Lecture 8: Psychological Disorders Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Lecture 8: Psychological Disorders Deck (47)
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1
Q

What is psychopathology?

A

Maladaptive, disruptive, or uncomfortable patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving

2
Q

What can psychopathology affect?

A

Affects the individual and the people with whom they interact.

3
Q

How many people suffer from psychological disorders world wide?

A

Worldwide, over 400 million people suffer from some form of psychological disorder

4
Q

What are the effects of world wide psychological disorders?

A

Human suffering and financial burdens on individuals, families, communities, society.

5
Q

What are the three D’s that are considered abnormal?

A

Deviance, Distress and Dysfunction.

6
Q

What is deviance?

A

Statistical infrequency and norm violation within a culture.

7
Q

What is distress?

A

Personal suffering

8
Q

What is dysfunction?

A

(Maladaptive bahaviour) impaired functioning.

9
Q

What is involved in the practical approach for identifying abnormal behaviour?

A
  • Content of the behavior
  • Sociocultural context in which it occurs
  • Consequences for that person and for others
10
Q

Why do we classify psychological disorders?

A
  • Determine the nature of a problem
  • Choose the most appropriate method of treatment
  • Study the causes of mental disorders
11
Q

What classification system is there in north america?

A

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)

12
Q

Who is the DSM published by?

A

The American Psychiatric Association

13
Q

How many classified diagnostic labels are in the DSM?

A

over 300

14
Q

What classification system is there outside of North America?

A

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10)

and The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH-2)

15
Q

Who published the ICD-10 and ICIDH-2?

A

The World Health Organisation

16
Q

Explain Axis I for DSM?

A

Diagnosed mental disorder

17
Q

Explain Axis II for DSM?

A

Personality disorders/ intellectual disability

18
Q

Explain Axis III for DSM?

A

Relevant medical conditions

19
Q

Explain Axis IV for DSM?

A

Psychosocial and environmental problems

20
Q

Explain Axis V for DSM?

A

Current level of psychological, social, and occupational functioning

21
Q

What are the two validity evaluation points for the DSM?

A

Stronger for some diagnoses
e.g., schizophrenia, depression

Weaker for others
e.g., ADHD, somatoform disorders

22
Q

What are the two inter-rater reliability evaluation points for the DSM?

A

High for some disorders
e.g., anxiety disorders, affective disorders, schizophrenia

Low for others
e.g., somatoform disorders, personality disorders

23
Q

What are 6 problems with the diagnostics system?

A

1/ Mixed disorders are common
2/ Same symptoms seen in different disorders
3/ Subjective nature of criteria judgments
4/ Possibility of bias in diagnosis
5/ Insufficient attention to sociocultural variables
6/ Labeling can be dehumanizing

24
Q

How does the biological model explain psychological disorders?

A

Argues that Biological factors cause mental illness through:

  • Physical illnesses
  • Disruptions or imbalances in bodily processes, particularly central nervous system
25
Q

Give examples of how biological affects cause psychological disorders?

A
  • Structural difference in grey matter (Alzheimer’s)
  • Structural difference in white matter (Autism)
  • Imbalance in neurotransmitters (Schizophrenia)
  • Genetic influences (Austism etc)
26
Q

How does the psychological model explain psychological disorders?

A
It emphasizes psychological factors such as:
Wants
Needs
Emotions
Learning experiences
Attachment history
World view
27
Q

Within the psychological model, what are the two approaches to psychological disorders?

A

Psychodynamic explanation and Social-cognitive (social learning) explanation.

28
Q

What does the psychodynamic explanation suggest?

A

Unresolved, mostly unconscious conflicts between inborn impulses and the limits placed on those impulses by society

29
Q

What does the Social-cognitive (social learning) explanation suggest?

A
  • Interaction of past learning and current situations

- Emphasizes the roles of learned expectations, schemas, and other mental processes

30
Q

According to the sociocultural perspective, sociocultural factors include…?

A
  • Gender, age, and marital status
  • Physical, social, and economic situations
  • Cultural values, traditions, and expectations
31
Q

According to the sociocultural perspective, sociocultural factors influence…?

A
  • What is labeled abnormal
  • Who displays what kind of disorder
  • Likelihood of treatment
  • Overall prevalence of disorders
  • Form of abnormality
32
Q

According to the The Sociocultural Perspective, what can be a Culture-General Disorder?

A

Depression

33
Q

According to the The Sociocultural Perspective, how is depression a culturally influenced symptom?

A
  • In Western cultures, emotional and physical experiences are viewed separately, so symptoms appear as emotional distress
  • In China and Japan, emotional and physical experiences are seen as one, so symptoms may appear as stomach or back pain
34
Q

What is the diathesis stress model?

A

The diathesis–stress model is a psychological theory that attempts to explain behavior as a predispositional vulnerability together with stress from life experiences.
It takes Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors into account.

35
Q

What will people with strong diathesis succumb to?

A

People with a strong diathesis may succumb to relatively mild stress

36
Q

What will people with weak diathesis succumb to?

A

People with weaker diathesis may not show signs of a disorder until stress becomes extreme or prolonged

37
Q

What is the main example of an anxiety disorder?

A

Panic Disorder.

38
Q

What is panic disoder

A

A disorder where recurrent, terrifying panic attacks without warning or obvious cause

39
Q

What do panic disorder symptoms include?

A

Intense heart palpitations, pressure or pain in the chest, dizziness or unsteadiness, sweating, and feeling faint

40
Q

What are behavioural/longterm affects of panic disorder?

A
  • Restricted activities due to constant worry about suffering future panic episodes
  • Can lead to agoraphobia
  • Periods of improvement may be followed by recurrences
41
Q

percantage of adults panic disorder affects every year?

A

Affects 2%-3% of adults in any given year

42
Q

What are the biological causes of anxiety disorders?

A

Genetic influences such as….
Supported by twin studies and family studies
Degree of genetic influence is moderate, and varies among disorders

43
Q

What is an issues with genetic influences explaining anxiety disorders?

A

Difficult to pinpoint specific genes or gene combinations predictive of anxiety disorder

44
Q

What are the 3 biological causes of panic disorders?

A

1/ Genetic predisposition
2/ Over active fight or flight response
3/ Neurotransmitter system abnormalities

45
Q

How can neurotransmitter system abnormalities cause panic disorders?

A
  • Excessive activity of norepinephrine circuits linked to panic disorder
  • Dysregulation of the hypothalmic-pitutary-adrenal system (stress response)
  • Abnormal function of brain regions involved in regulating fear response (amygdala, hippocampus, ACC, PFC),
46
Q

What are the psychological causes of anxiety disorders?

A

Cognitive processes such as:

  • Exaggerating dangers creates unrealistic expectations of bad events
  • This leads people to dwell on, and be alert for negative events
  • Anxiety and desperation result from underestimating control capacity during feared events
  • Lack of perceived control can lead to overreacting or avoiding threatening situations
47
Q

Example of how the diathesis-stress model integrates biological and psychological risk factors?

A
Diathesis: Genetic predisposition
Over active fight or flight response
\+
Stress: Lack of perceived control 
Financial worries, health worries
=
Panic Disorder