Chapter SummaryPerspectives on Psychological Disorders
Psychological disorders fascinate us, partly because most of us will at some time experience or witness them close at hand. Defining Psychological Disorders Between normality and abnormality there is not a gulf but a somewhat arbitrary line. Where we draw this line depends on how atypical, disturbing, maladaptive, and unjustifiable a person’s behavior is. Understanding Psychological Disorders The medical model’s assumption that psychological disorders are mental illnesses displaced earlier views that demons and evil spirits were to blame. However, critics question the medical model’s labeling of psychological disorders as sicknesses. Most mental health workers today adapt a biopsychosocial perspective. They assume that disorders are influenced by genetic predisposition, physiological states, psychological dynamics, and social circumstances. Classifying Psychological Disorders Many psychiatrists and psychologists use the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) for naming and describing psychological disorders in treatment and research. Diagnostic labels facilitate mental health professionals’ communications and research, and most health insurance policies in North America require DSM-IV diagnoses before they will pay for therapy. Labeling Psychological Disorders Critics point out the price we pay for these benefits of classifying disorders: Labels also can create preconceptions that unfairly stigmatize people and bias our perceptions of their past and present behavior. Anxiety Disorders Anxiety is part of our everyday experience. It is classified as a psychological disorder only when it becomes distressing or persistent or is characterized by maladaptive behaviors intended to reduce it. Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder Those who suffer generalized anxiety disorder may for no clear reason feel persistently and uncontrollably tense and uneasy. Anxiety escalates into periodic episodes of intense dread for those suffering panic disorder. Phobias Those with a phobic disorder may be irrationally afraid of a specific object or situation. The fear can disrupt behavior and lead to incapacitating efforts to avoid the situation or object. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Persistent and repetitive thoughts and actions characterize obsessive-compulsive disorder. The thoughts and behaviors are so persistent that they interfere with daily living and cause the person distress. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Experiencing a traumatic event can, for a small percentage of the population, lead to this disorder. The symptoms are four or more weeks of memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and sleep problems. Explaining Anxiety Disorders The psychoanalytic perspective viewed anxiety disorders as the discharging of repressed impulses. Psychologists now tend to consider these disorders from the learning and biological perspectives. The learning perspective sees anxiety disorders as a product of fear conditioning, stimulus generalization, reinforcement, and observational learning. The biological perspective considers possible evolutionary, genetic, and physiological influences. Mood Disorders Mood disorders are characterized by emotional extremes. The two principal forms are major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Major Depressive Disorder In major depression, the person—without apparent reason—descends for weeks or months into deep unhappiness, lethargy, and feelings of worthlessness before rebounding to normality. Although less disabling, dysthymic disorder is marked by chronic low energy and poor self-esteem. Bipolar Disorder In the less common bipolar disorder, the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the hyperactive, wildly optimistic, impulsive phase of mania. Explaining Mood Disorders Current research on depression is vigorously exploring two sets of influences. The first focuses on genetic predispositions and neurotransmitter abnormalities. The second views the cycle of depression from a social-cognitive perspective, in light of cyclic self-defeating beliefs, learned helplessness, negative attributions, and aversive experiences. Schizophrenia Schizophrenia typically strikes during late adolescence. It affects men and women about equally, and it seems to occur in all cultures. Symptoms of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia shows itself in disorganized thinking (nonsensical talk and delusions, which may stem from a breakdown of selective attention); disturbed perceptions (including hallucinations); and inappropriate emotions and actions. It is rarely a one-time episode. Subtypes of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a set of disorders that emerges either gradually from a chronic history of social inadequacy (in which case the outlook is dim) or suddenly in reaction to stress (in which case the prospects for recovery are brighter). Understanding Schizophrenia Multiple factors converge to create schizophrenia. As they have for depression, researchers have linked certain forms of schizophrenia with brain abnormalities, in this case, with enlarged, fluid-filled cerebral cavities or increased receptors for the neurotransmitter dopamine, known to be a major player in schizophrenia. Twin and adoption studies also point to a genetic predisposition that, in conjunction with environmental factors, may bring about a schizophrenia disorder. Personality Disorders Antisocial Personality Disorder Personality disorders are enduring, maladaptive patterns of behavior that impair social functioning. For society, the most troubling of these is the remorseless and fearless antisocial personality. A person with antisocial personality (typically a male who displays a lack of conscience before age 15) can be violent or a charming con artist. Understanding Antisocial Personality Disorder Both genetics and environment influence Antisocial Personality Disorder. People with the disorder have reduced activity in the frontal lobe, an area of the cortex. They may also be more sensitive to maltreatment as children. Rates of Psychological Disorders Recent survey findings revealed that one in seven Americans have experienced a clinically significant psychological disorder in the prior year. Among them, the three most common were phobic disorder; alcohol abuse or dependence (with men outnumbering women five to one); and mood disorder (with women outnumbering men two to one). Poverty is a predictor of mental illness but it can also be the result of mental illness due to inability to function effectively in society and thus being driven into poverty. |
Key TermsPsychological Disorder - deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional behavior patterns.
Medical Model - the concept that diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured. When applied to psychological disorders, assumes that these mental illnesses can be diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms and cured through therapy, which may include treatment in a psychiatric hospital. DSM IV - the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders. Neurotic Disorders - usually distressing but allows one to think rationally and function socially. Anxiety Disorders - psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety. Generalized Anxiety Disorder - an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal. Psychotic Disorders - severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. Phobia - an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations. OCD - an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts and or actions. Panic Disorder - an anxiety disorder marked by a minutes-long episode of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations. Somatoform Disorders - disorders characterized by physical symptoms for which no known physical cause exists. Conversion Disorder - a mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause). Hypochondriasis - A somatoform disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation with health concerns and incessant worry about developing physical illnesses. ADHD - a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of three key symptoms: extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Dissociative Disorders - disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings. Amnesia - partial or total loss of memory. Fugue - dissociative disorder in which a person forgets who who they are and leaves home to creates a new life. Dissociative Identity Disorder - a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Mood Disorders - psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes. Major Depressive Disorder - a mood disorder in which a person, for no apparent reason, experiences two or more weeks of depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminishes interest or pleasure in most activities. Bipolar Disorder - a mood disorder in which the person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania. Mania - a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state. Schizophrenia - a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and actions. Delusions - false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders. Personality Disorders - psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning. Antisocial Personality Disorder - a personality disorder in which the person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist. Biopsychosocial Approach - an integrated perspective that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis. PTSD - an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience. Psych Sim 5 ActivitiesTricky SpotsAxis I: Does their condition require immediate attention?
Axis II: Personality disorders and rating scale for mental retardation. Does this person not need immediate treatment but still have to be treated? Axis III: What's their Physical Conditions That May Affect Their Mental Conditions? Axis IV: What are Their Social and Environment Problems? Axis V: Can the Person Cope in Normal Life, scored out of 100? Extras
Videos |