Chapter Fifteen

Psychological Disorders
Try the Tutorial
What is abnormal?
(Look for a number of these criteria.)
See p. 505.

Unusual or infrequent behavior

Socially unacceptable behavior (Consider cultural differences!)

Faulty perception of reality (e.g. hallucinations or delusions)

Personal distress

Self-defeating behavior (causes misery)

Dangerous Behavior

Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior

Demonology

                          "The devil made me do it!"
Medical Model I. Biological or Organic Version
II. Psychodynamic Version Unconscious conflict among the psychic structures & psychosexual fixations Humanistic-existential Perspective Roadblocks in the self actualization process. Learning Perspectives Leads to behavior therapies Cognitive Perspective
                           It’s all in the mind!
                           Ellis & irrationality
Sociocultural Perspective
                           "Society drives men mad."
Some psychologists are eclectic!

Classifying Abnormal Behavior

Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) by the American Psychiatric Association. See page 507.

Currently in its 4th edition.

Defines what is a mental illness.

Not everyone likes it.

See: The Myth of Mental Illness by Thomas Szasz, M.D.

Note that "insanity" is a legal term. (p. 504

Anxiety Disorders
Most Common Disorders (24 million Americans)

Phobias - Intense, irrational fears.

Social phobia (p. 509)

Agoraphobia - most common phobia

Panic Disorder - recurrent panic attacks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder - must persist for six months
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - See page 510.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Acute Stress Disorder - lasts 2 days to 4 weeks.

Dissociative Disorders
(sudden, temporary changes in consciousness or self-identity)

Dissociative Amnesia - loss of memory
Dissociative Fugue - three symptoms: Moving to a new location

amnesia &

partial or totally new identity

Dissociative Identity Disorder--formerly known as MPD - See p. 514.
Depersonalization Disorder - feeling unreal
See p. 515 for theoretical views.

Somatoform Disorders
(Having to do with the body)

"Disorders in which people complain of physical (somatic) problems, even though no physical abnormalities can be found."

Conversion Disorder

- Formerly called "hysteria" in Freud’s day.

Rare and short in duration.

Patient may display la belle indifference.
See p. 516.

Hypochondriasis the persistent belief that one has a medical disorder despite lack of medical findings

Mood Disorders
Depression - "common cold" of disorders.

10% of population at any time.
Freud called this "neurotic depression."
Postpartem Depression is a sub-type.

Major (Psychotic) Depression

Patient may show impaired reality testing, delusions of unworthiness, & psychomotor retardation.

Bipolar Disorder

manic phase: elated, excited, poor judgment, pressured speech, rapid flight of ideas.
Followed by depressed phase.

Theories of Depression

Psychoanalytic - "Anger turned inward."
Biological Factors- serotonin and/or glutamate imbalance. The inheritability of “neuroticism,” p. 520.
Learned Helplessness - Seligman
Social Learning Theory - "a lack of social skills" & external locus of control
Psychosocial factors - (See p. 518 re: The Case of Women & Depression.)
Cognitive factors - e.g. attributional style

Suicide - See p. 521.
Man Against Himself - (famous book); by Karl Menninger, M.D.

This chart shows annual suicides by gender & ethnicity.

This chart shows annual suicides by age groups:

To prevent suicide, consider it a medical emergency and:

Draw the person out.
Be empathetic.
Suggest alternatives.
Ask about means (I.e. how they will do it).
Get professional help. . . NOW!
Extract a promise.
Do not insult or challenge.

Schizophrenia
See page 523. NOT split personality! Characterized by disturbances in:

thought & language
perception & attention
motor activity
mood
withdrawal & autism

Types of Schizophrenia
See pages 524 - 525.

Disorganized Type - characterized by disorganized delusions and vivid hallucinations.
Paranoid Type - most common type. Characterized by delusions of persecution, grandeur, & reference.
Catatonic Type - (rare) - striking impairment in motor activity. May show waxy flexibility and mutism (refusal to talk).

Theoretical Views of Schizophrenia
(See p. 525)

Psychodynamic view - overwhelming of the ego by the id
Learning view - conditioning & observational learning
Genetic factors - runs in families. Not the sole factor.
Viral Theory
Dopamine theory - utilize more dopamine
Sociocultural view - most common among the poorest & the heart of the inner cities.

New theory of Schizophrenia

Pre-natal injury to the fetus in the second trimester.

This is when neuronal migration (the growing of a brain) occurs.

Prof. Bracha studied Monozygotic Twins.

The schizophrenic twins all had shorter thumbs!

Perhaps maternal flu during pregnancy

See page 527 for A Multifactorial Model of Schizophrenia.

Personality Disorders

Paranoid personality disorder - Persistent suspiciousness

Schizotypal personality disorder - Oddities of thought and behavior

Schizoid personality disorder - Social withdrawal

Antisocial personality disorder - Frequent conflict with society

Avoidant personality disorder - Unwilling to enter relationships because of fears of rejection

Eating Disorders Characterized by distortion of the body image and gross disturbances in eating patterns.

Anorexia Nervosa - refusal to maintain a healthful body weight, intense fear of being overweight, a distorted body image, and, in females, lack of menstruation.
Bulimia Nervosa - recurrent cycles of binge eating followed by dramatic measures to purge the food.
See p. 532 for Eating Disorders & the Gender Gap.

Return to Chapter Index.