psychological disorder
deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional behavior patterns
deviant
differing from the norm or from the accepted standards of a society
abnormal behavior (what was considered 1,000 years ago)
mysterious actions were attributed to supernatural powers, madness was a sign that spirits has possessed a person
trephining
boring holes in the skull to let out evil spirits
Hippocrates
Greek physician maintained that madness was like any other sickness (a natural event arising from natural causes); believed that different problems were caused by imbalances in the four humors.
The Four Humors
a traditional theory of physiology in which the state of health depended upon a balance among the four elemental fluids
blood- air-sanguine
a humor: courageous, hopeful, libidinous
yellow bile- fire- choleric
a humor: violent, easily angered
phlegm- water- phlegmatic
a humor: calm, unemotional
black bile- earth- melancholic
a humor: sad, sleepless, irritable
Phillipe Pinel
advocated a medical model of mental illness
medical model of mental illness
diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and possibly cured
The Biopsychosocial Model
a view of mental disorders as caused by a combination of interacting biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors
biological factors
physical illnesses, disruptions in bodily processes, and genetic influences
psychological factors
our reactions to stress and trauma, unrealistic beliefs, learning history, etc.
sociocultural factors
way of looking at mental disorders in relation to gender, age, ethnicity, and other social and cultural factors
Diathesis-Stress approach
views psychological disorders as arising when a predisposition for a disorder combines with sufficient amounts of stress to trigger symptoms
David Rosenhan's study
did a study on being sane in insane places; 12 people went to mental hospital with "voices"; no signs but still got diagnosed with schizophrenia
Anxiety Disorders
psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
chronic, uncontrollable, an excessive worry not focused on any particular object or situation
Panic Disorder
sudden and inexplicable attacks of intense fear; symptoms include difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, dizziness, trembling, terror, and feelings of impending doom
Comorbidity
more than one disorder; especially depression and substance abuse; may restrict normal activites
phobia
intense, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation
Agoraphobia
fear of public places; may be related to previous panic attacks
Simple phobias, AKA specific phobias
Afraid of heights, small places, public speaking
Social phobia
excessive self-consciousness, fear of public scrutiny or humiliation in common social situations, and fear of negative evaluation by others
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD
characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome - affects people who have survived earthquakes, airplane crashes, terrorist bombings, inner-city violence, domestic abuse, rape , war, genocide, and other traumas
Intrusion
memories of trauma reoccur unexpectedly; "flashbacks
Avoidance
often avoids close emotional ties with family, colleagues, and friends; reminders of event; survivor's guilt
Hyperarousal
act as if constantly threatened by trauma
Fear Conditioning
we can become anxious when exposed to unpredictable, uncontrollable negative events.
Observational Learning
we can also learn fear from the behavior of others, especially parents
Natural Selection - AKA Biopreparedness
when it is easier to make someone fear something that our ancestors had to fear—like snakes, spiders, the dark, etc
Genes
when some people may be genetically predisposed to experiencing high levels of anxiety
The Brain
GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), panic attacks, obsessions/compulsions are associated with increased activity in parts of the this involved in impulse control and habitual behaviors
fear conditioning and observational learning
parts of the learning perspective in explaining anxiety disorders
natural selection, genes, and the brain
parts of the biological perspective in explaining anxiety disorders
Dissociative disorders
conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings.
Dissociative identity disorder
presence of two or more distinct personality systems in the same individual at different times
Personality Disorders
inflexible, maladaptive personality traits that cause significant impairment of social and occupational functioning.
Antisocial personality disorder
characterized by a lack of conscience; formerly called a psychopath or sociopath
Mood Disorders
characterized by extreme disturbances in emotional states
Anhedonia
loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed
dysthymic disorder
chronic but less severe form of depression; depressed mood persists for at least 2 years and accompanied by at least 2 other symptoms of depression
Bipolar disorder
mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania
mania
a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state
Hypomania
mild to moderate level of mania
Genetic Influences
mood disorders often run in families
Norepinephrine
increases arousal, boost mood; levels tend to be low when someone is depressed and elevated when someone is manic
Serotonin
involved in regulation of mood; levels tend to be low when someone is depressed. They don't have a relationship to mania
Neural Activity
brain tends to be less active during depression and more active during mania
The Social-Cognitive Perspective
influence of biological predisposition, negative thoughts, and environmental factors.
Schizophrenia
group of psychotic disorders involving major disturbances in perception, language, though, emotion, and behavior
Perceptual Symptoms of Schizophrenia
filtering and selection processes that allow most people to concentrate on whatever they choose are impaired, and sensory stimulation is jumbled and distorted.
Hallucinations
sensory perceptions that occur without an external stimulus
Language and Thought Disturbances
words lose their usual meanings, logic is impaired, and thoughts may be disorganized or just bizarre.
word salad
a jumble of extremely incoherent speech
Neologisms
made up words
delusions
mistaken beliefs maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary, and are not explained by a person's usual cultural concepts
Paranoid delusions
false and irrational beliefs that they are being cheated, harassed, poisoned
Delusions of grandeur
person may believe he or she is a famous or important figure
Delusions of reference
person gives unrelated events special significance
Emotional disturbances
this can range from exaggerated emotions to "blunted" or "flat" affect; emotional responses can also be inappropriate
Behavioral disturbances
unusual actions that may have special meaning
Tardive dyskinesia
repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements
Cataleptic
decreased or no response to external stimuli; muscular rigidity
Waxy flexibility
person's limbs will remain frozen in a particular position if they are moved by someone else
Dopamine Overactivity
postmortem examinations have shown an abnormal number of dopamine receptors - as much as 6xs the normal amount
Abnormal Brain Activity and Anatomy
abnormalities in brain structure- enlargement of ventricles (fluid-filled cavities; decreased size of certain brain regions)
Abnormalities in function
decreased metabolic activity in certain brain regions