Abnormal Psychology

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Abnormal Psychology

• Seven common elements of abnormality
• Suffering is the person feeling pain or
  discomfort
• Maladaptiveness interference with normal
  functioning
• Incomprehensibility and Irrationality
• Unpredictability and Loss of Control
• Vividness statistical rarity
• Observer Discomfort
• Violation of Moral and Ideal Standards

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History of Abnormality

• Possession
• Animistic Forces tarantism, lycanthropy
• Satanic Forces reports of witchcraft increased
  rapidly with the extensive instability of the
  late 15th and 16th centuries (e.g., rise of
  capitalism, Protestant Reformation)

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Witchcraft

• Malleus Maleficarum (The Witchs Hammer) a
  guidebook to discovering and getting rid of
  witches. Written by two monks.
• Only women could be witches
• All witchcraft comes from carnal lust which
  is, in women, insatiable
• Tests of witchcraft Fixed

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Salem Witch Trials

• Salem, MA (1691) First arrest in March, last
  hanging in September.
• Begins with 8 girls exhibiting a bizarre set of
  symptoms that include vomiting, convulsions,
  slurred speech, and hallucinations
• Doctors suggest possession
• Accusations fly and eventually 19 people were
  executed, 2 died in prison, and 1 was tortured to
  death

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Explanations for the Witch Trials

• Political Explanations political leverage,
  diversion of attention. Tension between growing
  town and farmers. New minister had a number of
  enemies
• Sociological Explanations the accused were
  undesirable members of society. Works for first
  accusations but then unravels as the elite are
  accused

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More Explanations

• Psychological Explanation a hysterical mob
  mentality blossomed out of control
• Medical Explanation inadvertent ergot poisoning
  (fungus that grows on rye, contains lysergic
  acid)
• Heavy rains in 1691could lead to fungus
• Young girls afflicted first work directly with
  the grains

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Current History

• American Psychological Association (APA)
  publishes first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
  (DSM) in 1952. This manual had 60 categories of
  mental illness
• Subsequent versions came out in 1968, 1980, 1986,
  and 1994
• More than 300 categories of mental illness now
• Changes based upon research, societal values, and
  political pressure (e.g., homosexuality,
  pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder)
• Labeling Rosenhan study

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Specific Illnesses

• Phobias fall under the larger category of
  Anxiety disorders.
• An extreme fear out of proportion to the actual
  danger. Interferes with the individuals life.
  Learned response.
• Two therapies
• Systematic Desensitization
• Flooding

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Anxiety disorder that impacts about 3 of
  Americans
• Obsessions intrusive and persistent thoughts
• Compulsions repeated activities that reduce
  anxiety created by the obsession
• To be diagnosed compulsions/obsessions must cause
  either severe distress or be time consuming (more
  than 1 hour per day)
• Onset 6 to 15 for males, 20 to 29 for females

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Mood Disorders

• Clinical Depression may lead to suicide (9th
  leading cause of death in the U.S.)
• Bipolar Disorder (1 of Americans) previously
  known as manic-depression.
• Manic Phase boundless but unproductive
  (sometimes, destructive) energy
• Depressive Phase lethargic and often suicidal

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Schizophrenia

• .5 to 1 of the U.S.
• Characterized by psychotic symptoms (distortions
  of reality that include delusions,
  hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior,
  or catatonic behavior)
• To be diagnosed disturbance must last for at
  least 6 months, with one month of active phase
  symptoms
• Onset early 20s for men, late 20s for women

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Schizophrenia - Delusions

• Persecution
• Grandeur
• Nihilism
• Thought Broadcasting
• Thought Insertion
• Capgras Syndrome
• Ekboms Syndrome

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Schizophrenia Thought Disorders

• Incoherence
• Flight of speech
• Loosening of associations
• Neologisms
• Clanging

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Types of Schizophrenia

• Catatonic person may alternate between periods
  of rapid movement and no movement at all
• Drug treatments have made this less common
• Disorganized characterized by irrational speech
  and behavior (flat or inappropriate affect)
• Paranoid pronounced hallucinations and
  delusions (delusions of grandeur). Good recovery
  rates
• Undifferentiated

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Dissociative Identity Disorder

• Used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder
• Key features presence of 2 or more distinct
  identities that recurrently take control of
  behavior, and failure to recall important
  personal information
• Often the primary (original) identity is passive,
  dependent, guilt stricken, and depressed
• Transitions often triggered by psychosocial
  stress

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D.I.D

• ½ of reported cases include individuals with 10
  or fewer identities
• Females average more identities (15 vs. 8 for
  males)
• Disorder is 3-9 times more prevalent in females
• Average time period from first symptom
  presentation to diagnosis is 6 to 7 years

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Is it real?

• Up until 1944, 76 reported cases
• In 1973, Sybil was published. TV movie with
  Sally Field followed
• Between 1985 and 1995 almost 40,000 cases
  reported
• Up until 1980 it did not have a separate listing
  in the DSM (was considered a variant of
  dissociate fugues)

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Is it Real?

• Another issue is hypnosis commonly used to help
  recall memories of abuse believed to trigger
  D.I.D.
• People diagnosed with D.I.D. tend to be very easy
  to hypnotize, which suggests that they are very
  susceptible to suggestion
• If therapist is looking for D.I.D. this
  scenario often produces it

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Dissociative Fugue

• Inability to recall important personal
  information and flight from the workplace or home
• May involve the establishment of a new identity
  in a new location
• Often occurs in a response to extreme stress
• Rare. More typical cases, but still infrequent,
  involve wandering away from nature disasters

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Uncommon Disorders

• Munchausen Syndrome desire (medical) attention.
  Therefore, hurt themselves and lie about causes
• Munchausen by Proxy desire attention and hurt
  others (their own children)