Psychology: Anxiety and Schizophrenia Disorders

Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder, formerly manic-depressive disorder, is a mental disorder characterized by mood swings ranging from mania to depression.
• A strong genetic component is linked to bipolar disorder, although the exact genes involved remain unknown.
• Approximately 1% of the population experiences bipolar attacks. Having an identical twin with bipolar disorder increases a person's risk to about 70%.

Anxiety Disorders

• Everyone experiences some level of anxiety in their lives.
• Psychopathology anxiety is characterized by more severe symptoms than typical anxiety, impacting daily life.

Prevalence of Mental Disorders

• The prevalence of various mental disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, dysthymic disorder, Alzheimer's disease, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, social phobia, and specific phobia, varies. Specific numbers (in millions) for the prevalence of each disorder are listed.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

• GAD is a psychological disorder marked by persistent and pervasive feelings of anxiety without any specific external cause.
• People with GAD may experience periods of worry and anxiety that significantly impact their lives.
• Symptoms may include: feeling on edge concerning many aspects of life; feeling like something bad will happen, even without apparent cause; and difficulty relaxing or feeling at ease.
• GAD often develops in early life and symptoms may progress slowly.

Panic Disorder

• Panic disorder is characterized by sudden and severe anxiety attacks that lack clear triggers or causes in the person's life.
• People with panic disorder are typically free of anxiety between episodes.
• Panic attacks can be accompanied by a range of physical symptoms: rapid heart rate; sweating; trembling; shortness of breath; hyperventilation; chills; hot flashes; nausea; abdominal cramping; chest pain; headache; dizziness; faintness; difficulty swallowing; and a sense of impending doom.

Agoraphobia

• Agoraphobia is a condition that develops in some individuals with panic disorder.
• It involves a fear of situations in which escape might be difficult or help unavailable, such as crowded places, open spaces, or traveling alone.

Phobic Disorders

• Phobias involve persistent and irrational fears associated with specific objects, activities, or situations.
• These fears often cause significant distress and disruption in daily life.

Phobias - Irrational Fears

• Specific phobias are listed, such as acrophobia (heights), claustrophobia (enclosed spaces), hematophobia (blood), gephyrophobia (crossing bridges), kenophobia (empty rooms), cynophobia (dogs), coulrophobia (clowns), aerophobia (flying), entomophobia (insects), gamophobia (marriage), ophidophobia (snakes), xenophobia (strangers), and melissophobia (bees).

Preparedness Hypothesis

• This theory suggests that humans have an innate biological tendency, influenced by natural selection, to react quickly to stimuli perceived as threats to survival.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• OCD involves patterns of persistent, unwanted thoughts and behaviors.
• Obsessions are characterized by recurring thoughts, images, or impulses a person struggles to control.
• Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts someone feels compelled to perform to reduce anxiety related to obsessions.

Somatoform Disorders

• Somatoform disorders present as physical symptoms or complaints, originating from psychological factors.
• Conversion disorder involves neurological symptoms, such as paralysis or sensory loss, with no identifiable physical cause.
• Hypochondriasis (now often called illness anxiety disorder) involves excessive worry and preoccupation with having a serious illness.

Glove Anesthesia

• Glove anesthesia is a type of conversion disorder where a person loses sensation in their hand.
• It's a psychologically-induced condition, not a neurological one.

Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative disorders involve a fracturing or detachment of aspects of a person's personality.
• Dissociative amnesia involves the loss of memory for personal information, often due to a stressful event.
• A person experiencing dissociative fugue may lose their sense of identity and flee their home, job, or family.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• PTSD dates back to ancient times.
• Soldiers have long experienced battlefield stress, affecting them in detrimental ways.
• Symptoms can stem from physical, emotional, or psychological trauma.
• Treatments have evolved over time and include therapy, anti-anxiety drugs.

Dissociative Fugue

• Dissociative fugue is a combination of fugue (flight) and amnesia.
• Sufferers experience a loss of personal identity and sometimes move away from their usual surroundings.
• Episodes may last from hours to weeks.

Depersonalization Disorder

• Depersonalization disorder is characterized by the sensation that the mind and body are detached or separated.
• Often, people with this disorder describe feeling “out of body"
• This disorder frequently occurs following periods of significant stress or trauma.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

• Formerly known as multiple personality disorder.
• Individuals with DID have multiple identities or personalities.
• This disorder may be caused by trauma in childhood.

Schizophrenia

• Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder marked by distortions in thoughts, perceptions, and emotions.
• Often associated with perceived symptoms like "madness," "psychosis," or "insanity."
• People experiencing schizophrenia may experience distorted realities through hallucinations and delusions.

Types of Schizophrenia

• Various subtypes of schizophrenia exist, including disorganized, catatonic, paranoid, undifferentiated, and residual. Each has unique characteristics related to hallucinations, delusions, and behaviors.

Positive and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

• Symptoms of schizophrenia can be categorized into positive (active processes, such as hallucinations, delusions, bizarre thoughts, disorganized behavior) and negative (passive processes, such as flat affect, social withdrawal, reduced speech, apathy).

Causes of Schizophrenia

• The exact causes of schizophrenia are unknown. Several factors are considered, including possible genetic predisposition, abnormal brain development or function, and environmental influences.

Schizophrenia Treatments

• Current treatments for schizophrenia typically involve a combination of medication and therapy.
• History of treatment includes lobotomies and insulin shock therapy, but contemporary approaches have evolved.

Lobotomies

• A past treatment for schizophrenia.
• Involves cutting connections to the prefrontal cortex, often leading to serious side effects.

Eating Disorders

• Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are examples.
• Anorexia nervosa is characterized by severe food restriction and an unrealistic body image.
• Bulimia nervosa involves episodes of binge eating followed by behaviors in order to compensate (vomiting, laxatives).
• Both can be life-threatening.

Personality Disorders

• Personality traits are patterns of behavior, emotion, thinking, and social interaction.
• Problems arise in behaviors that are maladaptive and cause conflict with the individual and their environment.
• Examples include: narcissism (excessive pride and self-importance); antisocial personality disorder (lack of empathy or guilt); and borderline personality disorder (extreme emotional lability and instability).

Developmental Disorders

• The developmental disorders include autism and dyslexia.
• Autism is marked by difficulties with social communication and interaction, and repetitive behaviors.
• Dyslexia is a reading disorder causing problems with recognizing letters and words. Often, reading is done inconsistently.