Download Abnormal Psychology - White Plains Public Schools

Abnormal
Psychology
WHAT IS ABNORMAL?
Abnormal Psychology
• The area of psychological
investigation concerned with
understanding the nature of
individual pathologies of mind, mood,
& behavior
Abnormal Psychology
• Determining if someone
has a disorder is typically
based on an evaluation of
the individual’s
behavioral functioning
by people with some
special/professional
authority
Abnormal Psychology
• What helps psychologists to determine
a disorder is a classification scheme
called
• DSM-IV-TR: classifies, defines, &
describes 200 mental disorders 
emphasizes the description of
patterns/symptoms (*changed and
updated by committees of
psychologists often)
Abnormal Psychology
• Criteria Used to label behavior as
“abnormal”:
1. Distress or Disabilityexperiences personal
distress or disabled
functioning  produces
risk of psychological deterioration or
loss of freedom (ie. agoraphobia)
Abnormal Psychology
2. Maladaptiveness- acts in ways that
hinder goals, doesn’t contribute to
personal well-being, interferes with
goals of others (ie. drinking heavily 
can’t hold a job
Abnormal Psychology
3. Irrationalityacts/talks in ways that
are irrational or
incomprehensible to
others (ie. responding
to voices that others
cannot hear)
Abnormal Psychology
4. Unpredictability- behaves
unpredictably or erratically (ie.
smashing a window for no reason)
Abnormal Psychology
5. Unconventionality and
Statistical Rarity- individual
behaves in ways that are
statistically rare; does not
necessarily lead to
abnormality (ie. low
intelligence- rare &
undesirable; a genius- rare,
but desirable)
Abnormal Psychology
6. Observer discomfort- a
person creates discomfort
in others by making them
feel threatened, or
distressed in some way
(ie. woman walking in the
middle of the street
talking to herself)
Abnormal Psychology
7. Violation of Moral &
Ideal Standardsindividual violates
expectations of how
one ought to behave
with respect to
societal norms
Abnormal Psychology
• The more extreme & prevalent the
indicators are, the more confident we
can be that they point to an abnormal
condition
• None of these are a necessary
condition shared by all cases of
abnormality
Abnormal Psychology
• No single criterion by itself is a
sufficient condition that distinguishes
all cases of abnormal behavior from
normal variations in behavior
• The distinction between normal &
abnormal is a matter of degree to
which a person’s actions resemble a set
of agreed-upon criteria of abnormality
Problem of Objectivity
• To declare/decide someone has a
psychiatric disorder is a judgment
about behavior
• GOAL: to make these judgments
objectively- w/o bias
• Some disorder judgments are more
easily made w/o bias (depression &
schizophrenia)
Problem of Objectivity
• Once an individual
has obtained an
“abnormal label”
people are inclined
to interpret later
behavior to
confirm that
judgment
Problem of Objectivity
• Ex- Rosenhan’s experiment- several
people faked hallucinations to get
placed into a psych hospital  once
there they acted in a sane manner 
kept there for 3 weeks, & not one
was identified as sane  finally
released with help from
spouses/colleagues
History of Mentally Ill
1. For most of history, humans feared
the mentally ill & associated them
with evil; they were in some cases
imprisoned or killed
History of Mentally Ill
2. 1700s- idea emerges  those
suffering from psychological problems
are “sick” and suffering from illness
rather than being possessed or
immoral.
- Reforms evolved in the way the ill
were cared for/classified/diagnosed
(Pinel & Kraepelin)
History of Psychopathology
2. Psychological- various approaches
perceive personal experiences,
trauma, conflicts, and environmental
factors, as the root of disorders
- 3 Psychological Models of
Abnormality:
History of Mentally Ill
3. Late 1700s-Early 1800semergence of
psychological reasons
for mental illness, b/c
people began to use
techniques like hypnosis
that seemed to cure
people of “hysteria”
History of Mentally Ill
4. Modern versions combine
aspects of both medical and
psychological models of mental
illness
Etiology of Psychopathology
1. Biological- psychological
disturbances are directly
attributable to biological factors
(structural abnormalities in the
brain, bio-chemical process, and
genetic influences)
- Ex.- neurotransmitters, brain
injury, infection
Etiology of Psychopathology
A. Psychodynamic- cause of
psychopathology is located inside the
person; symptoms have their roots in
the unconscious conflict & thoughts
- if the unconscious is conflicted &
tension filled  person will be
plagued by anxiety
- conflict comes from struggle
between Id, Ego, Superego
Etiology of Psychopathology
B. Behavioral- abnormal behaviors
acquired thru learning & reinforcement
- focus on current behavior & conditions
or reinforcements that sustain the
behavior; NOT internal psychological
phenomena or early childhood
- symptoms arise b/c person learned
ineffective ways of behaving
Etiology of Psychopathology
C. Cognitive- agree w/ behaviorists, but
w/ a twist; what matters is the way
people perceive/think about
themselves & about their relations w/
people & the environment
- suggests psych. problems are result of
distortions in perceptions of reality of a
situation, faulty reasoning, or poor
problem solving
Etiology of Psychopathology
D. Sociocultural- emphasizes role
culture plays
- particular cultural circumstances in
which people live, may define an
environment that helps bring about
distinctive types or subtypes of
psychopathology
Non-Psychotic &
Psychotic
Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
• Causes:
1. Biological- phobias are
evolutionary (shared across
cultures); ability of certain drugs
to relieve anxiety shows a possible
biological cause; genetic basis(twin study) for predisposition of 4
to 5 disorders
Anxiety Disorders
2. Psychodynamic- symptoms of
anxiety come from unconscious
conflicts/fear; symptoms are trying
to protect the individual from pain
- panic attacks  result of
unconscious conflicts bursting into
consciousness
- Panic Attacks
Anxiety Disorders
3. Behavioral- focus on the way
symptoms are reinforced/conditioned
- phobias- classically conditioned
fears  previously neutral stimuli
become a frightening experience
- OCD compulsive behaviors tend to
reduce anxious thoughts 
reinforcing the compulsive behavior
Anxiety Disorders
4. Cognition- person may
overestimate nature/reality of threat
or underestimate ability to cope w/
threat
- people w/ anxiety may interpret
their own distress as a sign of
impending disaster  vicious cycle
Mood Disorders
SWBAT
• Examine a video of psych patients
at Bellevue Hospital
• Analyze and discuss the patients
according to their symptoms
Video
• After viewing the video of
patients at Bellevue Hospital,
write a ½ page reaction, which
will be discussed at the beginning
of tomorrow’s class
SWBAT
• Discuss Bellevue video reactions
• Identify multiple perspectives of
the causes of mood disorders
• Analyze the difference between
depression and bipolar disorder
Mood Disorders
• Major Depressive Disorder- feeling of
sadness/despair; usually appears
before age 40; loss of previous source
of pleasure; lasts avg. of 5 mos
• Bipolar Disorder- episodes of severe
depression and manic episodes;
onset age 20-29
Mood Disorders
• Causes:
1. Biological- levels of serotonin &
norepinephrine  depression;
levels  mania
- evidence of genetic factors (twin
studies) influencing mood
- some evidence that depressed
people have small hippocampus
Mood Disorders
2. Psychodynamic- hostile feelings & unconscious
conflicts originated in childhood
- depression is anger turned inward
toward the self; anger tied to intense
& dependent childhood relationship
where needs were not met
Mood Disorders
3. Behavioral- an effect of the
amount of positive reinforcement
& punishment  depression (not
enough positive & too much
punishment)
- also a connection between lack of
social skills & depression
Mood Disorders
4. Cognitive
a) - negative view of self
- negative view of ongoing
experience
- negative view of future
can lead to paralysis of will; no
motivation to pursue goals
Mood Disorders
b) - explanatory style; depressed
people can’t control future outcomes
that are important to them
- pessimistic view
- learned helplessness  expectancy
that nothing they can do matters
Manic Depressive/Bipolar Disorder
Mood Disorders
• Gender Differences in Depression:
- women- 2x more affected, esp. in
adolescence due to puberty
- why? more thoughtful response style
& tendency to focus obsessively on
problems
- men- actively distract themselves
from feeling depressed by focusing
on something else
Mood Disorders
• Suicide:
- most depressed people don’t
commit suicide; 50-80% of
suicides are attempted by
depressed people
- women attempt suicide 3x’s
more than men  men are
more successful b/c of
methods used
Mood Disorders
- since 1960, youth suicide ;
white males are the highest
- most youth suicides have given signs
Knowledge Check!
• Answer the T/F and Application
questions on your own
• When finished, hand in your
sheet, and I’ll tell you what the
answers were 
• Were your answers correct?
Personality &
Dissociative
Disorders
SWBAT
• Explain the 5 types of personality
disorders
• Identify the causes of personality
disorders
• Analyze the Dissociateive Identity
Disorder (DID) in “Inside Karen’s
Crowded Mind”
Personality Disorders
• Read, “Inside Karen’s Crowded Mind”
and be prepared to discuss
Personality Disorders
• Chronic, inflexible, maladaptive
pattern of perceiving, thinking, or
behaving
• Personality traits are excessive in
degree & rigid
• Usually recognized by adolescence or
early adulthood
• Difficult to diagnose b/c of overlap
between disorders
Personality Disorders
• 5 Examples of Personality
Disorders:
1. Paranoiddistrust/suspicious;
suspect others are trying to
harm them; often jealous
but unable to accept
criticism themselves
Personality Disorders
2. Histrionic- excessive emotionally &
attention seeking; flamboyant,
dramatic, seductive, manipulative;
2x-3x greater in women
Personality Disorders
3. Narcissistic- grandiose
sense of self importance,
need for admiration;
problems in interpersonal
relationships; tend to exploit
others; have difficulty
recognizing & experiencing
how others feel
Personality Disorders
4. Antisocial- pattern of irresponsible,
unlawful behavior (starts early) that
violates social norms; don’t experience
shame/remorse; disrupting class,
getting into fights, running away from
home; involved in crime (but not
always)
Personality Disorders
- indifference to the rights of others
- impulsive, manipulative, aggressive
- more apparent in males (3-6x)
- lack of conscience by age 15
- aka: sociopath/psychopath
Personality Disorders
5. Borderline- 126 criteria, very
complicated to diagnose & treat;
out of control emotions; “clingy”,
hypersensitive to abandonment;
history of hurting self; mood
instability; unstable personal
relationships; more in women
Personality Disorders
• CAUSES:
- genetic component, 67% of identical
twins share the same disorder
- research also points to environmental
circumstances:
a) dysfunctional/physically
abusive/neglectful families
b) neurological damage prenatally
Dissociative Disorders
• Disturbance in the
integration of identity,
memory, or consciousness
• Dissociate/disown part of
themselves
• Dissociative amnesiaselective memory loss due
to psychological reasons
(major trauma)
Dissociative Disorders
• DID/Multiple Personality Disorder:
- 2+ distinct personalities
exist w/in same individual
- one personality is dominant
- personalities often contrast
w/ original self
Dissociative Disorders
- developed b/c they tried to escape
from their life  many have history
of on-going sexual & physical abuse
- very controversial  some believe it
doesn’t exist, patients make it up &
therapists coach/help them
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
• Means split mind
• Most serious type of disorder
• Personality disintegrates 
thoughts & perceptions are
distorted; emotions are dulled/flat
• Thinking becomes illogical &
disorganized
Schizophrenia
• Hallucinations occur
• Delusions & false beliefs
• Incoherent language  word salad
• Sometimes neglect personal hygiene
• Difference between mood disorders
& schizophrenia = disturbed thinking
Schizophrenia
• 2 Phases:
- Positive symptoms (aka acute/active)symptoms very apparent
(hallucinations, delusions, bizarre
behavior, wild ideas)
- Negative symptoms- flattened
emotions, withdrawal, apathy, impaired
attention
Schizophrenia
• 4 Types of Schizophrenia:
1. Disorganized- incoherent
patterns of thinking &
language, bizarre behavior,
emotions are flat or
inappropriate to the
situation; delusions,
aimless, babbling & giggling
Schizophrenia
2. Catatonic- (not very common)
disruption of motor activity, seem
“frozen”, or motionless; or at other
times  excessive motor activity
Schizophrenia
3. Paranoid- often comes
later in life, hallucinations;
- delusions focus around:
a) being persecuted
b) delusions of grandeur
(God, millionaire)
c) jealousy- mate is unfaithful
Schizophrenia
4. Undifferentiated- (fairly
common) mixture of
symptoms, disorganized
thinking
5. Residual- suffered from
schizophrenia in the past,
but it’s now dormant or in
remission
Schizophrenia
• CAUSES:
- seem to have high levels of
dopamine (Dopamine Hypothesis)
- tends to run in families: genetic
factors put people at risk, but
environmental factors also must
present themselves  diathesisstress hypothesis
Schizophrenia
- family interaction can be an
environmental stressor
- research shows that reducing
criticism, hostility, and
intrusiveness can help reduce
reoccurrence of symptoms
- often family behavior may not stop
disorder, but can help manage it
Schizophrenia
- Brain functions/structure
might be different 
scans during
hallucinations show
increased activity in
amygdala & lower
activity in the frontal
lobe
Schizophrenia
- Neuro-developmental hypothesisprenatal exposure & delivery
complication increase vulnerability
 low birth weight & oxygen
deprivation
- Maternal virus during pregnancy (esp.
the flu) can increase probability
Schizophrenia
• Most believe it’s the high level of
dopamine or genetic
Schizophrenia
• TREATMENT:
- medication works to either
block dopamine receptors OR
prevent the release of dopamine
- risks/side effects- tremors,
seizures, slow mental
functioning, drowsiness
Schizophrenia
- Generally appears in adolescence or
early adulthood
- Patient falls into 3 Types:
1. treated successfully  recover
2. partial recovery, but w/ frequent
relapse
3. endure chronic illness & generally
permanently hospitalized
Schizophrenia
• Janny's World
• Janny's Interns
• Janny's Ranch