Psychology · Ch 4 — Psychological Disorders
Summary
Summary
- Concept of abnormality: Defined by deviation from statistical norms, social norms, maladaptiveness, personal distress, and dysfunction. No single criterion is sufficient; context matters.
- Historical perspectives: Supernatural (demonic possession), biological (humoral imbalance), and psychological (moral therapy, psychoanalysis) models have shaped understanding. The biopsychosocial model now integrates all three.
- Classification systems: DSM-5 and ICD-11 use categorical approaches with diagnostic criteria. They improve reliability but risk stigma and oversimplification.
- Anxiety disorders: Include generalized anxiety disorder (persistent worry), panic disorder (sudden terror attacks), phobias (intense fear of specific objects/situations), and separation anxiety. Caused by genetic, neurobiological (GABA dysfunction), and cognitive factors (threat overestimation).
- Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders: OCD involves recurrent obsessions (intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors to reduce anxiety). Body dysmorphic disorder and hoarding disorder are related.
- Trauma- and stressor-related disorders: PTSD results from exposure to traumatic events, with re-experiencing, avoidance, negative mood, and hyperarousal. Acute stress disorder is similar but shorter duration.
- Somatic symptom and related disorders: Physical symptoms with no clear medical cause, driven by psychological distress. Includes illness anxiety disorder (preoccupation with having a serious illness) and conversion disorder (neurological symptoms like paralysis).
- Dissociative disorders: Involve disruption of memory, identity, or consciousness. Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities), dissociative amnesia, and depersonalization/derealization disorder.
- Depressive disorders: Major depressive disorder (persistent low mood, loss of interest, appetite/sleep changes, worthlessness) and persistent depressive disorder (chronic milder depression). Biological (serotonin/norepinephrine imbalance), genetic, and cognitive (negative triad by Beck) factors.
- Bipolar and related disorders: Manic episodes (elevated mood, grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, risky behavior) alternating with depressive episodes. Bipolar I (full mania) and Bipolar II (hypomania).
- Schizophrenia spectrum: Positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech), negative symptoms (flat affect, avolition, alogia), and cognitive deficits. Dopamine hypothesis, genetic vulnerability, and stress-diathesis model.
- Neurodevelopmental disorders: ADHD (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity), autism spectrum disorder (social communication deficits, restricted interests), and specific learning disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia).
- Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders: Oppositional defiant disorder (angry/argumentative behavior) and conduct disorder (violating others' rights, aggression, rule-breaking).
- Eating disorders: Anorexia nervosa (restriction, intense fear of weight gain, distorted body image), bulimia nervosa (binge-purge cycles), and binge-eating disorder.
- Substance-related and addictive disorders: Dependence (tolerance, withdrawal), abuse (recurrent negative consequences), and addiction (compulsive use despite harm). Includes alcohol, opioids, cannabis, and stimulants. …