlarged, fluid-filled areas and shrinkage of cerebral tissue in
schizophrenics; the more shrinkage, the more severe the disorder.
—Genetic Factors—
Some people are genetically predisposed to schizophrenia. A 1% chance to become
diagnosed with schizophrenia becomes a 10% if a sibling or parent has the disorder, and 50% if
the sibling is an identical twin. There may also be an environmental component for becoming
schizophrenic. The chance of a twin being schizophrenic if the other one is is 6 in 10 if the babies
shared a single placenta, but if they didn’t, the chance is only 1 in 10. Adoption studies confirm
the belief that genetics can influence schizophrenia inheritance. Even adopted babies were
more likely to develop schizophrenia than average if their parent was schizophrenic. Also, an
older father can lead to schizophrenic children, since his age would lead to more opportunities
for sperm cells to mutate. Since genetic factors were established, scientists have been looking
for the specific genetic codes that could cause schizophrenia. Such a breakthrough might even
lead to a cure for this disease, but we’re far off from that.
—Psychological Factors—
Schizophrenia isn’t just caused by physiological or genetic factors. Investigations are
following the development of ‘high-risk’ children, those with schizophrenia in the family or
prenatal risk exposure. During the 2.5 year study, researchers have pinpointed the main
environmental triggers for schizophrenia:







A mother with severe chronic schizophrenia
Birth complications, like oxygen deprivation and low weight
Separation from parents
Short attention span and poor muscle coordination
Disruptive or withdrawn behavior
Emotional unpredictability
Poor peer relations and playing alone
Questions to Consider:
1. What are the symptoms of schizophrenia?
Schizophrenics show symptoms of delusions, poor stimuli filtering, hallucinations, paranoia, and
inappropriate or apathetic behavior.
2. How would it be difficult to communicate with a schizophrenic person?
Schizophrenic people often change their train of thought mid-sentence, and they get distracted very
easily.
3. How are the thoughts of a schizophrenic different than a regular person?
Schizophrenics have the tendency to hallucinate, which would lead to some interesting thoughts. Their
hallucinations often spout insults or give orders, something the average Joe doesn’t have to deal with.
4. What is the relationship between reproduction and schizophrenia?
A child of a schizophrenic person is 10 times more likely to develop schizophrenia than a regular kid.
Also, older fathers can increase the risk of the development of schizophrenia, even if the father is
normal.
5. What parts of the brain are altered for schizophrenics and how does it affect the victim?
The most significant alterations occur in the thalamus and the amygdala. The thalamus damage leads to
hallucinations, while the amygdala, the brains fear processor, is extremely active for victims suffering
from paranoia.
Sources:

Our AP Psych book
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology Spark Notes
Section: Symptoms of Schizophrenia, subtypes of Schizophrenia, and understanding Schizophrenia
Key Terms:

Schizophrenia
o A group of server disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking,
disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions.
Example: People with this disorder experience difficulty to distinguishing between
what is real and unreal, think clearly, manage emotions, relate to others, and function
normally

Split mind
o Split from reality that shows itself in disorganized thinking, disturbed perceptions. And
inappropriate emotions and actions.





Example: schizophrenia
Delusions
o False beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders
Example: Johns dog choked and died by a tennis ball. He doesn’t believe that and thinks
that Sarah, his neighbor has been plotting to kill his dog, and finally did, somehow.
Flat affect
o Zombielike state of apparent apathy
Positive symptoms
o May experience hallucinations, talk in disorganized and deluded ways, and exhibit
inappropriate laughter, tears, or rage.
Example: that person is very emotional and the opposite of negative sympotoms.
Negative symptoms
o Have toneless voices, expressionless faces, or mute and rigid bodies
Example: that person is staring into space emotionless and blank face all the time.
Subtypes of Schizophrenia
o Paranoid: preoccupation with delusions or hallucination, often with themes of
persecution or grandiosity
o Disorganized: disorganized speech or behavior, or flat or inappropriate emotion
o Catatonic: immobility ( or excessive movement), extreme negativism, and/or parrotlike
repeating of another’s speech or movements
o Undifferentiated: many and varied symptoms
o Residual: withdrawal, after hallucinations and delusions have disappeared
Key People:


Nancy Andreasen
o Said that schizophrenia involves not one isolated brain abnormality but problems with
several brain regions and their interconnections
Susan Nicol and Irving Gottesman
o Concluded that some people “have a genetic predisposition to the disorder nut that this
predisposition by itself is not sufficient for the development of schizophrenia.”
Objectives/Learning Targets
1. Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia, and differentiate delusions and hallucinations.
2. Distinguish the five subtypes of schizophrenia, and contrast chronic and acute schizophrenia.
3. Outline some abnormal brain chemistry, functions, and structures associated with
schizophrenia, and discuss the possible link between prenatal viral infections and
schizophrenia.
4. Discuss the evidence for a genetic contribution to the development of schizophrenia.
5. Describe some psychological factors that may be early warning signs of schizophrenia in
children.
Summary
One the symptoms of this disease are disorganized thinking. Thoughts spill out in no logical
order. People with this condition have delusions and jump from one idea to another. Another symptom
is disturbed perceptions. These people can experience things that are not really there. Usually auditory
and often take the form of voices, making insulting statements or giving orders. The last symptom is
inappropriate emotions and actions. Laughing when talking about something serious or get angry for no
apparent reason.
Schizophrenia is a cluster of disorders. Schizophrenia patents either have positive or negative symptoms.
Sometimes this disease grows gradually and sometimes inherited at birth. There are 5 subtypes of
schizophrenia: Paranoid, Disorganized, Catatonic, Undifferentiated, and Residual. The outlook is better
for those with positive symptoms- they more often have a reactive condition that responds to drug
therapy.
Schizophrenia not only the most dreaded psychological disorder but also one of the most heavily
researched. Scientists have found an excess of receptors for dopamine. Such high level may intensify
brain signals in schizophrenia, creating positive symptoms such as hallucinations and paranoia. There’s
also abnormal activity in multiple brain areas. Many studies have found enlarged, fluid-filled areas and a
corresponding shrinkage of cerebral tissue in people with schizophrenia. Another possible culprit is a
midpregnancy viral infection that impairs fetal brain development. Antibodies in the blood of a women
indicated that the mother was exposed to influenza during the 1st half of the pregnancy, the risk of the
child’s developing schizophrenia tripled. Twins who share a placenta are more likely to experience the
same prenatal viruses. So it is possible that shared germs as well as shared genes produce identical twin
similarities. Also the older the father is the greater at risk his children are of getting this disorder. We all
have those moments or days where we feel antisocial, jump around in thoughts, laugh at someone
else’s misfortune, or hear something that wasn’t there. But those are just normal because we have a
limit. And for some, it’s a struggle and a disorder because they can’t control it. There’s still yet more to
discover about schizophrenia.
(Image Source: Debby
Tsuang, M.D., M.Sc., University of Washington/VAPSHCS, Special thanks to Dr. Kristin Cadenhead, UCSD)
Unit XI: Abnormal Psychology Sparknotes
Section: Schizophrenia
Defined:

Schizophrenia – (translation) “Split Mind”; A split from reality that shows itself in
disorganized thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and
actions. Example: Frank is a mortician that laughs/has feelings of emotion
whenever he does his job.

Paranoid Schizophrenia – Preoccupation with delusions or hallucinations, often
with themes of persecution or grandiosity. Example: Josef sees and hears things
that others cannot.

Disorganized Schizophrenia – Disorganized speech or behavior, or flat or
inappropriate emotion. Example: Marie doesn't react to the comedian, Even
though the comedian is hilarious. She instead rambles in inconsistent sentences

Catatonic Schizophrenia – Immobility (or excessive purposeless movement),
extreme negativism, and/or parrot-like repetition of another's speech or
movements. Example: Tristan leans his head against the wall and remains like
that for nearly 24 hours.

Undifferentiated Schizophrenia – Many and Varied symptoms.

Residual Schizophrenia – Withdrawal, after hallucinations or delusions have
disappeared

Delusions – Fragmented, Bizarre, or False beliefs. Example: Kate thinks that all
humans are plants and must be burned.

Schizoaffective disorder - One has symptoms of both schizophrenia and a major
mood disorder like depression.
Key People

R. D. Laing – Psychiatrist that wrote extensively on mental illnesses.

Philippee Pinel – Believed mental health disorders were sicknesses caused by
severe stresses and inhumane conditions, not demon possessions.

William James – Father of American Psychology, proposed the idea of
psychological disorders.
Objectives & Learning Targets
1. Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia, and differentiate delusions and
hallucinations.
2. Distinguish the fives subtypes of schizophrenia, and contrast chronic and acute
schizophrenia.
3. Outline some abnormal brain chemistry, functions, and structures associated
with schizophrenia, and discuss the possible link between prenatal viral infections
and schizophrenia.
4. Discuss the evidence for a genetic contribution to the development of
schizophrenia.
5. Describe some psychological factors that may be early waring signs of
schizophrenia in children.
Summary
Schizophrenia isn't one, but a group of disorders that usually strike during
adolescence. Affecting men ever so slightly more than women. Some symptoms are
disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate
emotions and actions. Delusions are false beliefs, whereas hallucinations are sensory
experiences without sensory stimulation. The subtypes of schizophrenia are Paranoid,
Disorganized, Catatonic, Undifferentiated, and Residual. Chronic (process) schizophrenia
develops and emerges gradually and is commonly associated with negative symptoms,
also carries a low chance of recovery. Acute (reactive) schizophrenia develops rapidly
and carries a greater chance of recovery.
Those with schizophrenia have increased receptors for dopamine, which might
intensify the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. There is a possible link between
negative symptoms and impaired glutamate activity. There are abnormalities in the
brain associated with schizophrenia like large, fluid-filled cerebral cavities and
corresponding decreases in the cortex. There is also abnormal activity in the frontal
lobes, thalamus, and amygdala. Odds that one develops schizophrenia is 1 in 100 of the
general population; 1 in 10 if a family member has it; and 1 in 2 if an identical twin has
it. Genetics is not the sole cause of this however, as 50% of those whose identical twins
have schizophrenia do not develop the condition themselves.
No environmental event by itself can trigger schizophrenia, though some things
can trigger the disorder in those genetically predisposed to it. Some early warning signs
may be a mother whose schizophrenia was severe and long lasting; birth complications;
short attention span and poor muscle coordination; disruptive or withdrawn behavior;
emotional unpredictability; and poor peer relations and solo play.
Practice Questions
1. Explain the difference between delusions and hallucinations
2. What is Acute(reactive)? What is Chronic(process)?
3. List the 5 different subtypes of schizophrenia.
4. What are some early warning signs?
5. What are a couple of abnormalities considering the biology of the brain in one
who has schizophrenia?
6. Define Schizophrenia.
Sources
David, Meyers. Psychology. Hope College: Holland, Michigan 2007.P 669-677
"Famous Psychologist: R.D. Laing." Famous Psychologists. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Key Terms:
Schizophrenia: A serious mental disorder with many personality split but rather to a half from
reality that shows itself in innapropriate mind and actions as well as emotions.
Delusions: Fake beliefs or opinions
Paranoid: An obsession with delusions or imaginations often with themes of exposion or
magnificence.
Disorganized: Disorganized with speech or behavior or inappropriate behaviors
Catatonic: Extreme negativity and/or mocking other peoples words or actions
Undifferentiaded:Many and varied symptoms
Residual: Withdrawal after the immaginations and delusions have disappeared
Key People:
Philippe Pinel: A French physician in the 1800's who was a person very fascinated in the
medical field in the category of mental illness. He was a man who published a couple of works
rmainly based on mental illnesses and some of his works were documented cases kind of the
same as schizophrenia.
Sigmund Freud: A australian neurologist who was a founding father of psychoanalysis. In the
first authentic theory described the flight of the libidinal cathexiz from the love object in
schizophenia as a type of repression.
Aaron Beck: An American psychiatrist and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the
department of psychiatry. A couple of Beck's recent studies has mainly focused on cognitive
therapy for schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and for those patients/clients who have
tried to commit suicide and never actually attempted it what so ever.
OBJECTIVES/LEARNING TARGETS:
1) Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia and differentiate delusions and hallucinations.
2) Distinguish the five subtypes of schizophrenia, and contrast chronic and acute
schizophrenia.
3) Outline some abnormal brain chemistry, functions, and structures associated with
schizophrenia and discuss the possible link between prenatal viral infections and
schizophrenia.
4) Discuss the evidence for a genetic contribution to the development of schizophrenia
5) Describe some psychological factors that may be early warning signs of schizophrenia.
Summary:
The symptoms of schizophrenia are unorganized and delusional thoughts as well as
disturbed perception and those innapropriate actions and emotions. A delusion is a false belief or
a false opinion, A hallucination is a sensory experience without a sensory stimulation. The two
deffinitions are the same but slightly diffrent. For instance for the delusions you tend to belive
things you see or if your seeing things which is basically the same as a hallucination because you
would alo be seeing images that arent really there and you tend to sometimes go a little insane.
The diffrences between hallucinations and delusions is that delusion is more like a belief of what
you say or see and hallucinations are images that arent really there. The five subtypes of
schizophrenia are paranoid, disorganized, catatonic , undifferentiated, and residual. The
diffrences between chronic and acute schizophrenia is that the chronic schizophrenia emerges
gradually, is often associatedwith negative symptoms and carries a low chance of recovery, the
acute schizophrenia develops adjusted person, may be associated with the positive symptoms.
The brains abnormality associated with schizophrenia includes the bain getting larger. In
the enlarging brain there is fluid-filled cerebral cavities and are corresponding helps decrease it
in your cortex. Somethings can go wrong in multiple parts of the brain and their connections
dtart to interact to produce the negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia. In researches
they support the mounting for those little/casual affects of the virus itslef suffered during midpregnancy. The evidence of a genetic contribution to the development of the schizophrenia well
if 1 in 100 general population; 1 in 10 family members has schizophrenia, 1 in 2 of identical
twins can have this disorder. Now for those people who adopt their has been a study that shows
that the chances of getting this disorder is greater if the childs birth parents had/has
schizophrenia. But their is a 50% of those identical twins has the disorder of schizophrenia but
don't quite develop the condition themselves, therefore this is demonstrating that the genetic isn't
the sole causing the disorder. Some psychological factors that may be early warning signs of
schizophrenia in children are for example in the book it says "a mother whose schizophrenia is
severe and is long-lasting; birth complications; the seperation of parents; short attention span and
poor muscle coordination; disruptive or withdrawn behavior; emotional unpredictability; and
poor peer relations and solo play." the statement in the book is telling us that there can be a great
chance of signs of schizophrenia in children because if the mother has had it for a long period of
time I think it can be a genetic thing because maybe the persons parents/or parent has this
disorder and runs in their families history.
SOURCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Pinel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Beck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud

Psychology 8th edition book by David G. Myers pgs 669-677
Mental Health and the Criminal Process
Mental Health and the Criminal Process
Key Terms:
Antisocial personality disorder: Personality disorder in which the person doesn’t feel guilty for
wrongdoing, even when violent. People with this disorder are commonly known as a sociopath
or psychopath.
Ex. Cale and Lilienfeld, 2002. Boy who showed lack of guilt before the age of 15, began
to steal, fight, and display unrestrained sexual behavior.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A psychological disorder characterized by
three things; extreme inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
Ex. A kid that doesn’t pay attention in class, always squirming around in his seat or
having to run around nonstop at recess, and blurting out or interrupting class would be a
stereotypical example of ADHD.
Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder in which a person swings between extreme high or low
moods, such as mania or depression.
Ex. Someone may be over talkative and active then their mood may change to quite,
angry or irritated.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID): Also known as multiple personality disorder, it is a rare
dissociative disorder where people exhibit more than one personality that differ quite a bit.
Ex. The famous Dr. Jekyll, as the good, and Mr. Hyde, as the bad. When Dr. Jekyll drank
the potion turning him into the evil, Mr. Hyde, the same thing happens with this disorder.
Literally switching from personality to personality.
DSM-IV: The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders. Worldwide manual that classifies mental health disorders and provide the symptoms
of each as well.
Ex. A psychiatrist may use the DSM-IV to classify a disorder one of his patients has. By
classifying it, he may then treat it with the best recourses available.
Generalized anxiety disorder: An anxiety disorder in which the person is always nervous, tense
or apprehensive for no apparent reason.
Ex. A person is experiencing dizziness, sweaty palms, shaking and ringing in the ears.
They have very few social contacts and hind these symptoms from the world.
Major depressive disorders: A mood disorder in which a person becomes extremely depressed,
usually in the absence of drugs or a medical condition, for two or more weeks. They feel
worthless and have no interest in most activities.
Ex. A person goes into rehab for a cocaine addiction, they are now off the drug but along
with the withdraw symptoms, they face severe depression and even contemplate suicide. This
feeling goes on for three weeks until there depression starts to lighten up and they become
interested in interacting with people again.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): An anxiety disorder characterized by haunting
memories, nightmares, socially withdrawn and insomnia due to a traumatic experience.
Ex. A soldier returning from war who saw his team being ambushed becomes withdrawn
from society and doesn’t sleep because he can’t stop thinking about that terrible day.
Psychological disorder: Different, distressful and dysfunctional behavior patterns.
Ex. Claiming to be able to see or talk to the dead.
Schizophrenia: A severe disorder in which a person may have delusion or dysfunctional
thinking, disturbed perceptions and inappropriate emotions and actions.
Ex. A person hears voices in there head, the voices can’t be heard by anyone else. This
person also sees people that no one else can see. This drives many people into insanity.
Summary:
Mental health in the criminal process is a very tough subject, it is debated worldwide
daily. The big question being; should the mentally ill be sentenced to the death penalty? Not all
mental health cases can be counted as insanity when in court, however. In fact, less than 1% of
all court cases that plead insanity actually get it, most getting convicted. Each state has its own
standards for the court to decide the defendant is legally insane, but, most fall into two
categories. The first being the M’Naughten rule, which is, the defendant may be found not
guilty under reasons of insanity if “at the time of committing the act, he was laboring under
such a defect of reason from disease of the mind as not to know the nature and quality of the
act he was doing, or if he did know it, that he did not know what he was doing was wrong.”
M’Naughten was a deranged woodcutter who attempted to assassinate the prime minister in
1843. The second category being the Model Standard made by the American Law Institute in
1962. The ALI rule states the defendant in not criminally responsible if “at the time of his
conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks substantial capacity either to appreciate
the criminality (wrongfulness) of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of
law.” The AIL rule is considered to be less restrictive than the M’Naughten rule. Montana, Idaho
and Utah don’t allow the insanity defense whatsoever.
There is no mental disorder that is always convicted or always decided legally insane.
But, there are many cases in which the public may or may not agree with, regarding the death
penalty. Perhaps one of the most famous cases, Jeffery Dahmer, serial killer and sex offender
who pleaded insane. Between 1979 and 1991, Dahmer had raped, murdered and dismembered
a15 (known cases) boys and men. His later murders also consisted cannibalism, necrophilia and
preservation of body parts. When arrested, Dahmer pleaded insane but was convicted despite
his unusual and disturbing actions. He was sentenced to life in jail since the capital punishment
was outlawed by the state of Wisconsin. Dahmer was beaten to death by an inmate on
November 28th, 1994. There have been many cases life this, in which there was clearly
something wrong with the persons mind but were not legally insane. In some cases it was due
to lack of paper work, maybe having schizophrenia but never clinically diagnosed so there was
no proof. As of right now, the court cannot sentence the death penalty to someone who is
legally insane, it is unethical. There has been major controversy over this for years. Cases where
if the court hadn’t decided on legally insane the defendant would’ve been sentenced to the
death penalty. As for defendants who are actually legally insane, you are sentenced to a mental
hospital until you are cleared as sane or until you die. Most likely after you’re legally sane, you
go to court where chances are, you’ll be convicted.
Learning Targets:
 None for this section.
Sources:
 "A Crime of Insanity." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/crime/trial/faqs.html>.
 Bardsley, Marilyn. "A Victim Almost Escapes." Jeffrey Dahmer- Crime Library. N.p., n.d.
Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/dahmer/index.html>.
 "Mental Illness and the Death Penalty." DPIC. N.p., 18 July 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/mental-illness-and-death-penalty>.
Practice Questions:
1. Which states do not have the insanity plea?
2. Was Jeffery Dahmer legally insane?
3. What are the names of the two rules for the insanity plea?
4. How often do courts decide defendants are legally insane?
5. What is the M’Naughten rule?
Key Terms:
 Psychological Disorders: Chronic harmful thoughts, feelings, and actions
o Ex: Anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, eating
disorders, impulse control and addiction disorders, personality disorders
 Anxiety Disorders: People who respond to particular objects or situations with
great fear and dread
o Ex: If a person’s response is not appropriate for a situation. Like if a war
veteran freaks out to the sound of a beeping microwave.
o Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder
(OCD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias
 Panic Disorder: Sudden panic attack accompanied with terror, chest pain,
choking, etc.
o Ex: A smoker who all of a sudden begins to feel hot and is trembling and
sweating and really faint is experiencing a panic attack. Sometimes
vomiting may occur
 Phobia: A fear that is so strong that if you encounter it, it will disrupt your
behavior/ day.
o Ex: Arachnophobia, fear of spiders, Cynophobia, a morbid fear of dogs
 Mood Disorders: Experience of emotional extremes
o Ex: Periods of extreme sadness, or periods of feeling overly happy
 Personality Disorders: Extreme and inflexible personality traits that affects a
person’s social life
o Ex: OCD, antisocial personality disorder
Insanity as a Defense strategy:
Not all psychological disorders can be used as defense strategies when criminal
are on trial. Most criminal believe that if they fake “insanity” their sentence may
possibly be reduce, they could get a get out of jail free card, or even just stay in a nice
hospital and serve their sentence that way. But how do we determine if one is indeed
insane. And if you are insane how would you know.
Somatoform Disorders
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology SparkNotes
Section: Somatoform Disorders
Key Terms:
❖ CognitiveBehavior
Therapy (CBT)
➢ Definition: Type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients understand the
thoughts and feelings that influence behavior.
➢ Example: As though a parent is explaining to their child what will happen when they feel
anger towards their sibling.
❖ Conversion Disorder
➢ Definition: Mental health condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other
nervous system symptoms that can’t be explained by medical evaluation.
➢ Example: Death except for the fact that you’re still living and functioning in certain parts
of your body.
❖ Hypochondriasis
➢ Definition: Mental disorder characterized by excessive fear of preoccupation with a
serious illness, despite medical testing and reassurance to the contrary; formerly called
hypochondriacal neurosis.
➢ Example: A person who has a minor cough may think that they have tuberculosis.
❖ Somatoform Disorder
➢ Definition: Mental illnesses that cause bodily symptoms, including pain.
➢ Example: When you go insane, you feel as though people are hurting you.
Objectives // Learning Targets:
❖ Discuss the major diagnostic categories and their symptoms
➢ Somatoform Disorders
Summary:
Somatoform disorders are mental illnesses that cause bodily symptoms, including pain. The
symptoms cannot be traced back to any physical cause. The disorders are not the result of
substance
abuse or another mental illness. People who have somatoform disorders are not faking their
symptoms,
but the pain and other problems they experience are real. The symptoms can affect daily
functioning.
Symptoms and their severity vary depending on the type of somatoform disorder.
People who have hypochondriasis are preoccupied with concern that they have a serious
disease. They may believe that minor complaints are signs of very serious medical problems.
When
people have neurological symptoms that can’t be traced back to a medical cause, they are known
to
have conversion disorder. Examples of symptoms are paralysis, blindness, hearing loss, & loss of
sensation or numbness. Stress usually makes symptoms of this disorder worse.
Patients who experience unexplained physical symptoms often cling to the belief that their
symptoms have an underlying physical cause, despite evidence to the contrary. Patients may also
dismiss any suggestion that psychiatric factors are playing a role in their symptoms. A strong
doctorpatient
relationship is a key to getting help with somatoform disorders. Seeing a single health
care provider with experience managing somatoform disorders can help cut down on
unnecessary tests
and treatments. The focus of treatment is on improving daily functioning, not on managing
symptoms.
Stress reduction is often an important part of getting better. Counseling for family and friends
may also
be useful. CognitiveBehavioral
Therapy may also help relieve symptoms associated with somatoform
disorders. The therapy focuses on correcting distorted thoughts, unrealistic beliefs, & behaviors
that
prompt health anxiety.
Sources:
"Somatoform Disorders." Somatoform Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Somatoform Disorders: Symptoms, Types, and Treatment." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web.
Practice Questions:
01. Which is likely true about people with somatoform disorders?
a. They intentionally produce their symptoms.
b. They have symptoms that are caused by a medical condition
c. They may pay too much attention to bodily symptoms
d. They do not experience real symptoms
02. Karen believes she has a rare tropical disease. Her physicians can find no evidence of the
disease, yet Karen continues to insist she has it. Karen’s condition is best classified as
a. A hypochondriasis
b. A conversion disorder
c. A psychosomatic conversion reaction
d. A somatoform disorder
03. All of the following are classified as somatoform disorders except:
a. Conversion
b. Pain
c. Hypochondriasis
d. Panic
04. A person who is preoccupied with fears of having a serious disease suffers from
a. A conversion reaction
b. Hypochondriasis
c. A traumatic disorder
d. An obsession
05. One of the main symptoms of conversion disorder is
a. loss of organ functioning
b. splitting headaches
c. enjoying 80’s music
d. loss of feeling or function in limbs
Answers:
01. C. Since pain is a big factor in somatoform disorders, people with the disorder may pay too
much attention to bodily symptoms.
02. A. Karen believes she has a rare tropical disease. Her physicians can’t find any evidence
indicating this as true. Therefore, Karen’s conditions is classified as hypochondriasis.
03. D. Panic disorders aren’t classified as somatoform disorders because people who have this
disorder have repeated attacks of intense fear that something bad will happen, verifying that this
disorder is an anxiety disorder.
04. B. A person who is preoccupied with fears of having a serious disease suffers from
hypochondriasis.
05. D. One of the main symptoms of conversion disorder is loss of feeling or function in limbs.
Personality Disorders
Key terms:
❖ Antisocial personality
1. Definition: when a person (mainly men) do not realize there wrongdoing toward friends and
family. usually aggressive, and ruthlessness or become a clever con artist.
2. Example: Frank Underwood from the tv show house of cards Murder. Not once, but at least
two times (that we know of). He swiftly pushed Zoe Barnes into the path of an oncoming metro
train. Let’s not forget this was a woman with whom he had had a physical relationship with and
a (sort of) emotional intimacy. No doubt, this personal history contributed to Barnes’ poor
judgment and her letting down her guard; she suspected he was a murderer but still
underestimated what he was truly capable of. Frank leveraged her miscalculation to his favor.
In addition to murder, let’s not forget the unlawful behaviors carried out, on his orders, by those
who work for him – e.g. vanquishing the remaining reporters who tried to expose him for what he truly
is.
❖ Personality disorder
1. Definition: psychological disorders that are summed up to be inflexible and enduring behavior
patterns that disrupts social functioning.
2. Examples: antisocial disorder, paranoid personality disorder, etc.
Key people:
1. Farrington, 1991
2. Rhee & Waldman, 2002, viding & others, 2005
3. Hare, 1975
4. Caspi & others, 1996; tremblay & others, 1994
5. poulton & Milne, 2002
6. lykken, 1995
7. adrian raine, 1999
8. morgan & lilienfeld, 2000
9. shepard & others, 1990
10. lyman, 1996
Objectives/ learning targets:
●
Explain the differences between the three clusters of personality disorders and Describe the
behaviors.
●
Describe brain activity associated with antisocial disorder.
●
List some theories about the biological risk factors for antisocial personality disorder
●
substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and reading disorders is
associated with what?
●
List of risks of untreated patient of Antisocial disorder.
●
Many people with antisocial personality disorder experience a remission of symptoms, by what
age?
Practice questions:
1. how many clusters does psychological disorders have?
2. what are the three clusters of disorder?
3. what is the most troubling and heavily researched personality disorder?
4. lack of conscience becomes clear at what age?
5. why do most criminals do not fit the description of antisocial personality disorders?
Sources:
1. "Antisocial Personality Disorder Treatment, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Risk Factors
- MedicineNet." MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
2. Ludwig, Thomas E., and David G. Myers. PsychInquiry for David G. Myers Psychology,
Eight Edition in Modules. New York, NY: Worth Pub., 2007. Print.
3. "Module 4: Causes of Psychological Disorders." Causes of Psychological Disorders.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Summary:
psychological disorders are caused by Poor nutrition, Exposure to toxins, Stressful life events, Chronic
stress, Culture, Abuse, Poverty, or War. These disorders often connect with harmful thoughts, feelings,
and actions that can lead to others getting hurt. all disorders disrupts one's ability to function in
everyday of life.
Personality disorders are inflexible and enduring patterns of behavior that impairs one’s social
functioning. there are three cluster types of disorders, one is expressed by anxiety which involves the
fear of rejection. The second cluster is emotionless disengagement of the schizoid personality disorder.
The third cluster displays dramatic or impulsive behaviors. the most troubling and heavily researched
personality disorder is the antisocial personality disorder. males whose lack of conscience becomes plain
before age 15, they are mostly known as sociopaths and psychopaths who begin to lie, steal, fight, or
displayed unrestrained sexual behavior. antisocial personality combined with keen intelligence with
amorality.
understanding antisocial personality disorder with mood disorders and schizophrenia. antisocial
disorder links with both biological and psychological strands. in a PET scan illustrate reduced activation
in a murderer’s frontal cortex- a brain area that helps brake impulsive, aggressive behavior. Like I said
before Psychopathy is considered to be a more severe form of antisocial personality disorder.
Specifically, in order to be considered a psychopath, an individual must experience a lack of
remorse or guilt about their actions in addition to demonstrating antisocial behaviors.
Antisocial personality disorder is likely the result of a combination of biologic/genetic and
environmental factors. Some theories about the biological risk factors for antisocial personality
disorder include dysfunction of certain genes, hormones, or parts of the brain. If untreated,
people with antisocial personality disorder are at risk for developing or worsening a myriad of
other mental disorders. Antisocial personality disorder individuals are also at risk for selfmutilation or dying from homicide or suicide. Diagnoses often associated with antisocial
personality disorder includes substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
and reading disorders. Many people with antisocial personality disorder experience a remission
of symptoms by the time they reach 50 years of age. so basicly nature and nurture combine
together to make up personality disorders.
Anxiety Disorders
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology Spark Notes
Section: Anxiety Disorders
Key Terms
 Anxiety Disorders
 Definition: psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or
maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.
 Example: Generalized anxiety disorder is an anxiety disorder in which a person is
unexplainably and continually tense and uneasy.
 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
 Definition: An anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive,
and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.
 Example: People with this condition are continually tense and jittery, worried about
various bad things that might happen, and plagued by muscular tension, agitation,
and sleeplessness.
 Panic Disorder
 Definition: an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long episodes of
intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain,
choking, or other frightening sensations.
 Example: It strikes suddenly, wreaks havoc, and disappears. A panic disorder is to
anxiety what a tornado is to a windy day.
 Phobia
 Definition: an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance
of a specific object or situation.
 Example: Someone cripplingly afraid of spiders may have a phobia of them.
 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
 Definition: an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts
(obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions).
 Example: Someone checking that the door is locked 10 times, just to be sure.
 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 Definition: an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares,
social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or
more after a traumatic experience.
 Example: Combat veterans, accident and disaster survivors, and sexual assault
victims often show signs of PTSD.
 Antianxiety Drugs
 Definition: Antianxiety drugs are medicines that calm and relax people with
excessive anxiety, nervousness, or tension, or for short-term control of social phobia
disorder or specific phobia disorder.
 Example: Serax and Valium can help people calm down when they have panic
attacks. Some are taken daily, others just when needed.
 Hypochondriasis
 Definition: or hypochondria (sometimes referred to as health phobia or health
anxiety) refers to excessive preoccupancy or worry about having a serious illness.
 Example: Someone reading about a psychological disorder in their AP Psych book
and believing they have it.
 Social Phobias
 Definition: Social phobia, also called Social Anxiety Disorder, is an anxiety disorder
characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday
social situations.
 Example: As simple as fear of speaking in formal situations to severe as just being
around others.
Key People
 Charles Darwin: began suffering panic disorder at age 28
Summary
Anxiety is a part of life. Everyone experiences it at some point. However, some people
have it a little more than average. These people have what has become known as anxiety
disorders. People can sometimes have general anxiety disorder, which is characterized by
unexplainable and continuous tension and uneasy feelings. Although some are a little more
severe, such as panic disorder, where people have sudden episodes of shaking and intense
dread. Or even something as serious as obsessive-compulsive disorder, which can be very mild
or life-altering serious. Either way, all impact the lives of the people with these disorders
greatly.
There are also phobias- much like dears, a little more severe. Phobias don’t just make
you afraid, but they greatly heighten your anxiety and focus it on whatever fear you may have.
Even more life-altering is PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Often experienced by victims
of sexual assault or war veterans, this disorder sends people into flashbacks and can even cause
severe insomnia and panic attacks. Holocaust survivors were documented to have this disorder
often.
Anxiety disorders are harder to explain than just bad experienced. Sigmund Freud’s
psychoanalytical theory chalked it up to people repressing childhood experiences. Anxiety can
develop through dear conditioning as well. Some researchers have linked general anxiety with
classical conditioning. Like a dog learning that a bell = food, a person could learn that a bang =
danger. Observational learning is also linked to anxiety: when one baby sees another baby fall
off the couch and cry, that baby will learn to be afraid of falling off the couch. There is more
than just learning from experience to explain anxiety, though. Natural selection plays a large
part in anxiety. People who are more cautious are less likely to die. Genes also play a role.
Anxiety disorders have proven to be genetic and passed down between generations.
Additionally, all are biologically measurable.
Questions to Consider/Learning Objectives
1. Discuss the major diagnostic categories and their symptoms.
a) Anxiety Disorders
2. Describe the central characteristics of psychotherapeutic intervention.
3. Define anxiety disorders, and explain how these conditions differ from normal feelings
of stress, tension, or uneasiness.
4. Contrast the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
5. Explain how a phobia differs from the fears we all experience.
6. Describe the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
7. Describe the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and discuss survivor resiliency.
8. Discuss the contributions of the learning and biological perspectives to our
understanding of the development of anxiety disorders.
Sources
Antianxiety Drugs. (n.d.). TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Antianxiety+Drugs
David, Meyers. Psychology. Hope College: Holland, Michigan. 2007. P 649-658
Hypochondriasis. (2014, March 19). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypochondriasis
Social Phobia. (n.d.). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved
March 20, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/social-phobia
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology Spark Notes
Section: Anxiety Disorders
Key Terms






Anxiety Disorders
o Definition: Marked by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors
that reduce anxiety.
o Example: A person when interacted with their fear they tend to have their heart
rate increase rapidly.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
o Definition: An anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense,
apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.
o Example: After a person watches the news and witnesses a gun shooting they
will tend to become uneasy in the public.
Panic Disorder
o Definition: An anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable minutes-long episodes
of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest
pain, choking, or other frightening sensations.
o Example: When a person adrenaline or heart rate increases in a crowed
elevator randomly.
Phobia
o Definition: An anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and
avoidance of a specific object or a situation.
o Example: A person that is extremely afraid of spiders.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
o Definition: An anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts
(obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions).
o Example: A person who has an unreasonable fear or germs that constantly
washes their hands.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
o Definition: An anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories,
nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for
four weeks or more after a traumatic experience.
o Example: A person who may have gotten in a car accident may fear driving.
Key People

Peter Suedfeld
Objectives
5. Define anxiety disorders, and explain how these conditions differ from normal feelings of
stress, tension, or uneasiness.
6. Contrast the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
7. Explain how a phobia differs from the fears we all experience.
8. Describe the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
9. Describe the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and discuss survivor resiliency.
10. Discuss the contributions of the learning and biological perspectives to our understanding of
the development of anxiety disorders.
Summary
Anxiety is a conflict that every single person tends to have or had dealt with throughout their
lifetime. The meaning of an anxiety disorder is a person or persons that tend to stress or worry towards
an object without any legitimate reason. There are three main types of anxiety disorders; generalized
anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
First off, a generalized anxiety disorder is when a person consecutively is uneasy or worrisome
deprived of a reason. People that tend to have this disorder are often noticed to be jumpy as if a terrible
event may occur when in reality nothing will happen. Not only will the person or persons be uneasy
emotionally but, they will have physical symptoms being shown; sweating, twitching, wrinkled
eyebrows, and unable to stay in one spot. The main difficulty a person with this disorder may need to
face is the fact that they will have a very short attention span unable to comprehend what may be
occurring amongst their surroundings.
Next, another anxiety disorder is the panic disorder which is a person uninterruptedly has
chapters of drastic fear convoyed with physical signs. A panic disorder has the symptoms of; short
breathing, heart trembles, choking feelings, anxiety, and light-headed. People who tend to smoke
cigarettes have the higher chances of having a panic attack due to the fact that nicotine may be a drug
that triggers it. Agoraphobia is linked to the panic disorder because it’s the fear of situations where they
try to escape but could be very challenging during these attacks.
Furthermore, the last anxiety disorder is phobias and this is when a person has an extreme or
over-exaggerated fear of an object. Like stated in the beginning of the summary anxieties occur
throughout everyone in life and this disorder is mainly one of them. When a person or persons have a
specific phobia towards a manner they tend to try and dodge the item as much as possible no matter
what the circumstance may be because their fear is ridiculously vast. There is also another version of
phobia and that is social phobia. This phobia is when a person has fear of being embarrassed or ridiculed
by their peers around them. Social phobia is just a more immense and drastic version of shyness.
Also, the second to last anxiety is commonly aware and heard of which is obsessive-compulsive
disorder, is when a person tends to have the desire or feeling to have a repetition of a specific manner
all the time. Everyone has a little problem with this disorder, but there are limits where it is taken out of
hand for a person. Reason being is because there is a big difference between doing something once or
twice to twenty or thirty times.
Last but not the least, is the post-traumatic stress disorder is basically the trigger to a person
from a traumatic or terrifying event. The more recurrent or often the issue that occur the more intense
and severe it will be for the person. People who were in combat are those who tend to have this
disorder because of all of the treacherous events that they faced in the battle field. The higher the
emotional pain and suffering during the trauma, the greater chances for the risk of post-traumatic
symptoms. There have been tests provided that if the survivors of a trauma were to express and explain
what had happened has been proven to be ineffective and emotionally dangerous to the person or
persons. A way to heal or encourage the survivors to continue life was called to be the post-traumatic
growth because it allowed to people to realize the specialty and value of life.
`
Freud had an amazing theory to the thought that what had occurred to us as a child has a huge
impact to why we may or may not have anxiety. Researchers have realized and noticed that anxiety
deals with classical conditioning of fear. Stimulus generalization is when a person has a fear of one
manner and if something is yet slightly similar; the human will tend to be afraid of that also with their
original fear. Reinforcement is what maintains all of the phobias and compulsions, by dodging the
conflict or issue it will decrease anxiety, which will reinforce the behavior. It’s possible to also learn a
fear by observing others. For example, parents tend to conduct their fears into their children. The
biological perspective allows people to have the understanding in why some learn from fears easily and
why others may be vulnerable. We were known to expect to have the fears based upon what our
ancestors feared also, however our evolution never taught us to be scared of serious manners rather
than the small things that probably would not affect our survival. Next, people tend to have all kinds of
different phobias; however identical twins are more prone and known to have similar fears even if they
were raised separately. All of these different types of anxiety disorders are able to be measured as an
over arousal of brain areas in the impulse and habitual behaviors. The anterior cingulate cortex is the
area in the brain that monitors our actions and checks for errors. Fear-learning events can dangerously
traumatize the brain in the amygdala. To conclude, biology does have an impact to our anxieties.
Dissociative Disorders
Unit 11: Abnormal Psychology Spark Notes
Dissociative Disorders (Pg. 657)
Key Terms:
Dissociative Disorders
 Definition: Disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from
previous memories, thoughts, and feelings.
 Example: Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) a rare dissociative disorder in which a person
exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. AKA: Multiple personality disorder.
Dissociative Amnesia
 Definition: The main symptom of this condition is memory loss that's more severe than normal
forgetfulness and that can't be explained by a medical condition.
Dissociative Fugue
 Definition: The main sign of this condition is creating physical distance from your real identity.
Depersonalization Disorder
 Definition: This disorder is characterized by a sudden sense of being outside yourself, observing
your actions from a distance as though watching a movie.
Key People:
 Kenneth Bianchi: Known as the “Hillside Strangler” brutally raped and murdered 10 California
women. There was great deal of evidence that he had committed these crimes, he steadfastly
denied it, and some lawyers thought that he had Dissociative identity disorder. A clinical
psychologist subsequently interviewed him, and under hypnosis a second personality, “Steve”
emerged who confessed to crimes thereby creating the basis for a plea of “not guilty by reason
of insanity’. However, Bianchi was faking the condition.
 Nicholas Spanos: asked college students to pretend they were accused murderers being
examined by a psychiatrist. When given the same hypnotic treatment Bianchi received, most
spontaneously expressed a second personality.
 Paul McHugh: (Psychiatrist) “this epidemic will end in the way that the witch craze ended in
Salem. The [multiple personality phenomenon] will be seen as a manufactured.”
Objectives/Learning Targets:
1.) Describe the symptoms of dissociative disorders, and explain why some critics are skeptical
about dissociative identity disorder.
“Dissociative disorders are conditions in which conscious awareness seems to become
separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. The most famous dissociative
disorder is dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as multiple personality disorder.
Critics note that this diagnosis increased dramatically in the late twentieth century, that it is not
found in many countries and is very rare in others, and that it may reflect role playing by people
who are very open to therapists’ suggestions. Some view this disorder as a manifestation of
feelings of anxiety, or as a response learned when behaviors are reinforced by reductions in
feelings of anxiety. “
Summary:
Most people see dissociative disorders as the multiple personality disorder. For example you will find
that people sometimes say, “I was not myself at the time.” Often people are known upon as psychos
with two different personalities. “A person with DID might repeatedly meet people who seem to know
him or her, but whom he or she does not recognize. The personal also might find items that he or she
does not remember buying.”
People with dissociative disorders may experience any or some of the following: Mood swings (multiple
personalities), Depression, Suicidal tendencies, Sleep disorders (insomnia, night terrors, sleep walking),
Anxiety/phobias, Alcohol/drug use, and/or Eating disorders.
Treatment for dissociative disorders may include psychotherapy, hypnosis, and medication. Although
treating dissociative disorders can be difficult, many or most people with dissociative disorders are able
to learn how ways of coping to lead a healthy, productive life.
Sources:
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/neurological_institute/center-for-behavorial-health/diseaseconditions/hic-dissociative-identity-disorder.aspx
psychcentral.com
webmol.com
mayoclinic.org
David, Myers. Psychology. Hope College: Holland Michigan. 2007. Pg.(656-658)