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Chapter 12. Psychological Disorders. Questions We Will Be Addressing in This Chapter. How do psychologists define abnormal behavior? What causes abnormality? How many psychological disorders have been identified? What is a phobia? Can mental disorder cause blindness?
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Chapter 12 Psychological Disorders
Questions We Will Be Addressing in This Chapter How do psychologists define abnormal behavior? What causes abnormality? How many psychological disorders have been identified? What is a phobia? Can mental disorder cause blindness? What disorders create sudden memory loss?
Questions We Will Be Addressing in This Chapter (cont’d) How common is depression? Is schizophrenia the same as “split personality”? Which personality disorder often leads to crime? How do children’s disorders differ from adults’ disorders? Can insanity protect criminals from punishment?
Defining Psychological Disorders How do psychologists define abnormal behavior?
What Is Abnormal? Possible criteria Deviance Statistical infrequency Norm violation Distress Personal suffering Dysfunction Impaired functioning
What Is Abnormal? • Practical approach • What is the content of behavior? • What is the behavior’s sociocultural context? • Is there impaired functioning?
Explaining Psychological Disorders What causes abnormality?
Biopsychosocial Model Biological factors Medical or neurobiological model Psychological factors Psychological model Sociocultural context Sociocultural perspective Culture-general vs. culture specific disorders
Integrative Explanation Biopsychosocial model is currently most comprehensive approach Diathesis-stress
Classifying Psychological Disorders How many psychological disorders have been identified?
DSM-IV Classification System Axis I: Diagnosed mental disorder Axis II: Evidence of personality disorders or mental retardation Axis III: Medical conditions relevant to person’s mental or behavioral problems Axis IV: Any psychosocial or environmental problems Axis V: Current level of psychological, social, and occupational functioning DSM-IV DSM-IV Axis II
Evaluating the Diagnostic System Interrater reliability considerations Validity considerations Problems Difficulty in categorizing problems Symptoms not unique to specific disorders Interpretation issues Labeling seen by some as dehumanizing Thinking Critically – Is Psychological Diagnosis Biased?
Anxiety Disorders What is a phobia?
Types of Anxiety Disorders Phobia Specific phobia Social phobia Agoraphobia Generalized anxiety disorder Panic disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Examples of some phobias
Causes of Anxiety Disorders Biological factors Genetic predisposition Abnormalities in brain structure or the brain’s neurotransmitter systems Psychological and environmental factors Environmental stressors Learning history Cognitive processes Linkages – Anxiety Disorders and Learning Examples of some phobias
Somatoform Disorders Can mental disorder cause blindness?
Somatoform Disorders Types Conversion disorder Hypochondriasis Somatization disorder Body dysmorphic disorder Explaining somatoform disorders Diathesis-stress approach Role of sociocultural factors Glove anesthesia
Dissociative Disorders What disorders create sudden memory loss?
Dissociative Disorders Types Fugue reaction, or dissociative fugue Dissociative amnesia Dissociative identity disorder (DID) How do these disorders develop? Psychodynamic view Socio-cognitive view
Research Conclusions Concerning Dissociative Identity Disorder Sometimes memory loss and other forms of dissociation can sometimes be extreme Many people experiencing DID have had experiences they would like to forget or avoid Most DID individuals appear to be skilled at self-hypnosis. Most DID individuals found they could escape trauma of abuse creating “new personalities.”
Skepticism Surrounding Dissociative Identity Disorder Do multiple personalities exist? Has the disorder become a culturally approved method of expressing distress?
Affective Disorders How common is depression?
Main Types of Affective Disorders Depressive Disorders Major depressive disorder Dysthymic disorder Suicide and depression Bipolar disorders Cyclothymic personality Suicide rates by gender and ethnicity
VIDEO: Mental Illness and Suicide Discussion Questions
Causes of Affective Disorders: Biological Factors Genetic predisposition Imbalances in the brain’s neurotransmitter systems. Malfunctioning of the endocrine system. Disruption of biological rhythms. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Causes of Mood Disorders: Psychological and Social Factors Environmental stressors How think about stressors important Learned helplessness Beck’s cognitive theory of depression Negative attributional style Ruminative vs. distracting style
Schizophrenia Is schizophrenia the same as “split personality”?
Schizophrenia Pattern of severely disturbed thinking, emotion, perception, and behavior. Occurs in about 1-2% of world population Tends to be diagnosed in more economically disadvantaged populations Tends to develop in adolescence or early adulthood. Best predictor of outcome is premorbid adjustment.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia Disorganized thought and language e.g., neologisms Disturbed content of thinking Delusions Hallucinations Difficulty in focusing attention
Symptoms of Schizophrenia (cont’d) Flat affect Displayed expressions often exaggerated or inappropriate Lack of motivation and poor social skills Deteriorating personal hygiene Inability to function on a daily basis
Categorizing Schizophrenia DSM-IV subtypes: Paranoid Disorganized Catatonic Undifferentiated Residual Positive vs. negative symptoms Psychotic, disorganized, or negative symptoms?
Causes of Schizophrenia: Biological Factors Genetic predisposition Possible abnormalities: Brain structure Brain functioning Brain chemistry Possible neurodevelopmental abnormalities
Causes of Schizophrenia: Psychological Factors Not considered primary cause of schizophrenia. But can contribute to appearance of schizophrenia and influence its course.
Vulnerability Theory Vulnerability to schizophrenia is mainly biological. Different people have differing degrees of vulnerability. Vulnerability is influenced partly by: Genetic influences on development Abnormalities that arise from environmental risk factors. Psychological components may help determine the appearance and course of schizophrenia.
Personality Disorders Which personality disorder often leads to crime?
Personality Disorders Long-standing, inflexible ways of behavior that are dysfunctional styles of living. DSM-IV, Axis II: Three Clusters Odd-Eccentric: Paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal. Anxious-Fearful: Dependent, obsessive-compulsive, and avoidant. Dramatic-Erratic: Histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, and antisocial.
Antisocial Personality Disorder Long-term pattern of irresponsible, impulsive, unscrupulous, and sometimes criminal behavior. Pattern begins in childhood or early adolescence. Lack of anxiety, remorse, or guilt for their behaviors.
What Causes Antisocial Personality? Genetic predisposition Environmental conditions and other sociocultural factors. Focus on Research – Child Abuse and Antisocial Personality Disorder
A Sampling of Other Psychological Disorders How do children’s disorders differ from adults’ disorders?
Psychological Disorders of Childhood Externalizing, or undercontrolled disorders Conduct disorders Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Internalizing, or overcontrolled disorders Separation anxiety disorder Pervasive developmental disorders
Pervasive Developmental Disorders Autistic spectrum disorders Autistic disorder Asperger’s disorder Possible biological causes Genetic factors Neurodevelopmental abnormalities
Substance-Related Disorders Physiological dependence Addiction Substance abuse Psychological dependence
Alcohol Use Disorders Display alcohol dependence or abuse Alcoholism Stems from combination of genetic characteristics and socio-cultural factors.
Heroin and cocaine dependence Possible genetic tendency toward behavioral compulsions Psychological and environmental factors
Mental Illness and the Law Can insanity protect criminals from punishment?
Insanity A legal term, not a psychiatric diagnosis. Legal protections for defendants with severe psychological disorders: May be declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. May be judged not guilty by reason of insanity.
Insanity Defense Judged “not guilty by reason of insanity” if mental illness prevented them from: Understanding what they were doing. Knowing what they were doing was wrong. Resisting the impulse to do wrong. Contrary to popular belief, insanity verdicts are rare.