Chapter 8 (Psychological Disorders).pdf

Chapter 8 Psychological Disorders  Anxiety Disorders Intense Apprehension and Worry Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state characterized by physical arousal and feelings of tension, apprehension, and worry. Anxiety disorders, however, is a category of psychological disorde...

Chapter 8 Psychological Disorders  Anxiety Disorders Intense Apprehension and Worry Anxiety is an unpleasant emotional state characterized by physical arousal and feelings of tension, apprehension, and worry. Anxiety disorders, however, is a category of psychological disorders in which extreme anxiety is the main diagnostic feature and causes significant disruptions in the person’s cognitive, behavioral, or interpersonal functioning. How does pathological anxiety differ from normal anxiety? Three features distinguish normal anxiety from pathological anxiety.  First, pathological anxiety is irrational.  Second, pathological anxiety is uncontrollable.  Third, pathological anxiety is disruptive.  Generalized Anxiety disorders Worrying About Anything and Everything Generalized anxiety disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by excessive, global, and persistent symptoms of anxiety; also called free-floating anxiety. In contrast, a panic attack is a sudden episode of extreme anxiety that rapidly escalates in intensity.  Panic Disorders When panic attacks occur frequently and unexpectedly, the person is said to be suffering from panic disorder. On the biological side, family and twin studies have found that panic disorder tends to run in families. This finding suggests that some individuals may inherit a greater vulnerability to develop panic disorder.  The Phobias Fear and Loathing Phobia is an intense, irrational fear that is triggered by a specific object or situation. People with specific phobia, formerly called simple phobia, are terrified of a particular object or situation and go to great lengths to avoid that object or situation, even though they know that the fear is irrational.  Agoraphobia Fear of Panic Attacks in Public Places Agoraphobia is the fear of having a panic attack in a public place from which it might be difficult to escape or get help. People with agoraphobia avoid: (1) Situations that they think might provoke a panic attack. (2) Situations in which they would be unable to escape or get help if they did suffer a panic attack.  Social Phobia Fear of Social Situations Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is more prevalent among women than men. Social phobia is far more debilitating than everyday shyness. For those who suffer social phobia, dancing in public is impossible, and even attending a wedding as a guest might cause overwhelming anxiety.  Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Re-experiencing the Trauma Posttraumatic stress disorder, abbreviated PTSD, is a long-lasting anxiety disorder that develops in response to an extreme physical or psychological trauma. Several factors influence the likelihood of developing posttraumatic stress disorder.  First, people with a personal or family history of psychological disorders are more likely to develop PTSD when exposed to an extreme trauma.  Second, the magnitude of the trauma plays an important role. More extreme stressors are more likely to produce PTSD.  Third, when people undergo multiple traumas, the incidence of PTSD can be quite high.  Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Checking It Again … and Again Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which a person’s life is dominated by repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). Obsessions are not the same as everyday worries. Obsessions are repeated, intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts or mental images that cause the person great anxiety and distress.  Mood Disorders Emotions Gone Awry Mood disorders are a category of mental disorders in which significant and chronic disruptions in mood is the predominant symptom, causing impaired cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning.  Major Depression Major depression is a mood disorder characterized by extreme and persistent feelings of despondency, worthlessness, and hopelessness, causing impaired emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning. Symptoms of major depression include: Loss of physical/mental energy, difficulty thinking/concentrating, and making less eye contact; eyes downcast.  Other Disorders  Dysthymic disorder is a mood disorder involving chronic, low-grade feelings of depression that produces subjective discomfort but do not seriously impair the ability to function.  Seasonal effective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder in which episodes of depression typically reoccur during the fall and winter and remit during the spring and summer.  Bipolar Disorder An Emotional Roller Coaster Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder involving periods of incapacitating depression alternating with periods of extreme euphoria and excitement; formerly called manic depression. Manic episode is a sudden, rapidly escalating emotional state characterized by extreme euphoria, excitement, physical energy, and rapid thoughts of speech. Some people experience a milder but chronic form of bipolar disorder called cyclothymic disorder. Cyclothymic disorder, is a mood disorder characterized by moderate but frequent mood swings that are not severe enough to qualify as bipolar disorder.  Schizophrenia A Different Reality Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which the ability to function is impaired by severely distorted beliefs, perception, and thought processes.  Symptoms of Schizophrenia The characterized symptoms of schizophrenia can be described in terms of two broad categories: – Positive symptoms, in schizophrenia, symptoms that reflect excesses or distortions of normal functioning, including delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thoughts and behavior. – Negative symptoms, in schizophrenia, symptoms that reflect defects or deficits in normal functioning, including flat affect, alogia, and avolition.  Other Symptoms of Schizophrenia Delusion: A falsely held belief that persists in spite of contradictory evidence. Hallucination: A false or distorted perception that seems vividly real to the person experiencing it.  Types of Schizophrenia Paranoid Type: Frequent auditory hallucinations, usually voices. Catatonic Type: Echoing of words spoken by others, or imitation of movements of others. Disorganized Type€ : Severely disorganized speech and behavior. Undifferentiated Type: Display of characteristics symptoms of schizophrenia but not in a way that fits the pattern for paranoid, catatonic, or disorganized type.  Explaining Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is an extremely complex disorder. Some of the factors that have been implicated in the development of schizophrenia, include: o Genetic Factors o Paternal Age (older fathers have higher risk) o Environmental Factors o Abnormal Brain Structures  Abnormal Brain Chemistry The Dopamine Hypothesis Dopamine hypothesis is the view that schizophrenia is related to, and may be caused by, excess activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain.