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Questions and Answers
What is another name for Dissociative Identity Disorder?
Which of the following is a symptom of Major Depressive Disorder?
Women attempt suicide more than men but men succeed more.
True
What is one hormonal factor that may contribute to depression?
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People with Somatic Symptom Disorder usually have another ______ diagnosis that requires _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ assistance.
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Define aetiology in the context of mental disorders.
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Which of the following are key criteria used to define abnormal behavior? (Select all that apply)
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Obsessions are thoughts that repeatedly intrude on one's consciousness.
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_______ is a false belief that is held strongly by an individual, even when presented with evidence to the contrary.
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Which medical model views mental illness as a disease and uses structured cognitive tools for identifying symptoms?
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Study Notes
Abnormal Behaviour
- Abnormal behaviour is defined as behaviour that is rare or unusual, maladaptive, and personally distressing.
- Emil Kraepelin, the founder of modern scientific psychiatry, defined mental illness as being rooted in a biological disease or medical model.
Criteria of Abnormal Behaviour
- Deviance: behaviour that differs from societal norms and expectations
- Dysfunction: behaviour that impairs an individual's ability to perform daily activities
- Personal distress: behaviour that causes significant distress or impairment to the individual
Classification Systems
- International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) by the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Anxiety Disorders
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: characterized by chronic, high-level anxiety not tied to a specific threat, excessive worry, and physical symptoms such as trembling and muscle tension
- Specific Phobia Disorder: characterized by an irrational fear of a specific object or situation, interference with daily functioning, and physical symptoms such as trembling and palpitations
- Panic Disorder: characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, fear of losing control or dying, and avoidance of situations that may trigger panic attacks
- Agoraphobia: characterized by fear of going out to public places, triggered by real or anticipated exposure to situations involving public transportation, open spaces, or enclosed places
Aetiology of Anxiety Disorders
- Biological factors: genetic overlap, inherited differences in temperament, and inherited anxiety disorders
- Conditioning and learning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, where anxiety responses are acquired and maintained
- Cognitive factors: certain styles of thinking that make individuals vulnerable to anxiety disorders, such as misinterpreting harmless situations as threatening
Dissociative Disorders
- Dissociative Amnesia: characterized by sudden loss of memory for important personal information, often associated with traumatic events
- Dissociative Identity Disorder: characterized by disruption of identity, experience of two or more distinct personalities, and unawareness of each other's existence
Aetiology of Dissociative Disorders
- Dissociative Amnesia: excessive stress, traumatic events, and conditioning
- Dissociative Identity Disorder: unknown, but may be associated with intentional role-playing, sexual or physical abuse, and controversial diagnosis
Depressive and Bipolar Disorders
- Unipolar: emotional extremes at one end of the mood continuum, such as depression
- Bipolar: emotional extremes at both ends of the mood continuum, both depression and mania
Major Depressive Disorder
- Characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and despair, loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure, and negative emotions
- Symptoms: anhedonia, lack of motivation, trouble getting out of bed, anxiety, irritability, and lack of self-esteem
- Occurs anytime, usually before the age of 40, and may have more than one episode
Bipolar Disorder
- Characterized by one or more manic or hypomanic episodes, and periods of depression
- Manic episode: elevated mood, high energy, and excessive optimism, with a paradoxical negative undercurrent of irritability and depression
Aetiology of Depressive and Bipolar Disorders
- Genetic vulnerability: heredity, concordance rates, and identical twins
- Neurochemical and neuroanatomical factors: abnormal levels of neurotransmitters, reduced hippocampal volume, and neurogenesis
- Hormonal factors: hormonal changes, stress, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis
- Cognitive factors: learned helplessness, rumination, and attribution of setbacks to personal flaws
- Interpersonal roots: inadequate social skills, poor social discretion, and correlation with depression
- Precipitating stress: strong link between stress and the onset of depressive and bipolar disorders
Somatoform and Related Disorders
- Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD): characterized by somatic symptoms that are distressing or disruptive, excessive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- Illness Anxiety Disorder: characterized by illness and somatic concerns, repeated examination, excessive information gathering, and avoidance of situations
- Conversion Disorder: characterized by neurological symptoms incompatible with neurological disorders, often associated with psychological issues
- Factitious Disorders: characterized by intentional falsification of medical or psychological signs and symptoms, and may be associated with abuse
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Description
Introduction to Psychology chapter 15 notes, covering abnormal behaviour from the University of Pretoria
