Download mental disorders intro and anxiety

Psychological Disorders
CP Psychology
Mrs. Bradley
True or False
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Abnormal behaviors are always bizarre.
A clear distinction can be drawn between
“normal” and “abnormal” behaviors.
As a group, former mental patients are
unpredictable and dangerous.
Mental disorders indicate a fundamental
deficiency in personality, and are thus shameful.
Since mental illness is so common, there is reason
to be fearful of one’s own vulnerability.
True or False
6.
7.
Geniuses are particularly prone to emotional
disorders.
Most mental disorders are incurable.
 Historically Perceived Causes
 movements of sun or moon
 evil spirits/demon possession
Ancient Treatments
 harsh/ineffective - exorcism,
caged like animals, beaten,
burned, castrated, mutilated,
blood replaced with animal’s
blood
Mental patients were
restrained as a humane
way to regain sensibility
Admission fees were charged to
observe mentally ill at St. Mary’s
hospital (1700’s)
Mental disorders….

…. are
not the same as abnormal
behavior
 Abnormal
behavior in one
culture is the norm in another
culture.
Mental disorder
Any behavior or emotional
state that
 causes a person to suffer
 is self-defeating or selfdestructive
 seriously impairs the
person’s ability to work or
get along with others
 or endangers others or
the community
DSM-IV: American Psychiatric
Association’s Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (4th Edition)
• the system for classifying
psychological disorders
• describes but does not
explain the cause of
psychological disorders
• critics argue these labels are
too arbitrary and misused
• labels may cause more harm
than good for the individual
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
– the DSM
Five categories of disorders
Axis I: Primary clinical problem
Axis II: Personality disorders
Axis III: General medical
conditions relevant to the
disorder
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
– the DSM
Axis IV: Social and environmental
stressors that can make the
disorder worse
Axis V: Global assessment of
overall functioning
Advantages of the DSM
When the manual is used correctly
and diagnoses are made with valid
objective tests, the DSM improves the
reliability of and agreement between
clinicians.
The DSM-IV included for the first time
a list of culture-bound syndromes.
Concerns about diagnostic
system
The danger of over-diagnosis
The power of diagnostic labels
Confusion of serious mental
disorders with normal problems
The illusion of objectivity and
universality
Pressure to diagnose for insurance
money
Objective tests
Inventories
Standardized objective questionnaires requiring
written responses
Typically include scales on which people are asked
to rate themselves
MMPI
Most widely used personality instrument
Clinical and employment settings
Measures aspects of personality that, if extreme,
suggest a problem
Projective tests
Projective tests
Psychological tests used to infer
a person’s motives, conflicts,
and unconscious dynamics on
the basis of the person’s
interpretation of ambiguous
stimuli
Rorschach inkblot test
A projective personality test
that asks respondents to
interpret abstract, symmetrical
inkblots
Before we begin to learn about
mental disorders…
What words do you use to describe
someone’s psychological distress and
dysfunctions?
Turn to your neighbor and make a list
of 10 terms.
BTW….
… the current term is “abnormal”, but this isn’t
perfect.
It suggests that we have a well-defined concept of
normalcy . This can be culture-bound.
It also implies that conformity is normal. In some
countries, people who disagree with the current
political rulers are labeled “abnormal.”
Anxiety Based Disorders can
cause excessive worrying, mood
swings, and fear
General Anxiety Disorder
PTSD
Panic Disorder
Fears and Phobias
Obsessions and
Compulsions
Generalized anxiety disorder
Symptoms:
•continuous,
uncontrollable anxiety
or worry
•feelings of forebodings and dread
•duration of at least six months
•Restlessness, difficulty
concentrating, irritability, jitteriness,
•Indigestion, diarrhea, inability to
relax
Generalized anxiety
disorder
•Predisposing
factors:
•Physiological tendency
•Unpredictable
environment in childhood
Posttraumatic stress
disorder
An anxiety disorder in which a person
who has experienced a traumatic or
life-threatening event has symptoms
such as psychic numbing, reliving the
trauma, and increased physiological
arousal
Diagnosed only if symptoms persist for
six months or longer
May immediately follow event or occur
later
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
• Overwhelms a person’s sense of
normal reality and ability to cope with
the world
•Symptoms may recur for 10 years or
more
Panic disorder
An anxiety disorder in which a person
experiences recurring panic attacks
Panic attack: a feeling of
impending doom or death,
accompanied by physiological
symptoms such as rapid
breathing and dizziness
Panic disorder
Fears and phobias
Phobia
An exaggerated, unrealistic fear of a specific
situation, activity, or object
Agoraphobia
A set of phobias, often set off
by a panic attack, involving the
basic fear of being away from a
safe place or person.
The most disabling phobia –
most common phobia for which
people seek treatment.
Obsessive-compulsive
disorder
An anxiety disorder in which a
person feels trapped in repetitive,
persistent thoughts (obsessions)
and repetitive, ritualized
behaviors (compulsions) designed
to reduce anxiety
Person understands that the ritual
behavior is senseless but guilt
mounts if the behavior is not
performed.
OCD sufferers
They do not enjoy the rituals, but they can’t stop.
Common compulsions
hand-washing
counting
touching things
repeatedly checking (are lights off? Do I have my
keys?)
Your turn
If you have the persistent thought that
gremlins are sabotaging any airplane you are
on or will be on, then you have a _____. If
you cannot stop asking for more water during
flights, then you have a _____.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Obsession; compulsion
Compulsion; obsession
Phobia; obsession
Plane ticket; pet camel
Your turn
If you have the persistent thought that
gremlins are sabotaging any airplane you are
on or will be on, then you have a _____. If you
cannot stop asking for more water during
flights, then you have a _____.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Obsession; compulsion
Compulsion; obsession
Phobia; obsession
Plane ticket; pet camel