CH15 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS Psychological disorders different deviant distressful and dysfunctional patterns of thoughts feelings of behaviors Standards for deviant behavior varies with context and culture Ex wartime mass killing heroic Cultures practicing ancestor worship hearing voices and talking to the dead is normal Varies with TIME Ex homosexuality was considered an illness in the past Deviance alone doesn t define someone as having a disorder The deviant behavior usually causes distress and harmful dysfunction DYSFUNCTION IS KEY TO DEFINING A DISORDER intense fear of spiders may be deviant but if it doesn t IMPAIR you its not a disorder medical model concept that diseases psychological disorders have physical causes that can be diagnosed treated and in most causes cured Often through treatment in a hospital Philip Pinel reformer madness is not demon possession but a sickness of the mind caused by severe stresses and inhumane conditions Moral treatment boosting patients morale by unchaining them and TALKING with them Gentleness Biopsychosocial approach all behavior normal or disordered arises from the interaction of nature and nuture links between specific disorders and cultures cultures differ in their sources of stress diff ways of coping depression and schizophrenia occur world wide not culture bound Biological influences evolution genes brain structure and chemistry Psychological stress trauma learned helplessness mood related perception and memories Social cultural roles expectations definitions of normality and disorder DSM IV TR the American Psychiatric Association s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition text revision Widely used sys for classifying psychological disorders diagnostic labels changed mental retardation intellectual development disorder Anxiety disorders psychological disorders characterized by distressing persistent anxiety of maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety Generalized anxiety disorder person is unexplainably and continually tense and uneasy Pathological worry o 2 3 of people that have this are women o person may not be able to identify and deal with or avoid its cause o Freud anxiety free floating panic disorder experiences sudden episodes of intense dread o panic attacks heart palpitations shortness of breath choking sensations trembling dizziness o smokers doubled risk phobias irrational fears o specific phobias o social phobia shyness taken to an extreme fear of being scrutinized by others avoid potentially embarrassing social situations speaking up eating out parties etc OCD anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts obsessions and or actions compulsions Post traumatic stress disorder lingering memories nightmares for weeks after a threatening uncontrollable event o The greater ones emotional distress during the trauma the higher the risk for post traumatic symptoms o Persistent right temporal lobe activation o Survivor resiliency those who don t develop PTSD o Post traumatic growth positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crisis THE LEARNING PERSPECTIVEFear conditioning Stimulus generalization ex attacked by dog fear of ALL dogs Reinforcement maintains the phobias after they arise Avoiding escaping the feared situation reduces anxiety reinforcing the phobic behavior Observational learning observing others fears Ex wild monkeys fear snakes but lab monkeys don t Cognition THE BIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVENatural selection biologically prepared to fear threats faced by ancestors Genes sensitive high strung temperament traumatic event phobia genes regulate neurotransmitters anxiety gene that affects serotonin lvls influences sleep and mood glutamate with too much the brain s alarm centers become overreactive The brain anterior cingulate cortex monitors actions and checks for errors seems esp likely to be hyperactive in those with OCD MOOD DISORDERS psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes Major depressive disorder mood disorder in which a persons experiences in the absence of drugs or another medical condition two or more weeks of sig depressed moods or diminished interest or pleasure in most activites along with at least four other symptoms o Depressed mood most the day o Diminished interest pleasure in activities o Sig weight loss gain when not dieting sig decrease increase in appetite o Insomnia o Worthlessness inappropriate guilt o Daily problems in thinking concentration or making decisions o Recurring thoughts of death and suicide Bipolar disorder manic depressive disorder mood disorder in which person alternates between hopelessness and lethargy od depression and the overexcited state of mania o Mania hyperactive wildly optimistic state bad decisions Need protection from their own poor judgement Genetic influences Biological perspective Mood disorders run in families Risk of major depression and biopolar increases if you have a parent or sibling with it Left frontal lobe active during emotions less during depressed states Hippocampus memory processing center linked with brain s emotional circuit is vulnerablt to stress related damage Norepepinephrine increases arousal and boosts mood scarce during depression overabundant during mania Drugs that relieve depression increase norepinephrine or serotonin supplies by blocking either their reuptake or their chemical breakdown Social cognitive perspective depression is a whole body disorder roles of thinking and acting depressed people view life with low self esteem Negative thoughts and negative moods interact depression prone people respond to bad events in a self focused and self blaming way Depression is common among young westerners individualism and decline of commitment to religion and family personal responsibility for failure or rejection Non western cultures close knit relationships major depression is less common and less tied to self blame over personal failure Successful coping temporary I will get through this specific I miss him but I have my friends external it wasn t meant to be Depression stable ill never get over this global without him I cant do anything internal all my fault THE CYCLE stressful experiences explanatory style depressed mood cognitive and behavioral changes Schizophrenia split mind NOT multiple personality But a split from reality group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking disturbed