210 likes | 367 Views
Psychology 001 Introduction to Psychology Christopher Gade , PhD Office: 621 Heafey Office hours: F 3-6 and by apt. Email: gadecj@gmail.com Class WF 7:00-8:30 Heafey 650. The remaining classes…. In the final two classes of the course, we’ll be discussing three major disorder groups.
E N D
Psychology 001Introduction to PsychologyChristopher Gade, PhDOffice: 621 HeafeyOffice hours: F 3-6 and by apt. Email: gadecj@gmail.com Class WF 7:00-8:30 Heafey 650
The remaining classes… • In the final two classes of the course, we’ll be discussing three major disorder groups. • Anxiety disorders • Mood disorders • Schizophrenia
Mood Disorders • Mood disorders all involve long-term problems with basic emotions • All but one of the most prevalent mood disorders are associated with a negative, unpleasant mood • There are a number of mood disorders that exist, with one being the most prevalent and well known • Depression • Seasonal Affective Disorder • Dysthymia • Bipolar Disorder
Seasonal Affective Disorder and Dysthymia • Seasonal Affective Disorder • Associated with the change of seasons • Symptoms are similar to those of depression, but to a milder extent • Light therapy is a popular treatment for this disorder • Prevalence of disorder depends upon location • approx 1% of Floridians • Approx 9-10% of Minnesotans • Dysthymia • Symptoms are similar to those of depression • Much less severe symptoms • Lasts much longer than depression (2 years before diagnosis) • Not considered traumatic at any given time, but can be very debilitating through its long-term effects
Bipolar Disorder • AKA manic depressive disorder • Found in only 1% of the population • involves a person alternating between feeling depressed and feeing manic: constantly active and uninhibited, excited or irritable • Two forms of bipolar disorder • Bipolar Type I • Bipolar Type II (hypomania) • Twin studies suggest a genetic component to Bipolar Disorder • Treatments include Lithium and anticonvulsants
Overview • Depression, SAD, Dysthymia, and Bipolar Disorder are all classified under the same category in the DSM (affective disorders) • Each again has its own prevalence, defining characteristics, and causes/solutions • But… just like with anxiety disorders, when looking at these disorders, they are all considered very similar by most clinical psychologists
Schizophrenia • What it is NOT: multiple personality disorder, sociopathy, or antisocial personality disorder • What it is: a severe disconnect with reality with many cognitive and emotional symptoms • Affects about 1% of the population • Almost identical incidence in men & women (7:5 ratio has been found in recent studies) • Onset is usually sometime between 16 and 25 yrs old (later for women)
Diagnosis of Schizophrenia • The DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia requires that the person exhibit a complete deterioration of daily activities along with at least two of the following symptoms: • Hallucinations • Delusions or thought disorders • Incoherent speech • Grossly disorganized behavior • Loss of normal emotional responses and social behaviors • Note: If the hallucinations or delusions are severe enough, no other symptoms are required in the diagnosis of this disorder
More on the symptoms… • Schizophrenia symptoms are categorized into two groups • Positive Symptoms: behaviors that are present, or added to the persons repertoire of behavior as a result of the schizophrenia • Negative Symptoms: behaviors that are diminished, or absent from the persons repertoire of behavior as a result of the schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms • Hallucinations: perceiving things that are not there (auditory and visual) • Auditory hallucinations are much more common that visual ones • Note: Almost all of us occasionally have auditory (any maybe visual) hallucinations. Schizophrenics are distinguished by the frequency and complexity of these hallucinations. • Delusions: very rigid false or unfounded beliefs • persecution: others (groups and individuals) are conspiring against or persecuting the individual (e.g. “they’re after me”) • grandiose: unusual importance (e.g. pregnancy ‘flicks’) • reference: interpreting messages as if they were meant for oneself (codes in the newspaper headlines) • bizarre: random delusions that don’t fall under any of the previous categories (some of my vital organs are missing)
Negative Symptoms • Flat affect: blunted expression of emotion, e.g. mask-like face, flat voice, poor eye contact • Anhedonia: Diminished ability to experience pleasure, e.g. report little enjoyment in life, seek out few enjoyable activities • Social withdrawal • Inattentiveness, thought blocking (a particularly abrupt or complete interruption of thought)
Disorganized Symptoms • Disorganized speech: • severe tangentiality • loose associations • derailment of thought • Disorganized behavior: • catatonic behavior • unusual postures
Theorized Causes • Genetic • Twin studies suggest a genetic component in susceptibility for schizophrenia • No single gene has been linked to schizophrenia • Brain abnormality/malformation • the hippocampus and parts of the cerebral cortex are a little smaller than normal, the cerebral ventricles are larger than normal, the neurons are smaller there are fewer synapses in the prefrontal cortex • Is this a causal or correlational relationship? • The neurodevelopmental hypothesis • schizophrenia is the result of nervous system impairments that develop before and/or around the time of birth • Caused partially though genetics, but also through environmental influences: • poor prenatal care • difficult pregnancy and labor • mother’s exposure to influenza virus
Treatments • Medication: Antipsychotic or neurolepticdrugs • These all relieve symptoms for at least a little while • Some block dopamine synapses in the brain, others effect glutamate concentration • Most in the past produced unpleasant side effects: tardivedyskenesia • Hospitalization: useful for only acute episodes • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): • Hallucinations: help patients perceive distinctions between internal/external • Delusions: treat self-esteem or other psychological issues • Flat affect: increase social skills • Anhedonia: increase activities
Treatment Success • Most treatments provide temporary success almost immediately • Over the long run, success rates wane greatly • Success rates are highly associated with the intensity of the symptoms pre-treatment, and the time between onset and treatment of the disorder • The Rule of thirds for medication: • Acute and sudden onset: good response to medication • Middle: could be either sudden or acute, mixed response to medication • Chronic: slow, insidious onset, poor response to medication
THE END • This marks the end of the lectures for this class • In our next class, we’ll have the final exam • Papers are also due at that time, so make sure to bring them with you • Good luck in your studies, and thanks for spending some time with me this summer