Chp 15 Notes Abnormal behavior is behavior that is deviant maladaptive or personally distressful over a relatively longperiod of time deviant Abnormal behavior is certainly atypical or statistically unusual People such as Alicia Keys Peyton Manning and Steven Spielberg are atypical but we do not categorize them as abnormal When atypical behavior deviates from what is acceptable in a culture it often is considered abnormal A woman who washes her hands three or four times an hour and takes seven showers a day is abnormal because her behavior deviates from what we consider acceptable Maladaptive behavior interferes with a person s ability to function effectively in the world A man who believes that he can endanger other people through his breathing may go to great lengths to avoid people so that he will not harm anyone He might isolate himself from others for what he believes is their own good His belief separates him from society and prevents his everyday functioning thus his behavior is maladaptive Personal distress over a long period of time Th e person Engaging in the behavior fi nds it troubling A woman who secretly makes herself vomit after every meal may never be seen by others as deviant because they do not know about it but this pattern of behavior may cause her to feel intense shame guilt and despair Th e biological approach attributes psychological disorders to organic internal causes Th is approach primarily focuses on the brain genetic factors and neurotransmitter functioning as the sources of abnormality Th e psychological approach emphasizes the contributions of experiences thoughts emotions and personality characteristics in explaining psychological disorders Psychologists might focus for example on the infl uence of childhood experiences or of personality traits in the development and course of psychological disorders Th e sociocultural approach emphasizes the social contexts in which a person lives including the individual s gender ethnicity socioeconomic status family relationships and culture For instance individuals from low income minority neighborhoods have the highest rates of psychological disorders Schwartz Corcoran 2010 Socioeconomic status plays a much stronger role in disorders than does ethnicity Th e living conditions of poverty create stressful circumstances that can contribute to the development of a psychological disorder Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Its current version the DSM IV APA 1994 was introduced in 1994 and revised in 2000 producing the DSM IV TR text revision APA 2000 DSM V is due in 2013 Th roughout the development of the DSM the number of diagnosable disorders has increased dramatically Th e fi rst DSM listed 112 disorders the DSM IV TR includes 374 In contrast anxiety disorders involve fears that are uncontrollable disproportionate to the actual danger the person might be in and disruptive of ordinary life Cisler others 2010 Th ey feature motor tension jumpiness trembling hyperactivity dizziness a racing heart and apprehensive expectations and thoughts Generalized anxiety disorder is diff erent from such everyday feelings of anxiety in that suff erers of this disorder experience persistent anxiety for at least six months and are unable to specify the reasons for the anxiety Fisher Granger Newman 2010 People with generalized anxiety disorder are nervous most of the time In a panic disorder however a person experiences recurrent sudden onsets of intense apprehension or terror often without warning and with no specifi c cause Panic attacks can produce severe palpitations extreme shortness of breath chest pains trembling sweating dizziness and a feeling of helplessness Dammen others 2006 People with panic disorder fear that they will die go crazy or do something they cannot control Th ey may feel that they are having a heart attack Irrational overwhelming persistent fear of a particular object or situation an anxiety disorder called a phobic disorder or phobia Whereas individuals with generalized anxiety disorder cannot pinpoint the cause of their nervous feelings individuals with phobias can As with any anxiety disorder phobias are fears that are uncontrollable disproportionate and disruptive Anxiety disorder known as o bsessive compulsive disorder OCD features anxietyprovoking thoughts that will not go away and or urges to perform repetitive ritualistic behaviors to prevent or produce some future situation Obsessions are recurrent thoughts and compulsions are recurrent behaviors Individuals with OCD dwell on normal doubts and repeat their routines sometimes hundreds of times a day Post traumatic stress disorder PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops through exposure to a traumatic event that has overwhelmed the person s abilities to cope O Donnell others 2010 PTSD symptoms can follow a trauma immediately or after months or even years de Roon Cassini others 2010 McFarlane 2010 Most individuals who are exposed to a traumatic event experience some of the symptoms in the days and weeks following exposure Major depressive disorder MDD involves a signifi cant depressive episode and depressed characteristics such as lethargy and hopelessness for at least two weeks Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that is characterized by extreme mood swings that include one or more episodes of mania an overexcited unrealistically optimistic state A manic episode is like the fl ipside of a depressive episode Th e person feels euphoric and on top of the world An individual who experiences mania has tremendous energy and might sleep very little A manic state also features an impulsivity that can get the individual in trouble For example the suff erer might spend his or her life savings on a foolish business venture Dissociative disorders are psychological disorders that involve a sudden loss of memory or change in identity Under extreme stress or shock the individual s conscious awareness becomes dissociated separated or split from previous memories and Thoughts Dissociative amnesia is a type of amnesia characterized by extreme memory loss that stems from extensive psychological stress A person experiencing dissociative amnesia still remembers things like how to hail a cab or use a phone Only aspects of their own identity and autobiographical experiences are forgotten Dissociative fugue fugue means fl ight is a dissociative disorder in which the individual not only develops amnesia but also unexpectedly travels away from home and