Psychological Disorders psy 130

Anxiety disorders

(1) generalized anxiety (2) panic disorder (3) phobias (4) obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (5) post-traumatic stress disorder

Learning process that contributes to fear conditioning

(1) stimulus generalization- i.e. person was bit by a dog, now fears all dogs (2) reinforcement- avoiding the thing that causes our phobias, therefore reinforcing and enhancing our phobias

Axis of DMS-5

(I) is a clinical syndrome pressent? (II) is a personality or intellectual disorder present? (III) is a medical condition, such as hypertension, diabetes, or arthritis also present? (IV) are psychosocial or environmental problems also present? (V) what is the global assessment of this person's functioning?

Psychosis

- a state at which someone loses contact with reality, experiencing irrational ideas and distorted perceptions

Brain abnormalities of schizophrenia

- access receptors for dopamine - low brain activity in frontal lobes - increased activity in the thalamus during hallucinations - increased activity in the amygdala (a fear-processing centre) for people with paranoia - fluid filled areas and corresponding shrinkage and thinning of the cerebral tissue - smaller-than-normal cortex

Bipolar disorder

- alternating between MANIA and DEPRESSION - the hippocampus (the memory-processing centre linked with the brain's emotional circuitry) is vulnerable to stress related damage; therefore, this disorder likewise correlates with brain structure. - the left lobe of the brain is said to be 7% smaller in those with sever depression

Labels

- create preconceptions that guide our perceptions and our interpretations - used to communicate with one another using a common language

The social-cognitive perspective

- how we think affects how we act - how we feel depends on EXPLANATORY STYLE: who or what we blame for our shortcomings - depressed people explain bad events in terms of stable ("it's going to last forever"), global ("it's going to affect everything I do"), and internal ("it's all my fault")

Genetic factors (regarding schizophrenia)

- if an identical twin has schizophrenia, it's co-twin has a 6 in 10 chance of being afflicted. if they had separate placentas (as do fraternal twins) their chance would be 1 in 10 - epigenetic ("in addition to genetic") factors can "turn on" genes that predispose schizophrenia

Post-traumatic stress disorder

- person has lingering memories, nightmares, and other symptoms for week after a a severely threatening uncontrollable event - more activity in the right temporal lobe

Positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

- positive (presence of inappropriate behaviours): hallucinations, talk in disorganized/deluded ways, inappropriate laughter, tears, or rage <acute> - negative (absence of appropriate behaviours): toneless voices, expressionless faces, mute/rigid bodies <chronic>

Schizophrenia ("split mind")

- the cancer of psychological disorders - involving delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression -those with this psychological disorder don't have the capacity for SELECTIVE ATTENTION - the ability to have undivided attention to one set of stimuli while filtering out others

How biological and psychological factors contribute to antisocial personality disorder

- twin and adoption studies show that biological relatives of people with this disorder are at increased risk for antisocial behaviour - negative environmental factors, such as poverty or child abuse, may channel genetic traits such as fearlessness in more dangerous directions - toward aggression and away from social responsibility

Dissociation identity disorder (DID)

- two or more distinct and alternating personality - tend to be exhibited by suggestible, fantasy-prone people - many patients recall suffering a sexual, physical, or emotional abuse as a child

Bulimia nervosa

- typically begins as a weight-loss diet - cycle of binging and purging - unlike anorexia nervosa, weight fluctuates within or above normal weight

Anorexia nervosa

- typically begins as a weight-loss diet - people who drop significantly below their weight, yet feel fat, fear being fat, remain obsessed with losing weight and sometimes exercise excessively

In the 1980s, when the DSM contained the first formal code for _____, the number of diagnoses for this condition in North America exploded to more than 20,000.

DID

Avoidant personality disorder

a fearful sensitivity to rejection

Generalized anxiety

a person who is unexplainably and continually tense and uneasy Sigmund Freud's: anxiety is "free-floating"

DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders

How cognition affects anxiety

anxiety is especially common when people cannot switch off intrusive thoughts and perceive a loss of control and a sense of helplessness

Brian often interrupts his teacher while she is speaking and frequently forgets to complete his homework assignments. He also has difficulty taking turns in playground games with classmates. Brian most clearly exhibits symptoms of _____ disorder.

attention-deficite/ hyperactivity

Margaret gave birth to a premature baby boy. It was a difficult birth with obstetrical complications. In addition, she has always had very little money and, for 20 years, has cared for the boy at a level below the poverty line. Thus, Margaret's son has experienced BOTH biological and social risk factors. Results from a Danish study would predict that the boy has _____ of committing a crime, as compared to those with only biological risk factors or social risk factors.

double the risk

Schizoid personality disorder

exhibits eccentric and odd behaviours, such as emotionless disengagement

Agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations in which escape might be difficult or help unavailable when panic attacks

Fear conditioning

fear that occurs after an uncontrollable or unpredictable event that caused one unease, discomfort, fear, etc. (i.e. a person was hit by a car from the side that ran a red stop sign, they now feel unease every time there is an approaching car from a side street)

Brain and anxiety

fear-learning experiences that traumatize the brain can also create fear circuits within the amygdala

According to a study by Adrian Raine, PET scans illustrate imply reduced activation in the _____ lobes of a murderer's cortex.

frontal

By age 50, _____ disorder becomes rare.

generalized anxiety

Lenore is continually tense and plagued by muscle tension, sleeplessness, and an inability to concentrate. Lenore most likely suffers from _____ disorder

generalized anxiety

Homosexuality was classified as an illness by the APA until:

1973

Mania

a mood disorder marked by hyperactive, wildly optimistic state

Flat affect

a severe reduction in emotional responsiveness

Catatonia

abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state

Bob has never been able to keep a job. He has been in and out of jail for theft, sexual assault, and spousal abuse. Bob would most likely be diagnosed as having _____ personality disorder.

antisocial

An effective way to break the cycle of depression is to explain _____ events in terms that are specific and temporary.

demanding

According to psychologists and psychiatrists, a behavior is considered to be _____ if it is deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional.

disordered

Thirty-year-old Nellie has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her selective attention is deficient, she is unable to ignore irrelevant stimuli, and she often gives her undivided attention to minute stimuli such as a spotlight shining in a window. This type of attention problem contributes to:

disorganized thoughts

Deviant and stressful behaviors are more likely to be considered disordered when also judged to be a harmful _____.

dysfunction

Anti-social personality disorder

exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist

Stacy has to be the life of the party. She wears revealing clothing, even around her married friends' husbands. This behavior has upset a number of her friends, especially when she asked a friend's boyfriend out. On any given weekend, Stacy can be seen at a club dancing on a table. Stacy would be considered to have a(n) _____ personality disorder.

histrionic

Social anxiety disorder

is shyness taken to an extreme

Observational learning (fear)

learn fear by observing others

_____ theorists see dissociative disorders as behaviors reinforced by anxiety reduction.

learning

ADHD (attention-deficet/hyperactivity disorder)

marked by the appearance of one or more of the following: extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity heritable

Specific phobias

may focus on animals, insects heights, blood, or close spaces

Affects of maternal virus on schizophrenia

midpregnancy viral infection impairs fetal brain development

Elaine feels that her life is empty. She has lost interest in career and hobbies, and she wonders if she would be better off dead. She is most likely suffering from a(n):

mood disorder

A person with schizophrenia who has _____ (positive/negative) symptoms may have an expressionless face and a toneless voice. These symptoms are most common with _____ (chronic/acute) schizophrenia and are not likely to respond to drug therapy. Those with _____ (positive/negative) symptoms are likely to experience delusions and to be diagnosed with _____ (chronic/acute) schizophrenia, which is more like to respond to drug therapy.

negative; chronic; positive; acute

Maladaptive

not providing adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situation that affect day-to-day life

Several times in the past two months, Petra has experienced a racing heart, intense fear that something horrible is about to happen, and an inability to breathe. Petra most likely is suffering from _____.

panic attacks

Dysthymia

persistent mild depression (diagnosed after at least 2 years)

Panic disorder

person experiences sudden episodes of intense dread

Phobias

person is intensely and irrationally afraid of a specific object or situation

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

person is troubled by repetitive thoughts or actions

Tedesch and Calhoun - Posttraumatic growth

positive psychological change as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crisis

Major depressive disorder

psychic hibernation that slows us down and allows us to let go of unattainable goals

The biopsychosocial approach

recognizes that the mind and body are inseparable; works by trying to understand the person as a whole

Narcissistic disorder

self-focused and self-inflated

Hallucinations

sensory experiences without sensory stimulation

How genetics affect anxiety

some people are just more anxious than others. our characteristics matter. how fragile and sensitive we are matters.

Mr. Hoffman has always been cautious with his money. But, over the past two weeks, he has developed grandiose plans to bet his entire savings on a single horse race. With unrestrained exuberance he has also been giving everybody he sees unsolicited advice on how to make millions in the stock market. Mr. Hoffman's behavior is most indicative of:

the behaviour is not associative of a dissociative disorder

The medical model

the concept that diseases can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often by treatments through hospitals

Binge-eating disorder

those who do significant binge eating and feel remorse afterward, but do not purge

How natural selection affects fear

we are biologically prepared to fear threats faced by our ancestors

Dissociation disorders

conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

The police brought Elaine to the emergency room after she was seen running down the street in her underwear yelling that she "has the power!" Elaine was also spending large amounts of money across town and was rude and reckless over the last 5 days. In the ER, Elaine would not be quiet long enough for the nurse to ask her questions. Elaine is most likely suffering from:

bipolar disoder

Personality disorders

characterized by inflexible and enduring behaviour patterns that impair social functioning

Risk factors for schizophrenia

low birth rate, maternal diabetes, older paternal age, and deprivation to oxygen during delivery