Download Mood, Personality, Schizophrenia

Abnormal Psychology
Psychological Disorders:
Mood/Affective, Personality,
Schizophrenic
Mood Disorders
Significant & chronic disruption in mood
Causes impaired cognitive, behavioral, &
physical functioning
Differentiated from
normal moods by
Duration
Intensity
Absence of cause
Major (Unipolar) Depression
• “Common Cold” of Disorders
• Unhappy for more than two
weeks w/no clear reason
• Sadness, hopelessness, guilt
• Lethargic, slow movements
• Loss of interest, does not enjoy
usual activities
• Difficulty concentrating
• Negativity, suicidal thoughts
• Changes in appetite, sleep disturbances,
restlessness
Mood Disorders
• Seasonal Affective Disorder  Experience
depression during certain time of year
– 1-2% of U.S. population
Bipolar Disorder
• Alternate between
depressed and manic
episodes
• Mania includes high
energy, euphoria,
impulsiveness
& risky behavior
– Rapid speech, inflated
self-esteem,
grandiosity
Prevalence of Bipolar Disorder
• 2 million Americans
each year
• Onset in early
twenties
• Affects men & women
in equal rates
• Recurring, chronic
disorder that
responds well to drug
therapy
Bipolar Brain
Dysthymic Disorder
• Chronic depression, but not as severe
• Constant low mood
• Symptoms for at least 2 years
Cyclothymic Disorder
• Similar to bipolar, but more mild
• Short periods of mild depression and
less extreme mania
Mood Disorders- Suicide
Suicides per 70
100,000 people 60
50
The higher suicide rate
among men greatly
increases in late
adulthood
40
30
20
10
0
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-44 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+
Males
Females
Mood Disorders-Depression
1
Stressful
experiences
4
Cognitive and
behavioral changes
3
Depressed
mood
• The vicious
cycle of
depression
2
can be
Negative
explanatory style broken at
any point
Theoretical Causes of Mood Disorders
• Psychodynamic  anger directed toward
the self, overly punitive superego
• Behavioral/learning  reinforcement
– Lack social skills needed to gain positive
social reinforcement from others
Cognitive Views on Causes of Mood
Disorders
• Psychologist Aaron Beck states that
unreasonably negative ideas about selves and
the world cause mood disorders
• Attributional style
– Learned helplessness  person
feels unable to control aspects
of future due to prior
experiences (“no matter how
hard I try, I will never succeed”)
Biological Causes of Mood Disorders
• Neurotransmitter imbalances
- Unipolar depression = low serotonin, abnormal
levels of norepinephrine
- Bipolar disorder = more receptors for
acetylcholine
• Twin, family, and adoptive
studies indicate a genetic
predisposition
Genetics & Risk of Mood Disorders
James D. Laird and Nicholas S. Thompson, Psychology. Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted by permission.
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Personality Disorders
Inflexible & enduring behavior patterns that
impair functioning
Recognizable by adolescence
Axis II of DSM-IV
Antisocial Personality Disorder
• Lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even
towards family/friends
• Irresponsible, reckless, criminal behaviors
• No guilt or remorse
• Punishment does not matter
Charles
Manson
Jeffrey Dahmer
Ted Bundy
Timothy
McVeigh
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• Unstable & intense
relationships w/others
– Extreme fear of
abandonment
• Instability of emotions
and self-image
• Impulsive
• Self-destructive
behaviors
• Distorted thoughts and
perceptions
Personality Disorders
• PET scans illustrate reduced activation
in a murderer’s frontal cortex
Normal
Murderer
Histrionic Personality Disorder
• Displays shallow, attentiongetting emotionality
• Need to be the center of
attention
• Extreme emotional reactions to
minor events
• Overdramatic
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Grandiose sense of
self-importance
• Fantasies of success
or power
• Need for constant
attention & admiration
• Inappropriate
reactions to criticism
• Feels entitled
Dependent Personality
• Excessively lacking in self-esteem
• Passively allowing others to make all
decisions
• Constantly subordinating own needs to
others’ needs
Avoidant Personality
• Sensitive to potential rejection
• Socially withdrawn in spite of desire
for acceptance from others
Paranoid Personality
• Showing pervasive and
unwarranted suspiciousness
and mistrust of people
• Overly sensitive
• Prone to jealousy
• NOT schizophrenic – no
hallucinations or delusions –
patient is still somewhat
grounded in reality
Theoretical Causes of Personality
Disorders
• Psychodynamic  inability of superego to
resolve conflicts (Oedipal complex leads to
lack of guilt)
• Learning  childhood experiences lead to
maladaptive ways of relating to others
• Cognitive  misinterpretation of social info
• Biological  somewhat genetic
- Parts of brain – prefrontal cortex, gray
matter, etc.
- Lack of autonomic nervous system arousal
Positive Symptoms
1) Disordered, distorted
thinking
2) Hallucinations –
perceptions without any
sensory stimulation
Schizophrenic Disorders
Inappropriate
affect – emotional
responses not
suitable to the
situation
Positive Symptoms
3) Delusions – beliefs that have no basis in reality
- Delusions of persecution – belief that
people are out to get you
- Delusions of grandeur – belief
that you enjoy greater power
and influence than you do
Schizophrenic Disorders: Negative
Symptoms
• Flat affect – no emotional response
• Inability to enjoy oneself
• Lack of personal hygiene
Disorganized Schizophrenia
• Disorganized speech
- Make up own words (neologisms)
- Nonsense words (clang associations)
• Inappropriate or flat affect
• Lack of hygiene
Paranoid Schizophrenia
• Delusions of persecution
• Possible auditory (most common) or visual
hallucinations
• Social withdrawal
• Irrational behavior
• Little verbal communication
Catatonic Schizophrenia
• Impairment in motor activity
- Periods of rigid or slow activity
• May hold unusual, difficult postures for hours
- Waxy flexibility
• Mutism – cannot speak but
report hearing and
comprehending what others
were saying
Undifferentiated Schizophrenia
• Disordered thinking but no symptoms of
other types of schizophrenia
Chronic v. Acute Schizophrenia
• Chronic = gradually developed
• Acute = sudden onset
Warning signs…
• Low birth weight
• Short attention span
• Poor muscle coordination
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
• Genetic factors
– Abnormality on
fifth chromosome
• Dopamine
hypothesis – too
much dopamine in
the brain
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
• Evidence of prenatal viral infection-based cause
• Abnormalities in brain structures/functioning
– Brain asymmetries
– Fluid-filled ventricles are enlarged in some patients
– Smaller thalamus
Other Causes
• Psychodynamic  regression to early childhood
• Cognitive  Double-binds = person is given
contradictory messages