Chapter 12: Psychological Disorders

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Chapter 12 Psychological Disorders
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What is a Psychological Disorder?

• Psychologists use the following criteria
• Behavior impairs ones ability to function well
  in life
• Degree of behavior is extreme
• History of psychological disorders
• Up until 18th century mental illness was the
  result of being possessed by the devil
• 18th century mentally ill were
  institutionalized
• 19th century mentally ill were hospitalized
• Late 19th century-now significant advances made

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What Causes Psychological Disorders?

• The Biological Model-psychological disorders are
  caused by physiological malfunctions often
  stemming from hereditary factors
• The Psychoanalytic Model-psychological disorders
  are symbolic expressions of unconscious
  conflicts, which can usually be traced to
  childhood
• The Cognitive-Behavioral Model-psychological
  disorders result from learning (both internal and
  external)
• Diathesis-Stress Model-people biologically
  predisposed to a mental disorder will tend to
  exhibit that disorder when particularly affected
  by stress

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Prevalence of Psychological Disorders

• Prevalence of Psychological Disorders
• 12-15 in United States
• 6 in Middle East and Africa
• 4 in Asia
• Prevalence of Substance Abuse Disorder
• 6 in United States
• Most common psychological disorders in United
  States anxiety disorders, phobias, mood
  disorders

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Mood Disorders

• Mood disorders-disturbances in mood or in
  prolonged emotional state
• Depression characterized by overwhelming
  feelings of sadness loss of interest in things
  one normally would enjoy
• Two types major depressive disorder dysthymia
• Gender differences more common in females
• Suicide becoming more common among adolescents
  and young adults
• Mania characterized by euphoric states, extreme
  physical activity, excessive talkativeness,
  distractedness, and sometimes grandiosity
• Bipolar Disorder periods of mania and
  depression alternate, sometimes with periods of
  normal mood in between

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What Causes Mood Disorders?

• Most psychologists believe that mood disorders
  result from a combination of risk factors
  including
• Biological Factors
• Psychological Factors
• Social Factors

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Anxiety Disorders

• Anxiety Disorders-when a person experiences
  extreme anxiety but does not know why he/she is
  afraid or the anxiety is inappropriate to the
  circumstances
• Phobias
• Specific Phobia
• Social Phobias
• Agoraphobia
• Panic Disorder
• Other Anxiety Disorders
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Acute Stress Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

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What Causes Anxiety Disorders?

• Again, the development of anxiety disorders seems
  to be a combination of factors
• Learned Behavior
• Cognitive Factors
• Biological Factors

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Pychosomatic Somatoform Disorders

• Psychosomatic Disorders-a disorder in which there
  is real physical illness that is largely caused
  by psychological factors such as stress and
  anxiety
• Somatoform Disorders-disorders in which there is
  an apparent physical illness for which there is
  no organic basis
• Examples
• Hypochondriasis
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder

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Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative Disorders-disorders in which some
  aspect of the personality seems separated from
  the rest
• Rare and not well understood
• Controversial
• Seem to be linked to childhood abuse

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Sexual Gender-Identity Disorders

• Sexual Dysfunction-the loss or impairment of the
  ordinary physical responses of sexual function
• Examples include erectile dysfunction, female
  sexual arousal disorder, sexual desire disorders,
  orgasmic disorders
• Paraphilias-the use of unconventional objects or
  situations to obtain sexual arousal
• Examples include fetishism, voyeurism,
  exhibitionsism, transvestic fetishism, sexual
  sadism, pedophilia
• Gender-Identity Disorders-the desire to become,
  or the insistence that one really is, a member of
  the other sex

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Personality Disorders

• Schizoid-person is withdrawn lacks feelings for
  others
• Paranoid-person is inappropriately suspicious
  mistrustful of others
• Dependent-person is unable to make choices
  decisions independently cannot tolerate being
  alone
• Avoidant-persons fears of rejection by others
  lead to social isolation
• Narcissistic-person has an exaggerated sense of
  self-importance needs constant admiration
• Borderline-characterized by marked instability in
  self-image, mood, interpersonal relationships
• Antisocial- involves a pattern of violent,
  criminal, or unethical exploitative behavior
  an inability to feel affection for others

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Schizophrenic Disorders

• Schizophrenia-severe disorder in which there are
  disturbances of thoughts, communications, and
  emotions, including delusions and hallucinations
• Psychosis-loss of touch with reality
• Hallucinations-false sensory perceptions
• Delusions-false beliefs about reality
• Cause we know that both biological and
  environmental factors contribute to the
  development of schizophrenia

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Childhood Disorders

• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Trouble focusing, easily distracted, fidgety,
  impulsive, constantly in motion
• May be related to frontal lobe functioning
• Most often treated with psychostimulants
• Autistic Disorder
• Characterized by lack of social instincts and
  strange motor behavior usually associated with
  cognitive impairments
• Thought to be genetic
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• A range of disorders with symptoms associated
  with autistic disorder, but perhaps not as severe
• One example is Aspergers Syndrome