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Psychological Disorders

Learning Objectives

n   Describe the symptoms of various anxiety disorders.

n   Summarize how psychological, biological, and sociocultural factors contribute to anxiety disorders.

Anxiety Disorders
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Anxiety Disorders

n    Phobias: strong irrational fears of objects or of situations

¨ Specific phobias:

¨ Social phobias:

¨ Agoraphobia:

Common Phobias

n    arachnophobia–

n    acrophobia –

n    claustrophobia – fear of small, enclosed places

n    brontophobia –

n    hydrophobia – fear of water

Video clip

Conditioning of Phobias

n     Classical conditioning—

n     May be maintained through operant conditioning.

¨    

Anxiety Disorders

n    Generalized Anxiety Disorder:

n    Panic Disorder:

n   

Questionnaire

Anxiety Disorders

n    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:  characterized by intrusive thoughts (obsessions), urges to perform repetitive, ritualistic behaviors (compulsions), or both.

n    Obsessions: 

n    Compulsions: 

Explanations of Anxiety Disorders:

¨  Psychological

n   Conditioning and learning

¨    

¨   Maintained through operant conditioning

n   Faulty cognitions

¨   Thinking styles whereby events are seen as threatening

¨  Biological

n    

¨  Sociocultural

n   environmental stressors

n   cultural socialization

¨   

Learning Objectives

n   Define psychosomatic

n   Review somatoform disorders

Definition

n   Psychosomatic:

¨  

Somatoform Disorders

n    

n    

n    

¨ Etiology

n   

n  The sick role

Questionnaire

Important Numbers

•      Merced College Counseling Department

–  (209) 384-6314

•      Suicide Hotline

–  1-800-SUICIDE

•      911

Learning Objectives

n   Describe the symptoms of some mood disorders.

n   Review the etiology of mood disorders.

Mood Disorders

n   Characterized by extreme disturbances in emotional states

¨ Major Depressive Disorder

¨ Bipolar Disorder refers to alternating state of reduced mood (depression) & mania (increased mood)

Mood Disorders

Major Depressive Disorder

n     The following must occur for at least 2 months:

n     .

n     Bad mood, lacking interest in activities, not getting pleasure from activities that were once enjoyable.

n     In addition, has to have at least 2 of the following for at least 2 months:

¨   Problems thinking, concentrating or making decisions

¨    

¨   Feeling worthless or guilty

¨    

¨   Problems with sleeping

Manic Episode

n   Lasts for at least 1 week

¨ Euphoria, cheerful, high and at least 3 of the following:

n   

n  Has little need for sleep

n   

n  Has racing thoughts

n  Is easily distracted

n  Pursues pleasurable activities

Etiology

n    Genetic vulnerability

n    Cognitive factors

n    Neurochemical factors

n    Interpersonal factors

Learning Objectives

n   Describe the symptoms of schizophrenia.

n   Review the etiology of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia

n     Form of psychosis involving disorders of perception, language, thought, emotion, and behavior

n     4 subtypes

¨    

¨   Catatonic type

¨    

¨   Undifferentiated type

n     New model for classification

¨   Positive vs. negative symptoms

Schizophrenia

n     Perceptual Symptoms

¨   Sensory filtering & perception is impaired

¨   Hallucinations:

n     Language and Thought Disturbance

¨   Word salad: 

¨   Delusions:

n     Emotional Disturbance

¨   Emotional affect can be enhanced or flattened (no affect)

n     Behavioral Disturbance

¨    

¨   Catalepsy refers to an immobile stance that can be held for hours (like a statue)

Etiology

n    Genetic vulnerability

n     Neurochemical factors

n     Structural abnormalities of the brain

n     The neurodevelopmental hypothesis

Learning Objectives

n   Describe Dissociative Disorders and some Personality Disorders.

Dissociative Disorders

n    Dissociative amnesia

n    Dissociative fugue

n    Dissociative identity disorder

¨  Etiology

n    

¨  Controversy

n   Media creation?

Personality Disorders

n   Antisocial or sociopathic personality disorder

n    

n   Borderline personality disorder

n    

n   Narcissistic personality disorder

n    

n    

Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Treatment

n   Types of treatment

¨ Insight therapies

n   

¨ Behavior therapies

n   

¨ Biomedical therapies

n  Biological functioning interventions

Behavior Therapies

n   B.F. Skinner and colleagues

¨ Goal:

Systematic Desensitization – Joseph Wolpe

n    Classical conditioning

n     

Aversion therapy

n    Alcoholism, sexual deviance, smoking, etc.

More Behavior Therapies

¨ Social skills training

n   

n  Behavioral rehearsal

¨ Cognitive-behavioral treatments

Cognitive Therapy

Insight Therapies: Psychoanalysis

n   Sigmund Freud and followers

¨ Goal:

n   

n   

n  Interpretation

¨  Resistance and transference

Freud’s view of the roots of disorders

Insight Therapies: Client Centered and GroupTherapy

n   Carl Rogers

¨ Goal:

¨ Therapeutic Climate

n  Genuineness

n   

n  Empathy

Rogers’s view of the roots of disorders

Biomedical Therapies

n    Drug Therapy

¨  Antidepressant

¨  Antianxiety

¨  Antipsychotic

n    

n   Atypical antipsychotics

¨  Mood stabilizers

n