Abnormal Behavior

Psychology

First … What is normal and abnormal?

• With a partner, work together to develop your definition of normal and abnormal.– What are they based on?– Can they be universally applied?– You will turn this in at the end of the period.

Why Should We Study Abnormal Behavior?

• 1 in 7 people living in the US will require professional help for a psychological disorder at some time in their life .

• These disorders can take many forms and have a very wide range of symptoms.

• By helping people understand what these illnesses are and why they occur will help to take away from some of their mystique and better prepare people for dealing with these situations if they occur.

What does abnormal behavior entail?

• Depends on the situation/circumstance, pattern, time, individual, etc…

• There is not one exact blueprint for how we distinguish between normal and abnormal behavior.

Abnormal behavior is generally defined by one or a combination of the

following…1. It is unusual- seeing or hearing things,

anxiety attacks

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2. It suggests faulty perception or interpretation of reality- hallucinations or ideas of persecution

Hallucinations- a perception in the absence of sensory stimulation that is confused with reality.

Ideas of persecution- Erroneous beliefs that one is being victimized

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3. It suggests severe personality distress- anxiety, depression, exaggerated fears (existing for no reason)

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4. It is self-defeating. Behavior that causes misery rather than happiness.

(Ex: obsessive drinking and smoking)

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5. It is dangerous. Examples include threatening to commit suicide or threatening to attack others.

And possibly

6. It is socially unacceptable. Keep cultural contexts in mind!

Overview of Mental Disorders

Abnormal Psychology

Definition• Mental disorders are

illnesses that affect or are manifested in the brain.

• They may impact on the way a person thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people.

• The definition ‘mental disorder’ encompasses numerous psychiatric disorders that can vary in severity.

Impact• Mental disorders

have a major impact on a person’s wellbeing.

• It may interfere directly with their daily functioning (at home, work and socially) and adversely affect quality of life.

Causes

• Mental disorders are caused by a complex and poorly understood interaction between genetics, learned behavior, personality, past psychological influences, physical health, present situation and coping skills.

• Mental disorders can have a physiological basis and arise from changes in brain chemistry.

Diagnosis• Recognized mental

illnesses are described and categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSMIV).

• This book is compiled by the American Psychiatric Association and is updated periodically

Classifying Mental Disorders

1. Psychotic disorders2. Mood Disorders3. Eating Disorders4. Substance Abuse Disorders5. Somatoform Disorders

6. Personality Disorders7. Anxiety Disorders8. Dissociative Disorders9. Impulse Control Disorders

Psychotic Disorders

• The main characteristics of these disorders are loss of insight and reality testing.

• People with psychotic disorders experience delusions and hallucinations and do not understand that these thoughts are abnormal.

• The main psychotic disorders are schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and the delusional disorders.

Schizophrenia• A serious mental disorder

characterized by delusions, hallucinations, agitation, social withdrawal, apathy, and poor thought and/or content of speech.

Schizoaffective Disorder• Mood and schizophrenic symptoms are both

present but a diagnosis of schizophrenia, depressive or bipolar disorder is not warranted.

• Usually begins in early adulthood and is rarely diagnosed in childhood (prior to age 13).

• More common in women than in men. • Despite the greater variety of symptoms, the

illness course is more episodic and has an overall more favorable outcome than schizophrenia.

Delusional Disorders• Formerly known as paranoid disorder,

occurs when a person cannot tell what is real from what is imagined.

• People with delusional disorder experience non-bizarre delusions, which involve situations that could occur in real life, such as being followed, poisoned, deceived, conspired against, or loved from a distance.

• People with delusional disorder often can continue to socialize and function normally, apart from the subject of their delusion, and generally do not behave in an obviously odd or bizarre manner.

Mood Disorders

• Mood disorders are clinical conditions characterized by a disturbance of mood or persistent emotional states that affect how a person acts, thinks and perceives his or her environment.

• People with mood disorders often suffer from overwhelming feelings of sadness (depression), while others suffer from alternating periods of mania and depression (bipolar disorder).

Eating Disorders

• Characterized by a disturbance in eating behavior.

• The two major eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

• Overeating can sometimes be considered an abnormal behavior.

Substance Abuse Disorders• Clinical syndromes that occur as a result

of using substances that act on the central nervous system (CNS).

• Substance abuse causes decreased work or school performance, accidents, intoxication, absenteeism, and social consequences include violent crime and theft.

• Adolescents are the most vulnerable age group and men are more at risk of substance abuse than women.

Somatoform Disorders

• Repeated presentation of physical symptoms with persistent requests for medical investigations in spite of negative findings and reassurances by doctors that the symptoms have no physical basis.

Personality Disorders

• Personality disorders are deeply ingrained, maladaptive patterns of behavior.

• The initial signs of personality disorders can be recognized in adolescence or earlier and symptoms often continue throughout adult life.

Anxiety Disorders

• Include various combinations of mental and physical manifestations of anxiety not attributable to real danger

• Anxiety symptoms include emotional (fear), cognitive (anxious thoughts) and bodily symptoms (increased heart rate), the latter being caused by stimulation of the autonomic nervous system.

Dissociative Disorders• Individuals have episodes during

which they are unable to recall important personal information.

• These episodes of forgetfulness are too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.

Impulse Control Disorders

• This is a group of disorders characterized by a patient’s failure to resist an impulse, drive or temptation to perform some act that is harmful to him/herself or to another.