Psychological Disorders Notes PDF

Psychological Disorders Types of Psychological Disorders Anxiety disorders ○ Generalized anxiety disorder ○ Trauma and stressor disorders Phobias, Panic disorders, PTSD, OCd Mood disorders ○ Depression ○ Bipolar disorders...

Psychological Disorders Types of Psychological Disorders Anxiety disorders ○ Generalized anxiety disorder ○ Trauma and stressor disorders Phobias, Panic disorders, PTSD, OCd Mood disorders ○ Depression ○ Bipolar disorders Schizophrenia Personality disorders Neurodevelopmental disorders ○ Autism Spectrum Disorder ○ ADHD Major Depressive Disorder A mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, emptiness, and anhedonia ○ Anhedonia: Diminished interest or pleasure in activities that usually provide pleasure ○ Rumination: Repetitively turning emotional difficulties over and over in the mind Lifetime prevalence 7-15% of men; 20-25% of women A diagnosis requires depressed mood and/or markedly diminished interested most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, along with other symptoms. Explanations for Depression Students given a biological explanation for depression after hypothetically imagining receiving a diagnosis ○ Felt less stigma Had worse expected prognosis (likelihood of getting better) Believed that psychosocial interventions (e.g., psychotherapy) would be less effective Depression and the Brain Altered brain density, especially in areas like the prefrontal cortex, involved in self-perception and emotion regulation Smaller hippocampus volume Greater activation of the amygdala at early stages of emotion processing Reduced connectivity between frontal lobe (DLPFC) and the limbic area of the brain (involved in emotion) Bipolar Disorder A mood-related disorder characterized by both manic (excited and energetic) episodes and depressive episodes, with normal periods interspersed; formerly called manic depressive illness or manic-depression ○ Episodes vary in length, can be mixed Mania: A state of high excitement and energy often characterized by racing thoughts, a feeling of invincibility or omnipotence, and a lack of boundaries or inhibitions Schizophrenia  A psychological disorder characterized by a loss of contact with reality and a breakdown of the normal functions of the mind, leading to bizarre perceptions Prevalence 1% Includes both “positive” and “negative” symptoms [does NOT mean “good” and “bad”] ○ + Behaviors not present in healthy individuals ○ - Absence of behaviors usually seen in healthy individuals Schizophrenia Positive symptoms ○ Delusions: False beliefs that are rigidly maintained despite overwhelming contradictory evidence ○ Hallucinations: Sensory experiences, such as sights and sounds, that happen in the absence of any true sensory input Negative symptoms ○ Catatonic behavior: Standing or sitting “frozen” for hours on end sometimes in unusual postures Anhedonia ○ Cognitive difficulties (e.g., incohesive thought patterns) Schizophrenia and the Brain Dopamine hypothesis: Schizophrenia arises from abnormally high level of neural activity in circuits that are sensitive to dopamine Evidence? ○ Effectiveness of classical antipsychotics (which reduce dopamine reception) ○ Similar effects of amphetamines (which increase dopamine) to schizophrenic symptoms. Structural differences in the brain ○ Enlarged ventricles (due to reduced brain volume) ○ Reduction in volume especially pronounced in frontal and temporal lobes Schizophrenia Causes ○ Exact cause unknown ○ Predisposition (diathesis) related to genetic, prenatal, and psychosocial risk factors Genetics Maternal health/malnutrition during pregnancy Socioeconomic status Social stress Dissociative Identity Disorder A disorder defined by the presence of two or more distinct personality states within a single person, each with its own style, habits, beliefs, and memories ○ Formerly known as multiple personality disorder Difficult to know how many reported cases are genuine ○ Evidence largely based in individual case studies The debate does not center on whether DID exists but rather on how common this disorder is and how it comes into being.  Posttraumatic model: Symptoms arise when a child dissociates in order to cope with serious trauma Sociocognitive model: Symptoms arise when a client responds to a therapist’s suggestions and to widespread cultural conceptions of DID Personality Disorders A pattern of behavior and inner experience that: (1) deviates markedly from cultural norms and expectations (2) Is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations (3) leads to clinically significant distress or impairment DSM-5 recognizes 10 different personality disorders, categorized into 3 major clusters Paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal => Odd or eccentric behavior Antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic => Dramatic or emotional behavior Avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive => Anxious or fearful behavior