Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders
Dec 17, 2015
Chapter 14: Psychological Disorders
Abnormal Behavior
• What is abnormal behavior?– Deviant– Maladaptive – Causing personal distress– NOT culturally bound
• Normal/abnormal is a continuum
Prevalence, Causes, and Course
• Epidemiology – Study of mental disorders• Prevalence – % of population that has
disorder• Lifetime prevalence - % of population that will
have a disorder at sometime in their lives• Diagnosis• Etiology – Apparent causation • Prognosis – Forecast about outcome of
treatment
Figure 14.5 Lifetime prevalence of psychological disorders
Psychodiagnosis:The Classification of Disorders
• American Psychiatric Association• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders – 4th ed. (DSM - 4)• Five Axis
• Axis I – Clinical Syndromes• Axis II – Personality Disorders or Mental
Retardation• Axis III – General Medical Conditions• Axis IV – Psychosocial and Environmental
Problems• Axis V – Global Assessment of
Functioning (1-100)
Axis I Clinical Syndromes
• Anxiety Disorders• Somatoform Disorders• Dissociative Disorders• Mood Disorders• Schizophrenic Disorders
Clinical Syndromes: Anxiety Disorders
• Generalized anxiety disorder– “free-floating anxiety”
• Phobic disorder– Specific focus of fear
• Panic disorder and agoraphobia• Obsessive compulsive disorder
– Obsessions– Compulsions
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Etiology of Anxiety Disorders• Biological factors
– Genetic predisposition, anxiety sensitivity– GABA circuits in the brain– Seretonin Abnormalities for OCD and
PTSD• Conditioning and learning
– Acquired through classical conditioning, maintained through operant conditioning
• Cognitive factors– Judgments of perceived threat
• Personality– Neuroticism
Figure 14.7 Conditioning as an explanation for phobias
Clinical Syndromes: Mood Disorders
• Major depressive disorder– Dysthymic disorder (Depression not yet
MDD)– More common in females
• Bipolar disorder– Cyclothymic disorder (exhibit chronic but
relatively mild symptoms of bipolar disturbance)
• Etiology – Biological: abonormal levels of
norepinephrine and serotonin synapses – Cognitive: Negative thinking
Figure 14.11 Episodic patterns in mood disorders
Figure 14.13 Twin studies of mood disorders
Clinical Syndromes: Somatoform Disorders
• Somatization Disorder – complaints about vague problems
• Conversion Disorder – Displaying loss of physical function without organic cause
• Hypochondriasis – Excessive worry about one’s health.
Figure 14.10 Glove anesthesia
Clinical Syndromes: Dissociative Disorders
• Dissociative amnesia• Dissociative fugue• Dissociative identity disorder
– Etiology• severe emotional trauma during
childhood– Controversy
• Media creation?
Clinical Syndromes: Schizophrenia
• General symptoms– Delusions and irrational thought– Deterioration of adaptive behavior– Hallucinations– Disturbed emotions
• Prognostic factors: best if diagnosed later in life with good social support structure
Subtyping of Schizophrenia
• 4 subtypes– Paranoid type: Delusions of persecution
and/or grandeur– Catatonic type: Muscular rigidity and/or
random motor activity– Disorganized type: Withdrawn, focuses
solely on self– Undifferentiated type
• Positive vs. negative symptoms
Etiology of Schizophrenia
• Genetic vulnerability• Neurochemical factors
– Perhaps abnormal levels of dopamine or serotonin
• Precipitating stress– diathesis-stress model
Figure 14.18 The dopamine hypothesis as an explanation for schizophrenia
Figure 14.20 The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
• Anxious-fearful cluster– Avoidant, dependent, obsessive-
compulsive• Dramatic-impulsive cluster
– Histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, antisocial
• Odd-eccentric cluster– Schizoid, schizotypal, paranoid
• Etiology– Genetic predispositions, inadequate
socialization in dysfunctional families
Table 14.2 Personality Disorders
Developmental Disorders
• Autism– Social impairment– Restrictive and repetitive behaviors
• Asperger’s – On the autism spectrum– Not withdrawn, but have poor social skills– Usually take interest in specific things
• ADHD– Attention Deficit
• Has difficulty concentrating and staying on task– Hyperactivity
• Usually restless and impulsive
Psychological Disorders and the Law
• Insanity– M’naghten rule
• Involuntary commitment– danger to self– danger to others– in need of treatment
Figure 14.22 The insanity defense: public perceptions and actual realities