Understanding Psychological Disorders: Causes, Perspectives, and Classifications

1. Warm Up • Carefully pick up notebooks. Either under the computers or behind my desk • Set up table of contents page for 16 and 17

2. Chapter 16 pt. 1: Perspectives on Psychological Disorders and Anxiety

3. Defining Psychological Disorder • A Psychological Disorder is: • a “harmful dysfunction” in which behavior is judged to be: 1. atypical- not enough in itself 2. disturbing- varies with time & culture 3. maladaptive- harmful; causes suffering 4. unjustifiable- sometimes there’s a good reason

4. History of Understanding Psychological Disorders • In Ancient times, disorders were thought to have been caused by movements of the sun and moon (lunacy is full moon) or by evil spirits. • Treatments for people with mental illness were very inhumane even up until the mid 1900’s. Patients were often chained like animals, beaten, burned, castrated, etc.

5. Conditions for Psychologically Disabled European Traphines “released evil spirits.” Ancient Greek Traphines

6. Conditions for Psychologically Disabled

7. Conditions for Psychologically Disabled

8. Conditions for Psychologically Disabled

9. Medical Model Improves Conditions • Eventually the medical model came to dominate understandings of mental illness. • Late 1800s • The medical model assumes that diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed based on their symptoms and be treated and in most cases cured. • Assumption of medical model drastically improves conditions in mental hospitals.

10. Perspectives on Psychological Disorders • What would Psychoanalytic psychologist argue as the cause? • Humanistic would view cause?

11. Perspectives on Psychological Disorders • Cognitive? • Behavioral?

12. Perspectives on Psychological Disorders • Biological? • Socio-Cultural?

13. Biological (Evolution, individual genes, brain structures and chemistry) Psychological (Stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories) Sociocultural (Roles, expectations, definition of normality and disorder) Most Mental Health Professionals Assume Disorders Have Interlocking Causes • Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective: assume biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors interact to produce disorders.

14. Classifying Psychological Disorders • DSM-IV: the most widely used manual for classifying psychological disorders. • The DSM-IV currently lists 410 mental disorders up from 145 in the DSM-II (1968) and 60 in DSM-I (1951). • 17 categories • Does not explain causes

15. Classifying Neurotic vs. Psychotic Disorders • Neurotic disorder • usually distressing but that allows one to think rationally and function socially • Freud saw the neurotic disorders as ways of dealing with anxiety • Psychotic disorder • person loses contact with reality • experiences irrational ideas and distorted perceptions

16. Pros and Cons of the DSM-IV and Labeling • Pros? • Reliable • Need a DSM diagnosis for insurance • Cons? • Almost any behavior can be labeled • Distorts how we perceive others • Prejudice • Self fulfilling prophecy

17. Anxiety Disorders • Anxiety Disorders in general refer to disorders that involve persistent and distressing nervousness and apprehension ORmaladaptive behaviors which reduce anxiety (defenses against anxiety). • General Characteristics of Anxiety: • Constant worrying, fear, or uncertainty • Feels inadequate • Oversensitive • Difficulty concentrating • May suffer insomnia

18. Anxiety Disorders • Generalized Anxiety Disorder:person is tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.

19. Anxiety Disorders • Panic Disorder: disorder marked by moments of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain or other frightening sensations. “Panic Attacks.” • 1 in 75 ppl

20. Anxiety Disorders • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions).

22. Anxiety Disorders • Phobia: disorder marked by persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of specific object or situation.

23. Common Phobias • Claustrophobic? • Agoraphobic? • Acrophobic? • Xenophobic?

24. Phobias • Triskaidekaphobia

25. Phobias • Santa Claustrophobia

26. Phobia • Trichophobia

27. Anxiety Disorders • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: disorder brought on by traumatic experiences, memories. Characterized by haunting memories and nightmares, social withdrawal, or anxiety.

28. Anxiety Disorder (NOT IN BOOK) • Tourettes Syndrome: involves involuntary twitching and the making of unusual sounds. • -dopaminewhich helps control movement and norepinephrine, which helps body respond to stress seems to be involved in Tourettes Syndrome.

29. Causes of Anxiety Disorders from Learning Perspective (Behavioral) • 1. Fear Conditioning :ex: rape victim may develop fear of being alone in apartment. • 2. Stimulus Generalization: ex: fear of heights leads to fear of flying even without flying. • 3. Reinforcement (ENCOURAGES behavior): avoiding places you have phobia about rewards you by lessening your anxiety. • 4. Observational Learning/Modelingex:monkeys with snakes.

30. Causes of Anxiety Disorders from Biological Perspective • 1. Evolution:certain fears help us survive. • 2. Genes: correlations with identical twins and phobias. • 3. Physiology: brain chemistry. Often see increased brain activities in brain areas involving impulse control. Ex: picture overactive frontal lobe activity involved in directing attention.