Download Unit 6 – Adjustment & Breakdown

Unit 6 – Adjustment &
Breakdown
Psychological Disorders
Psychological Disorders
Normal or Abnormal?
What most people (majority) do is normal
Deviation is abnormal
 Getting along on the world is normal
Failure to adjust physically, emotionally or
psychologically is abnormal
 Striving for ideal psychological functioning
(self-actualization) is normal

Abnormal Behavior
Is normal better than abnormal?

Oppression, stonings, tax evasion,
speeding, smoking, drinking, late
assignments, skipping class, …
Why study abnormal behavior?

Harmful behaviors (crime, drug use,
violence) might be changed / stopped (i.e.
BAU)
Abnormal Behavior
Depends on situation - where/ when ??
Abnormal Behavior
Depends on situation - where/ when ??

(comfort in environment, clothes for season
/ venue, urgency)
Cultural differences ??

(hand holding, men kissing, bowing, evil
spirits)
Occasional abnormal behavior does not
mean a psychological disorder (TRY IT)
Failure to adjust
Does abnormal behavior cause difficulty
getting along in the world?

(can’t leave house…can’t work)
Everyone strives toward ideal functioning =
self-actualization
Sanity
Legal definition – far too simple for
psychologists
“most people labelled mentally ill are not
ill at all” (Szasz)…simply have problems
with daily living
Convenient to label people ill and
hospitalize them
Classification
DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders) – classify mental illness
DSM IV uses 5 major axes (dimensions):
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Explicitly defined categories (mood, schizophrenia &
other psychotic, eating…)
Developmental or long standing personality disorders
Physical disorders or medical conditions
Measures stress level
Highest level of adaptive functioning
Mental Illness
Who is affected?
• Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some
time through a family member, friend or colleague.
• 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental
illness in their lifetime.
• Mental illness affects people of all ages, educational
and income levels, and cultures.
• Approximately 8% of adults will experience major
depression at some time in their lives.
• About 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar
disorder (or “manic depression”).
Mental Illness
How common is it?
• Schizophrenia affects 1% of the Canadian population.
• Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household
population, causing mild to severe impairment.
• Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24
year olds and 16% among 25-44 year olds.
• Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both
men and women from adolescence to middle age.
• The mortality rate due to suicide among men is four
times the rate among women.
http://www.cmha.ca/media/fast-facts-about-mental-illness/
The Issues
How many undiagnosed / misdiagnosed?
Problem getting better or worse? Why?
Are awareness campaigns successful?
Why is there still such a stigma?
SECTION QUIZ 16-1
Types of Disorders
Mood
Schizophrenia
Somatoform
Dissociative
Personality
Drug Addiction
Anxiety
Mood Disorders
Types ??

Major depressive disorder – feelings of
worthlessness and diminished pleasure


Case study: Kari
Bipolar disorder – cycle between alternating
phases: manic (euphoria / frantic action) and
depressive (deep despair)

Case study: Moira
Mood Disorders


Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD) – melatonin high
(sleep) + serotonin low
(mood)
Post partum depression
(PPD) – 3-4 weeks after
birth, cause may be hormone
shift, may lead to other
depressive disorders
Mood Disorders
Causes ??






Self-esteem, social support, coping with stress
Draw illogical conclusions about self (Beck)
Learned helplessness (Seligman)
No control – useless to try
Reduced serotonin and/or noradrenaline
Therefore, both biological & psychological
Risk of suicide (3rd leading cause of death for
teens)
Schizophrenia
Chronic, severe, disabling
brain disease
Confused and disconnected
thoughts, emotions, &
perceptions, decline in
functioning, diverted attention
Incidence:


1% (10% if family history)
Typical onset late teens / early
20s
Schizophrenia
Types:

Paranoid (“positive” symptoms)

Delusions = false belief despite contrary
evidence:


Grandeur (supreme power)
Persecution (suspicions)

Hallucinations = perceptions with no direct
external cause (all 5 senses)

Case study: Tara, John Nash
Schizophrenia

Disorganized (“negative” symptoms):

Incoherent language (word salad)

Case study: Nathaniel Ayers Jr
Disturbed affect (inappropriate emotional
expression)
 Disorganized movements
 Diverted attention


Catatonic = motionless / deteriorated
movement
Schizophrenia
Causes:



Heredity
Chemical imbalance (dopamine ++)
Deteriorated brain tissue (CAT / MRI)
Schizophrenia
Causes:






Heredity
Chemical imbalance (dopamine ++)
Deteriorated brain tissue (CAT / MRI)
Diasthesis hypothesis = inherit a predisposition +
exposure to stressors (i.e. pathogenic / unhealthful
family)
Maternal infection
Birth trauma
Schizophrenia
Prognosis:


No cure – recovery
(remission possible)
Long term institutionalization
in mental hospital -> burnout
(inability to function in
society)
SECTION QUIZ 16-4
Somatoform Disorders
Somatoform disorder (Freud’s hysteria)
= physical symptoms with no apparent
cause:
Conversion disorder: emotional difficulties > loss of physical function (paralysis /
blindness…) calm acceptance (la belle
indifference) suggests psychological
 Hypochondriasis: imaginary symptoms
(young adults, WebMD)

Dissociative Disorders
Experience alterations in
memory, identity, consciousness
Examples ??


Dissociative Amnesia = lost memory
of personal events / info, no
biological / physiological
explanation, traumatic event
Dissociative Fugue = amnesia +
active flight / travel away from home
Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID):




2+ distinct personalities (patterns of
thinking and behaving)
Usually suffered abuse as children
Formerly multiple personality disorder
Case study: Bill Green
SECTION QUIZ 16-3
Personality Disorders
Maladaptive or inflexible ways of dealing with
other people or situations
Types ??

Antisocial (a.k.a. sociopath, psychopath) – shallow emotions,
irresponsibility, lack of conscience, disregard of others
without remorse / shame / guilt, thrill seekers
Infamous Serial Killers
Name
Date
Country
Jack the Ripper
1888
England
Ed Gein
(Buffalo Bill)
1954-1957
USA
The Zodiac
Killer
1968-1969
Charles Manson
Ted Bundy
David Berkowitz
(Son of Sam)
John Wayne
Gracy
Date
Country
Alieen Wuornos
1989-1992
USA
Gary Ridgway
1982-1998
USA
USA (California)
Albert Fish
1919-1930
1969
USA (California)
Jeffrey Dahmer
(Milwaukee Killer)
1978-1991
USA
1974-1978
USA (Florida)
Robert Pickton
1980’s
Canada (BC)
1976
USA (New York)
Coral Eugene
Watts
1974-1982
USA
1960’s
USA
1972-1978
Name
Albert DeSalvo
(Boston Strangler)
Personality Disorders
Maladaptive or inflexible ways of dealing with
other people or situations
Types ??






Antisocial (a.k.a. sociopath, psychopath) – shallow emotions,
irresponsibility, lack of conscience, disregard of others
without remorse / shame / guilt, thrill seekers
Dependent – submissiveness, excessive need for care
Histrionic – excessive emotions, attention seeking
Obsessive-compulsive – intense interest in order, perfection,
control (no anxiety – not OCD)
Paranoid – suspicion of evil motives, distrust (no
hallucinations – not schizophrenia)
Schizotypal – intense discomfort in close relationships
Drug Addiction
Addiction = ?


Psychical dependence – overwhelming and
compulsive desire to obtain and use a drug
Psychological dependence – feeling nervous and
anxious without the drug
Drug Addiction
Tolerance = ?

Physical adaptation to a drug so that the person
needs an increased amount in order to produce
the original effect
Drug Addiction
Withdrawal = ?


Symptoms that occur after an addicted person
discontinues using the drug
Nausea, the “shakes”, hallucinations, convulsions,
coma, death
Drug Addiction
Most serious drug problem ??
Alcoholism
3 stages:



Social – reduce tension, boost self confidence,
reduce social pressure
Psychological dependence, tolerance + physical
addiction (heavy drink, hide habit, blackouts)
Compulsive drink, eating less, sick when sober,
health deteriorates
Alcohol Addiction
Effect of alcohol entering the bloodstream
depends on weight, quantity, speed of
consumption
Treatment:


Antabuse (Rx) + alcohol ->violent illness
Psychotherapy
SECTION QUIZ 16-5
Anxiety Disorders
Excessive fear, generalized
apprehension, reaction to vague or
imagined dangers
Types??

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

Case study: Marley
Anxiety Disorders
Excessive fear, generalized
apprehension, reaction to vague or
imagined dangers
Types??

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)


Case study: Marley
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):



Environmental factors, role of learning,
heredity
Physical symptoms – muscle tension,
inability to relax, tense face
Case study: Alana
Anxiety Disorders

Specific Phobia:


Extreme fear of a specific object, person,
or event
Cope by avoiding the source:




Agoraphobia – public / outdoors
Claustrophobia – small / enclosed spaces
Arachnophobia - spiders
Panic disorder:


Sudden unexplainable attacks of intense
anxiety
Breathing difficulty, faintness, dizziness,
nausea, chest pains
Anxiety Disorders

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD):



Re-experience original trauma –
nightmares or flashbacks
War veterans, survivors of natural
disaster / human aggression
Case study: Tom, Chris
Anxiety Disorders

Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder (OCD):



Obsession – uncontrollable
thoughts, can’t stop even if
unpleasant
Compulsion – repeated
performance of an irrational action
(coping behavior)
Case study: Jason, Tricia
SECTION QUIZ 16-2
Famous People
Isaac Newton
Bipolar
John Nash
Schizophrenia
Beethoven
Bipolar
Carrie Fisher
Cocaine addiction
Abe Lincoln
Depression
Ernest Hemingway Depression
Van Gogh
Bipolar (suicide) Brooke Shields
PPD
Winston Churchill Depression
John Keats
Depression
Virginia Woolf
Bipolar
Sylvia Plath
Depression (suicide)
Linda Hamilton
Bipolar
Buzz Aldrin
Depression
Shawn Colvin
Depression
Roseanne Barr
Depression