abnormal psychology
the study of the nature, causes, and treatment of mental disorders
what makes something disordered?
suffering/distress
disability/maladaptiveness
statistical deviancy
violation of the standards of society
social discomfort
irrationality and unpredictability
dangerousness
advantages of diagnosis
provides us with a common language
has led to major advances in research and treatment
enables us to make predictions
used for insurance purposes
disadvantages of diagnosis
loss of information
stigma
stereotyping
reification
the problem of people treating the progress in mental disorders as a final, finished product, although the DSM is a work in progress.
psychiatric epidemiology
the study of the distributions of mental disorders in a given population
prevalence
number of active cases in a population in a given time
point prevalence
number of cases at that specific time
1-year prevalence
number of active cases that have occurred in the past year
lifetime prevalence
number of cases that have occurred in a person's lifetime
incidence
number of new cases that occur in a specific period of time (usually a year)
necessary cause
if disorder Y is present, then cause X MUST have occurred
sufficient cause
if cause X occurs, Y will also occur
contributory cause
if cause X occurs then the probability of developing disorder Y increases
distal cause
often occur early in life and may contribute to later development of disorders
proximal cause
something that occurs shortly before the onset of symptoms/disorder
maintaining factors
occur after the onset of symptoms and provide reinforcement for symptoms and make them more likely to persist
risk factors
must occur prior to the onset of symptoms, are correlated with the presence of the disorder but we cannot infer causation
protective factors
factors that offset the effect of other risk factors
diathesis
relatively distal necessary or contributory cause that is not sufficient to cause disorder (can be biological, psychological, or sociocultural) but set up a vulnerability to develop disorder
stress
response of individual to taxing demands, interacts with diathesis to produce the disorder
diathesis-stress model
stress interacts with a preexisting diathesis to cause a disorder
Caspi et al, 2003
study of children in NZ which found that children who had a certain type of gene which elevated their risk had higher levels of depressive symptoms ONLY if they had more stressful life events
biopsychosocial model
mental disorders have biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that contribute to a given disorder
single case studies
can only be done when the treatment can be withdrawn (such as medication)
helpful for answering questions for a specific client
ABAB design
take baseline measure, introduce treatment, withdraw treatment, then administer it again
psychological assessment
describe problem
determine possible causes and consequences
arrive at diagnosis
develop a treatment strategy
monitor treatment progress
unstructured clinical interview
information collected is left up the interviewer, who relies on experience, intuition, and theoretical orientation, but inter-rater reliability is low
structured clinical interview
all interviewers ask the same questions in a predetermined order, has higher inter-rated reliability
psychological tests
intelligence (wechsler Adult intelligence scale) and personality (projective and self-report) tests
rorschach inblot test
response to ambiguous "inkblot" reveals unconscious attitudes, motivations, and behavioral tendencies
thematic apperception test (TAT)
person's story of a strange and ambiguous picture reveals inner attitudes ,motivations, and behavioral tendencies
minnesota multiphasic personality inventory
self report measure with 567 true-false questions with validity subscales to detect lying and faking "good" or "bad
emotional stroop task
stroop task with negatively emotional words and neutral words. suicide attempters have SIGNIFICANTLY longer response times to suicide-related stimuli
universal prevention
target the general public or a whole population
selective prevention
target a specific group with higher than average risk (ex. low SES)
indicated prevention
identify and target a high risk population showing initial signs (ex. screening of students who violate campus policies)
prodrome
a retrospective term referring to the pre-psychotic phase consisting of early warning signs that occur 1-3 years before onset of psychosis
bonn scale of assessment of basic symptoms
most predictive of thought interference, disturbances of receptive language, captivation of attention by details of visual field, and unstable ideas of reference
unusual ideas/beliefs
unanticipated mental events/ideas of reference/mind tricks, magical thinking, external control
suspiciousness/paranoia
clear or compelling thoughts of being watched singled out. sense that people intend to harm. loosely organized beliefs about danger or hostile intention
grandiosity/inflated sense of self
notions of being unusually gifted, powerful, or special. promotes significantly unrealistic plans
perceptual abnormalities
repeated unformed images, recurrent illusions or momentary hallucinations that are recognized as not real but may be worrisome, captivating, or affect thinking or behavior
disorganized communication
occasional incorrect words, irrelevant topics, frequently going off track. circumstantial. tangential. loosening of associations under pressure
north american prodrome longitudinal study
detected five key predictors of psychosis:
-genetic risk with recent deterioration
-higher unusual thought content
-higher suspicion/paranoia
-greater social impairment
-history of substance abuse
schizophrenia
two of more of the following symptoms present for most of a 1-month period:
1. delusions
2. hallucinations
3. disorganized speech
4. grossly disorganized/catatonic behavior
5. negative symptoms (flat affect, avolition)
at least one of the symptoms has to
thought insertion
belief that thoughts have been placed in their mind by an external source
thought broadcast
belief that their thoughts are being broadcast so that others know what they are thinking
feelings or behaviors are controlled by an outside force
I am watching my body move, but something/one else is doing it
grandiose delusions
exaggerated sense of his or her own importance, power, knowledge, or identity
ideas of reference
reading personal significance into the events or activities around them
grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior
inability to maintain work, social relationships, or personal care
extreme silliness
unusual dress
catatonia
avolition
extreme inability to initiate and persist in activities
alogia
minimal speech
brief psychotic disorder
must have one of: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior that lasts from 1 day to 1 month
delusional disorder
one or more delusional symptoms for one month or longer, doesn't impair global functioning
schizophreniform disorder
same criteria as schizophrenia but episode lasts 1-6 months
schizoaffective disorder
combination of SCZ and mood disorder.
- period of illness when SCZ symptoms and mood symptoms are present
- 2 weeks where delusions or hallucinations are present in absence of mood symptoms
-mood symptoms present for most of illness