Abnormal Psychology Notes

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Irma Norris
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1 Abnormal Psychology Notes Abnormal Behaviors Psychological Disorder a harmful dysfunction in which behavior is judged to be: atypical not enough in itself disturbing varies with time/culture maladaptive harmful unjustifiable sometimes there s a good reason Early Theories abnormal behavior was evil spirits trying to get out, godlike powers, movement of stars Treatments Institutionalized, castration, drilling, holes in skull, transfusion of animal blood, and more Medical Model mental illness needs to be diagnosed on basis of symptoms and cured through therapy and treatment Biopsychosocial Approach considers combination of biological, psychological, and social factors as contributing to development of disorders DSM-IV released May 2013 American Psychiatric Association and statistical manual of mental disorders, a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders lists symptoms helps psychiatrists diagnose disorders used by insurance companies Criticisms Are people with disorders truly mentally ill or are they just deviating from social norm Rosenhan Study associates were malingering symptoms of hearing voices all admitted for schizophrenia they all left diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission Psychotic/Neurotic Disorders Neurotic Disorder usually distressing but that allows one to think rationally and function socially

2 Psychotic Disorder person loses contact with reality experience irrational ideas and distorted perceptions Anxiety Disorders group of conditions where the primary symptoms are anxiety or defenses against anxiety the patient fears something awful will happen to them They are in a state of intense apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or fear Most common group of mental disorders in the U.S. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder persistent unwanted thoughts cause someone to feel the need to engage in a particular action obsession about dirt and germs may lead to compulsive handwashing 2% of population Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) flashbacks or nightmares following a person s involvement of an extremely stressful event memories of the event cause anxiety Somatoform Disorders occur when a person manifests a psychological problem through a physiological symptom Hypochondriacs frequent physical complaints for which medical doctors are unable to locate the cause they usually believe that the minor issues are indicative are more severe illnesses Conversion Disorder report the existence of severe physical problems with no biological reason like blindness or paralysis Dissociative Disorders conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings Dissociative Identity Disorder rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities formerly called multiple personality disorder Psychogenic Amnesia a person cannot remember things with no physiological basis for the disruption in memory Retrograde Amnesia Not Organic Amnesia

3 Dissociative Fatigue people with psychogenic amnesia that find themselves in an unfamiliar environment vietnam veteran Schizophrenia literal translation split mind a group of severe disorders characterized by: disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, in appropriate emotions and actions Delusions false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders Hallucinations sensory experiences without sensory stimulation Subtypes of Schizophrenia Paranoid preoccupation with delusions or hallucinations, often with themes of persecution or grandiosity Disorganized disorganized speech or behavior, or flat inappropriate emotions Catatonic immobility, extreme negatism, and/or parrot like repeating of another s speech or movements Undifferentiated many varied symptoms Residual withdrawal, after hallucinations and delusions have disappeared Mood Disorders Mood Disorders characterized by emotional extremes Major Depressive Disorder a mood disorder in which a person, for no apparent reason, experience two or more weeks of depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness and diminished pleasure Manic Episode marked by a hyperactive, widely optimistic state Bipolar Disorder mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania PET scans show that brain energy consumption rises and falls with emotional switches

4 Mood Disorders-Depression altering any one component of the chemistry cognition mood circuit can alter others can be broken at any point Seasonal Affective Disorder experience depression during the winter months based not on temperature, but on amount of sunlight treated with light therapy Personality Disorders Personality Disorders well-established maladaptive ways of behaving that negatively affect people s to function dominates their personality these personality disorders are more than just personality types they cause individuals to become deviant, distressed, and dysfunctional Personality vs. Mood Disorders Personality stable lifelong combination consistent stable Mood differs quickly on situations temporary observable Antisocial Personality Disorder disorder in which the person exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even towards friends and family members may be aggressive, ruthless, or a clever con artist Avoidant Personality Disorder long-standing feelings of inadequacy extreme sensitivity to other s opinions of them social inhibition Paranoid Personality Disorder pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others preoccupied with unjustified doubts about the loyalty and trustworthiness of others Dependent Personality Disorder rely too much on the attention and help of others Histrionic Personality Disorder needs to be center of attention whether acting silly or acting provocatively

5 Narcissistic Personality Disorder having an unwarranted sense of importance thinking that you are the center of the universe Therapies Therapy because of new drugs and better therapy, the US went to a policy of deinstitutionalization Behavioral Therapies Counterconditioning uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy exposes people to simulations of their fear Systematic Desensitization type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety Aversive Conditioning type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior Token Economy an operant conditioning procedure Biomedical Therapy physically changing the brain s functioning by altering its chemistry with shocks, drugs, and surgery Psychopharmacology study of effects of drugs on the mind and behavior Psychopharmacology Antipsychotic Drugs used to treat schizophrenia side effect is tardive dyskinesia a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements of the face and jaw Anti-anxiety Drugs controls anxiety Antidepressants altering the availability of serotonin/norepinephrine Lithium treats Bipolar Disorder works in 7 out of 10 people Biomedical Therapy Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

6 biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anthesize patient Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to brain Cognitive Therapy changes our schemas Cognitive Behavior Therapy popular integrated therapy that combines cognitive therapy Family Therapy treats family as a system, views an individual's unwanted behaviors as influenced by other family members

Psychological Disorders

Myers PSYCHOLOGY (7th Ed) Chapter 16 Psychological Disorders James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers Psychological Disorders Psychological Disorder a harmful dysfunction in which behavior