Questions and Answers
What is the definition of a mental disorder?
What does the medical model propose?
What does the theory of physiognomy suggest?
Mental disorders could be diagnosed from facial features.
What are signs in terms of psychological disorders?
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What are symptoms in the context of mental disorders?
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What is the difference between a disorder and a disease?
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What is diagnosis in the context of psychological disorders?
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What does DSM stand for?
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What is the focus of the Research Domain Criteria Project (RDoC)?
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What does anxiety disorder predominantly feature?
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Which of the following is a characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
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What characterizes panic disorder?
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What is major depressive disorder characterized by?
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What is the prognosis of a disorder?
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Education can dispel the stigma attached to psychological disorders.
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What does the Dopamine hypothesis suggest about schizophrenia?
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Study Notes
Mental Disorders
- Defined as persistent disturbances in behavior, thoughts, or emotions leading to significant distress or impairment.
- Classified within a medical model that views abnormal experiences as illnesses with biological and environmental causes.
Diagnosis and Classification
- Signs are objectively observed indicators of a disorder, while symptoms are subjectively reported experiences.
- Disorders represent common sets of signs and symptoms, while diseases refer to known pathological processes affecting the body.
- Diagnosis determines the presence of a disorder or disease.
- DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) has evolved to include detailed diagnostic criteria across multiple editions.
DSM Editions
- DSM (1952): Standardized classification system for mental disorders.
- DSM-II (1968): First revision, providing common terminology.
- DSM-III (1980) and DSM-IV (1994): Improved reliability through detailed symptom criteria.
- DSM-5: Contains 22 categories with over 200 disorders, including a section on cultural considerations and the concept of comorbidity.
Psychological Understanding
- Integrated perspective on disorders emphasizes biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
- Diathesis-stress model suggests that predispositions for disorders may remain hidden until stress triggers them.
- Stigmatization attached to mental disorders affects treatment-seeking behavior and self-esteem.
Anxiety Disorders
- Anxiety disorders are characterized by disproportionate anxiety and significant comorbidity with depression.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Chronic excessive worry with symptoms like restlessness and muscle tension; approximately 6% prevalence in North America.
- Phobic disorders involve excessive fear of specific objects or situations.
- Panic disorder involves panic attacks, lasting feelings of terror, with hereditary components.
Mood Disorders
- Major Depressive Disorder: Severe mood disturbance for two weeks or more, marked by feelings of worthlessness and loss of pleasure.
- Other forms include Dysthymia (chronic lesser symptoms for at least 2 years) and Seasonal Affective Disorder (episodes linked to seasonal changes).
- Biological factors, such as neurotransmitter activity, play a critical role in depression.
Schizophrenia
- Characterized by a disruption in psychological processes and perception of reality, affecting about 1% of the population.
- Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and negative symptoms like emotional withdrawal.
- Enlarged ventricles and issues with dopamine activity may relate to schizophrenia's manifestation, influenced by genetics and environmental factors.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Emerges in early childhood; involves communication deficits and repetitive behavior patterns.
- Spectrum includes various disorders like Asperger's and pervasive developmental disorder.
- Current understanding emphasizes empathizing capacity deficits associated with the condition.
Personality Disorders
- Characterized by deeply ingrained patterns of behavior and thought that cause personal distress and functional impairment; affects about 14.8% of the population.
- Common categories include:
- Odd/eccentric (paranoid, schizoid)
- Dramatic/erratic (antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, histrionic)
- Anxious/inhibited (avoidant)
Suicide and Self-Injury
- Suicide is a leading cause of death, particularly among younger demographics; many cases correlate with depressive episodes.
- Nonsuicidal self-injury involves harmful behaviors without intent to die, while nonfatal suicide attempts are more prevalent than completed suicides.
Research and Perspectives
- The Research Domain Criteria Project (RDoC) seeks to classify disorders based on underlying processes rather than just symptoms.
- Factors include biological influences like genes and neurotransmitter activity, psychological influences such as learning and memory, and social influences like interpersonal behavior.
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Description
Test your knowledge on psychological disorders with these flashcards from Chapter 15. This quiz covers key concepts and definitions, including the medical model and various theories related to mental health. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their understanding of psychological disorders.
