Psychology Chapter 4 Notes.docx

**Chapter IV** **Psychological Disorders (Abnormality)** [1. Write a note on the factors influencing abnormality] (6 marks) **a. BIOLOGICAL MODEL** Biological factors such as the brain, genes, hormones, nutrition, neurotransmitters, and healthy organs are necessary for proper functioning of th...

**Chapter IV** **Psychological Disorders (Abnormality)** [1. Write a note on the factors influencing abnormality] (6 marks) **a. BIOLOGICAL MODEL** Biological factors such as the brain, genes, hormones, nutrition, neurotransmitters, and healthy organs are necessary for proper functioning of the body and the mind. If there is a brain dysfunction, gene mutation, hormonal imbalance, malnutrition, dysfunction of neurotransmitters, and injuries, it could cause mental disorders Ex: increase in dopamine level causes schizophrenia Ex: gene mutation could cause mental retardation **b. PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL** There are psychological factors such as interpersonal relations, learning principles, belief systems, thinking patterns, potential, self worth, self esteem, etc. If there are any problems in those psychological factors, such as conflicts, negative experiences, stress, pressure, frustration, childhood trauma, failure in realizing ones potential, etc., it could to development of mental disorders. **C. SOCIO-CULTURAL MODEL** There are social factors such as family structure, relationships, social networks, role in society, etc, that are necessary for the normal functioning of the human body and mind. If there are problems like broken families, expectation and pressure from society, conflicts in society, relationship problems, etc, it could lead to abnormality. **d. DIATHESIS STRESS MODEL** Diathesis means \"a condition that makes a person vulnerable to developing a disorder\" The diathesis stress model states that we inherit characteristic traits and behaviors from multiple genes, through heredity. These traits and behaviors are activated and expressed under certain stressful conditions. So when there is a stressor, the person develops the disorder. Ex: a 16 year old has the inherited tendency of blood-injury-injection phobia. When they saw the dissection of a frog in class for the first time, it acted as a stressor and it led to the expression of the disorder. [2. Write a note on autism.] (6 marks) It is a pervasive developmental disorder seen in children, ie., they create delays in the development of the child. Involves wide range of problems like deficit in language, perceptual abilities, motor development and social deficits. Autism is usually identified before the child is 30 months of age. It also may be suspected in the early years of life Some of the major symptoms of autism are as follows : **a. SOCIAL DEFICIT** They do not maintain eye contact Difficulty in interacting with others. Difficulty in understanding others\' feelings This condition is known as **mind blindness** **b. ABSENCE OF SPEECH** There is severe deficit in speech The child shows parrot-like speech, also known as **Echolia** They imitate the speech of others **c. SELF STIMULATION** Show repetitive movements like banging the head, spinning, and rocking the body for hours together There is aversion towards auditory stimuli Cry at sounds **d. INTELLECTUAL ABILITY** Show deficit in memory, reasoning, and problem solving But children with autism can perform exceptionally well in certain areas like mathematics, art, and music. **e. MAINTAIN SAMENESS** Show strong attachment to certain objects [3. Write a note on Somatoform disorders] (6 marks) **Somatoform Disorders** These are psychological problems that are manifested in the form of physical symptoms without any medical cause. Here, individuals usually complain about headache, migraine, gastric problems, stomach ache, numbness in hands and legs, paralysis, etc. No evidence of these physical symptoms are found when medical tests such as X-ray, scanning, and blood tests are done. Types of somatoform disorders: **a. PAIN DISORDER** The individual usually complains about severe pain in one or more areas of the body due to psychological factors. Ex: a child complaining about stomach ache when they have to go to school. This could be due to fear of the teacher, abuse, etc. In this disorder, the pain caused is real, and it interferes with daily activities such as going to work/school, loss of physical strength, social isolation, etc. **b. CONVERSION DISORDER** This disorder affects one\'s sensory or motor functions. The person is able to carry out all functions except for the affected part of the body. These symptoms usually start after an emotional trauma or stress. Ex: in a condition called writer\'s cramp, the person can do all the functions of the hand, but is not able to write. **C. SOMATIZATION DISORDER** This is a chronic or long-term condition. Here, the person has physical symptoms that involves more than one part of the body, but no physical-cause can be found. Ex: the person complains about severe problems in the digestive system and reproductive system, and this interferes with daily functioning. **d. HYPOCHONDRIASIS** Here, the person believes that they have a serious medical disease, but there is no medical basis or proof for it The person is preoccupied with constantly keeping a check on their heart beat, bowel movement, blood pressure, etc., despite medical assurance They go through various medical articles and try to match their symptoms with the symptoms published in that article. Ex: they would interpret chest pain as a heast-attack, and then undergo various medical tests. [4. Write a note on dissociative disorders.] (6 marks) **Dissociative Disorders** Dissociation is a mental process where the person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity. People who go through a traumatic event will often experience some amount of dissociation during the event itself or in the following hours, days or weeks The person feels detached from what is going on around them They sometimes feel like they are watching the event on TV. In most cases of dissociation, the person comes back to normalcy without any treatment. There are 4 types of dissociative disorders: **A. DISSOCIATIVE AMNESIA** This is a condition where there is selective loss of memory It is extensive in nature, ie., it affects a major part of the person. It affects the person\'s episodic memory, i.e. the person lacks the ability to recall the information related to personal events and facts. It does not affect the person\'s procedural memory, i.e. characteristics like language and skilled work remains intact. Dissociative amnesia is not caused by accidents and brain injuries, but it is mainly caused by stressful situations-like abuse, suicide attempts, etc. There are 4 types of dissociative amnesia: *i) LOCALIZED AMNESIA* The person has no memory of the traumatic event at all. Ex: when a person experiences assault, they may not be able to recall any details of the event for a few days. *ii) SELECTIVE AMNESIA* The person has patchy or incomplete memory of the traumatic event. *iii) GENERALIZED AMNESIA* The person has trouble remembering details of their entire life. *iv) SYSTEMATIZED AMNESIA* The person may have a specific type of memory loss. It doesn\'t necessarily have to be a memory related to the incident. Ex: no memory of one relative. **B. DISSOCIATIVE FUGUE** Fugue means flight It is also a form of amnesia. Here, the person wanders away to another place and starts living with a new identity. After a period of time, maybe days, months, or years, they may realize that they are in a strange place. Then they come back to their original place and forget the period they had spent wandering. **C. DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER (DID)** DID was earlier known as multiple personality disorder. It is a dramatic disorder where a person shows more than one identities. These identities alternate with each other. There are two dynamics to it - 1\. **Host personality:** the personality with the real name and identity of the person 2\. **Alter personality:** the other personalities that do not have the original identity The alter personalities can vary in gender, age, general knowledge, language, handedness (right or left handed), handwriting, etc. Ex: if the real or host personality is an introvert, calm, reserved, shy, silent, and serious, the alter personality could be an extrovert, fun loving, loud, and easy going People with DID show inability to recall personal information **d. DEPERSONALIZATION DISORDER** Here, the person feels detached from their own body and mental processes. There is disruption of memory, consciousness, awareness, identity, and perception. Usually, these people feel that they are observing their own bodies. These people describe their experiences as isolated, being lifeless, strange, and unfamiliar. [5. Write a note on mood disorders] (6 marks) Mood disorders are the disturbances in the emotional states which are intense, persistent, and to maladaptive behaviors **a. DEPRESSION** The most common mood disorder An emotional state where there is extreme sadness and dejection The person has negative emotions such as low self esteem, feeling of worthlessness, guilt, irritability, unhappiness, loneliness, etc. Other symptoms are poor appetite, insomnia, lack of interest, suicidal thoughts, etc. The types of depression: **1. POST-PARTUM DEPRESSION** Some women experience depression after giving birth This takes place due to hormonal and physical changes It also comes from the new responsibility of the newbom **2. SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER** This is the onset of depression during the winter months when there is less sunlight. **b. MANIA** Intense and unrealistic feelings of excitement and euphoria The person is extremely happy, excited, extremely energetic, talkative, and distracted. They experience decreased need for sleep and psychomotor agitation. They may get into violence when others refuse to co-operate with them. **C. BIPOLAR MOOD DISORDER** Also known as manic depression Causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior Shifts from the highs of mania to the lows of depression The cycles of bipolar disorder lasts for days, weeks, or months. Mood changes here are so intense that they interfere with the ability to function. Ex: during a manic episode, the person might impulsively quit their job, spend huge amounts of money on unnecessary things, and feel rested after two hours of sleep. And during a depressive episode, the same person might feel too tired to get out of bed, feel extremely guilty for quitting their job and spending the money [6. Write a note on schizophrenia.] (6marks) Schizo means split Phrenia means mind Schizophrenia is a group of disorders that causes severe distortion in the person\'s social, cognitive, and behavioral areas. There are 2 types of symptoms. **POSITIVE SYMPTOMS** These are called positive because they are present in excess (extra) than the normal behavior. There are 2 positive symptoms - Hallucinations & Delulusions **i) Hallucination** These are false perceptions. An unreal mental image is perceived as real There is no objective stimulus There is no sensory condition The image is purely subjective The image is projected and mistaken for perception Ex: seeing God or the devil Cause 1: abnormal condition of the mind Cause 2: inner fears and conflict. Ex: seeing a ghost when extremely scared Cause 3: intense wish or hope. Ex: seeing water in a desert when extremely thirsty. There are 5 types of hallucinations Visual: seeing someone/something standing before them when no one is present Auditory: hearing voices Tactile: feeling someone is touching them Olfactory: smelling of dead bodies, rotten fish etc Gustatory: tasting bitter or something bad while not eating anything **ii) Delusion** An erroneous (false) belief Irrational thinking Ex: believe that their thoughts, feelings, and actions are being controlled by external agents Ex: suspicion that someone is following them Ex: belief that their partner is trying to kill them **b. NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS** These are called negative because they are the absence of behavior that is normally present. There are 3 negative symptoms **i) Flat or blunt emotional expression** Showing less or very few emotions like anger, sadness, joy, etc. **ii) Alogia** There is poverty or reduction of speech. There is addition of new words, also called neologism. These new words do not have any meaning to them. **iii) Disorganized and catatonic behavior** ** ** Absence of movement and speech. They may hold an unusual posture or pose for a long period of time **TYPES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA** A. PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA This is characterized by delusions There is suspiciousness of being watched, followed, or talked about B. DISORGANIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA There is disorganized speech There is emotional apathy, they are not able to show any emotions C. CATATONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA Immobile body, ie, they may hold an unusual posture or pose for a long period of time. Excessive motor activity or movements that are meaningless and unrelated **Echopraxia**: imitating actions of others **Echolia**: imitating speech of others D. UNDIFFERENTIATED SCHIZOPHRENIA Acute or severe phase of schizophrenia All the positive and negative symptoms are present E. RESIDUAL SCHIZOPHRENIA People with this type have experienced one or few episodes of schizophrenia, but do not show any prominent symptoms currently. [7. Write a note on substance abuse disorders.] (6 marks) Substance refers to alcohol, and drugs like sedatives and nicotine. Disorders related to substance are classified into 2 types : **i. Substance abuse disorder** Involves excessive use of drugs which leads to dangerous consequences like damage of property, family and relationships. **ii. Substance dependence disorder** Involves intense craving for the substance which the person is addicted to There are symptoms of tulerance, withdrawal symptoms, drug seeking behavior, and failure in discontinuing the use of the substance. ***a) ALCOHOL*** i\. Alcohol abuse ii\. Alcohol dependency ***b. NARCOTICS*** i\. Opium ii\. Heroin **C. TRANQUILIZERS** i\. Minor tranquilizers (anxiolytics or anti-anxiety agents) ii\. Major tranquilizers (neuroleptics) **d. STIMULANTS** i\. Cocaine ii\. Caffeine