Chapter 15 Psychological Disorders

Depression

is a vague term that, in everyday language, refers to an intense and persistent sadness.

Causes of Schizophrenia

Biological Theory: Genetics, Brain Structure Abnormality, Biochmeical Theories, Psychological Theories Family Theories Humanistic Comibine Influences: genetic predisposition or biologic vulnerability; environmental stressors; social support

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

auditory &/or visual hallucinations, delusions, paranoia,

catatonic behaviors

decreased reactivity to the environment, such as posturing, in which the person maintains a rigid and bizarre posture for long periods of time, or catatonic stupor, a complete lack of movement and verbal behavior.

Schizophrenia

devastating psychological disorder that is characterized by major disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior.

Disorganized thinking

disjointed and incoherent thought processes, usually detected by what a person says ex if a person diagnosed with schizophrenia is asked if she is interested in receiving special job training, she might state that she once rode on a train somewhere. To a person with schizophrenia, the tangential (slightly related) connection between job training and riding a train are sufficient enough to cause such a response.

antisocial personality disorder

shows no regard at all for other people's rights or feelings. This lack of regard is exhibited a number of ways and can include repeatedly performing illegal acts, lying to or conning others, impulsivity and recklessness, irritability and aggressiveness toward others, and failure to act in a responsible way

The Schizophrenia experience

significant difficulties in many day-to-day activities, such as holding a job, paying bills, caring for oneself (grooming and hygiene), and maintaining relationships with others. Frequent hospitalizations are more often the rule rather than the exception with schizophrenia.

Somatic delusion

which is the belief that something highly abnormal is happening to one's body (e.g., that one's kidneys are being eaten by cockroaches).

paranoid delusions

which involve the (false) belief that other people or agencies are plotting to harm the person.

Mood disorders

are characterized by severe disturbances in mood and emotions—most often depression, but also mania and elation

major depressive disorder

A mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or a medical condition, two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities.

Cognitive Theories of Depression:

People become depressed because they think in negative ways

Biological Basis of Mood Disorders

People with mood disorders often have imbalances in certain neurotransmitters, particularly norepinephrine and serotonin, These neurotransmitters are important regulators of the bodily functions that are disrupted in mood disorders, including appetite, sex drive, sleep, arousal, and mood.

seasonal pattern

applies to situations in which a person experiences the symptoms of major depressive disorder only during a particular time of year

Depressive disorders

are a group of disorders in which depression is the main feature.

diathesis-stress model

a diagnostic model that proposes that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event

flight of ideas

abruptly switching from one topic to another. These individuals are easily distracted, which can make a conversation very difficult.

Grandiose delusions

beliefs that one holds special power, unique knowledge, or is extremely important. ex. the person who claims to be Jesus Christ, or who claims to have knowledge going back 5,000 years, or who claims to be a great philosopher is experiencing grandiose delusions.

Borderline personality disorder

condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control

manic episode

distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy lasting at least one week, that lasts most of the time each day, excessively talkative, sometimes spontaneously starting conversations with strangers; others become excessively irritable and complain or make hostile comments.

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

disturbance of affect, blunting (severe reduction in the intensity of affect expression), flat affect, inappropriate affect (might laugh hysterically while describing someones death)

persistent depressive disorder

experience depressed moods most of the day nearly every day for at least two years, as well as at least two of the other symptoms of major depressive disorder. People with are chronically sad and melancholy, but do not meet all the criteria for major depression.

Delusions

false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

hallucination

false sensory experience, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus, Auditory hallucinations (hearing voices) occur in roughly two-thirds of patients with schizophrenia and are by far the most common form of hallucination

Bipolar and related disorders

group of disorders in which mania is the defining feature

Mania

is a state of extreme elation and agitation. When people experience, they may become extremely talkative, behave recklessly, or attempt to take on many tasks simultaneously. The most recognized of these disorders is bipolar disorder.

bipolar disorder

often experiences mood states that vacillate between depression and mania; that is, the person's mood is said to alternate from one emotional extreme to the other

Cognitive Theories of Depression: hopelessness theory

postulates that a particular style of negative thinking leads to a sense of hopelessness, which then leads to depression

personality disorders

psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning

Disorganized or abnormal motor behavior

refers to unusual behaviors and movements: becoming unusually active, exhibiting silly child-like behaviors (giggling and self-absorbed smiling), engaging in repeated and purposeless movements, or displaying odd facial expressions and gestures.

peripartum onset

subtype of depression that applies to women who experience an episode of major depression either during pregnancy or in the four weeks following childbirth

DSM-5

the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

Suicide

the act of intentionally taking one's own life, Overwhelmed by hopelessness, devastated by incapacitating feelings of worthlessness, and burdened with the inability to adequately cope with such feelings,

Rumination

the repetitive and passive focus on the fact that one is depressed and dwelling on depressed symptoms, rather that distracting one's self from the symptoms or attempting to address them in an active, problem-solving manner ex. "Why am I so unmotivated? I just can't get going. I'm never going to get my work done feeling this way"