abnormal psychology
the scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
What are the four D's that make behavior abnormal?
Deviance (different or extreme)
Distress (unpleasant and upsetting)
Dysfunction (interfering with the person's ability to conduct daily tasks)
Danger
deviant behavior
human activity that violates social norms
Why is it important to take culture and specific circumstances into account when deciding if something is deviant?
some cultures compared to others don't think what like what we as americans would think is out of social norms would be for a culture in africa
distress
unpleasant feelings or emotions that impact your level of functioning
Dysfunction
upsets, distracts, or confuses people that they cannot care for themselves properly.
danger
Individuals whose behavior is consistently careless, hostile, or confused may be placing themselves or those around them at risk.
biological model
full of understanding of thoughts, emotions, and behavior and must therefore include and understanding of their biological basis
psychotropic medications
drugs that primarily affect the brain and reduce many symptoms of mental dysfunction
ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)
a biological treatment in which a brain seizure is triggered as an electric current passes through electrodes attached to the patient's forehead
psychosurgery
Brain surgery for mental disorders. Also called neurosurgery.
behavioral model
concentrates on behaviors, the responses an organism makes to its environment
operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and modeling
Cognitive Model
Cognitive processes are at the center of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions and can best understand abnormal functioning by looking to cognition.
biopsychosocial model
abnormalities result from interactions of genetic, biological, developmental, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, cultural, and societal influences
Describe the classification system used by the APA for diagnosing abnormal behavior
the classification system is described as a list of disorders, along with descriptions of symptoms and guidelines for making appropriate diagnoses.
categorical classification
the clinician must decide whether the person is displaying one of the hundreds of psychological disorders listed in the manual such as anxiety or depression
dimensional classification
deciding what disorder a client is displaying, diagnosticians assess the current severity of the clients disorder- how much the symptoms impair the client
fear
the central nervous system's physiological and emotional response to a serious threat to one's well-being
anxiety
the central nervous system's physiological and emotional response to a vague sense of threat or danger
Fear and Anxiety Similarities
they are a response to a threat to you
fear and anxiety differences
fear is for you own well-being and anxiety is more about everything that could be a threat you just don't know because your body and brain are thinking everything is out to get you
percentage of adults who will develop and anxiety disorder at some point?
29%
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
persistent and excessive feelings of anxiety and worry about numerous events and activities.
generalized anxiety disorder symptoms
edginess, fatigues, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep problems. also significant distress of impairment
phobia
a persistent and unreasonable fear of a particular object, activity, or situation
specific phobia
a severe and persistent fear of a specific object or situation
Most common specific phobias
animals, insects, heights, enclosed spaces, thunderstorms, and blood
Phobia symptoms
uncontrollable, irrational, and intense desire to avoid some objects or situation. such as heights, flying
agrophobia
fear of places or situations where it is hard for an individual to escape
social anxiety disorder
a severe and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur
social anxiety disorder symptoms
Faintness, butterflies, blushing, sweating, heart palpitations
panic attack
periodic, short bouts of panic that occur suddenly, reach a peak within minutes, and gradually pass
panic attack symptoms
Palpitations, tingling in the hands or feet, shortness of breath, sweating, hot and cold flashes, trembling, chest pains, choking sensations, faintness, dizziness, and a feeling of unreality
panic disorder
characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks
Obsessions are
persistent thought, idea, impulsive, or image that is experiences repeatedly, feels intrusive, and causes anxiety
Complusions are
a repetitive and rigid behavior or mental act that a person feels driven to preform in order to prevent or reduce anxiety.
Features of Obsessions and Compulsions
violence, aggression, orderliness, religion, and sexuality- obsessions
rituals, cleaning compulsions, checking compulsions, touching, verbal, and counting- compulsions
exposure and response prevention
A behavioral treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder that exposes a client to anxiety-arousing thoughts or situations and then prevents the client from performing his or her compulsive acts. Also called exposure and ritual prevention.
Hoarding Disorder
a disorder in which individuals feel compelled to save items and become very distressed if they try to discard them, resulting in an excessive accumulation of items
Hoarding Disorder symptoms
Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value
-perceived need to save items
-Distress when forced to discard things
body dysmorphic disorder
individuals become preoccupied with the believe that they have certain defects or flaws in their physical appearance
Body Dysmorphic Disorder symptoms
complaints commonly involve imagined slight flaws in the face or head
describing their preoccupations as "intensely painful", "tormenting", or "devastating"
frequent checking of defect consuming hours in a day (grooming behavior, exercise (weight lifting)
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
a person is exposed to a traumatic event- death or threatened death, severe injury, or sexual assault
traumatic event
any traumatic event can trigger a stress disorder; how some are likely to do so
ex: combat, disasters and accidents, sexual assault, terrorism, torture