PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS“We are all mad at some time or another.”

- Battista Mantuanus

Psychological Disorder• Psychological disorder – a psychological condition

characterized by behaviors and/or thinking patterns that are UMAD• Unjustifiable - irrational, doesn’t make sense to most people• Maladaptive – unhealthy and/or harmful• Atypical – unusual, outside of social norms• Disturbing – makes the individual or others feels

uncomfortable

Mentally Ill vs. Insane• The term “insane” is not a clinical term, rather a legal

term.• The rare “insanity defense.”

• It is offensive to refer to a mentally ill individual as “crazy” or “insane.”• Often we say these terms when we are confused or uncomfortable.

Classifying Disorders• DSM 5

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

• Published by the American Psychiatric Association

• A widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

• 1950 – 60 disorders• Today – over 400 disorders

Anxiety Disorders• Psychological disorders characterized by

distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

Anxiety Disorders

Disorder Characteristics

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Continually tense and apprehensive for 6+ months

Cannot identify, avoid, or cope with anxiety source

Panic Disorder Unpredictable minutes long panic attacks

1 in 75 people

Phobias Persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or situation that disrupts normal life

Agorophobia (fear of inability to escape situation)Social phobiaObject phobias

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder• Characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts

(obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions).• Must disrupt everyday life

• Trichotillomania (hair-pulling), Excoriation (skin-picking), Hoarding disorderOBSESSION = Thought COMPULSION = Ritual/Action

A young man is continuously scared that a car will hit him when he walks on the sidewalk.

He always walks as far from the street pavement as possible and wears red clothes so that he will be immediately visible to cars.

A mother is tormented by the concern that she will contaminate her family’s food while cooking.

Everyday she sterilizes all cooking utensils in boiling water, scours every pot and pan before placing food in it, and wears rubber gloves while handling food.

A young boy worries incessantly that something terrible might happen to his mother while sleeping at night.

On his way to bed each night, he climbs the stairs in the same sequence of three steps up, followed by two steps down in order to ward off the danger.

Famous OCD Sufferers• Charles Darwin• Howard Hughes• Marc Summers• Howie Mandel• Megan Fox

Mood Disorders• Psychological disorders characterized by

emotional extremes• Depression is the number one reason people seek mental

health services.

Mood DisordersDisorder Characteristics

Major Depressive Disorder

2+ weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities

Not enough serotonin absorption in the brain?

Must disrupt everyday functioning

Bipolar Disorder Periodic fluctuations between depression and mania

Mania - hyperactive, wildly optimistic state (in milder forms can fuel creativity and production.)

Famous Mood Disorder Sufferers

Major Depressive Disorder

• Abraham Lincoln• Woody Allen• Bob Dylan• Winston Churchill• Audrey Hepburn• Marilyn Monroe

Bipolar Disorder

• Kurt Cobain• Robin Williams• Russell Brand• Carrie Fischer• Ernest Hemingway• Amy Winehouse

Schizophrenia• A group of severe disorders characterized by

disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perception, and inappropriate emotions and actions.• Literally means “split mind” – split with reality• 1 in 100 people

• Delusions – false beliefs• I AM Santa Claus.• I know the FBI is monitoring my phone!

• Hallucinations – false perceptions• I SEE Santa Claus.• I HEAR the FBI listening in on my phone line!

Schizophrenia SubtypesType Characteristics

Paranoid Most commonAuditory hallucinationsDelusions about persecution or conspiracy

Disorganized Disorganized speech or behavior (word salad)Difficulty performing basic tasksInappropriate emotionsLess hallucinations/delusions

Catatonic Disturbances in movementcatatonic state – withdrawal and immobilityParrotlike repeating of another’s speech or movements

Undifferentiated Many and varied symptoms that cannot be categorized into a particular subtype

Residual After hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms have mostly disappeared

Managed but may need support

Schizophrenia’s Biological Roots• Overabundance of

dopamine receptors – medication can lessen dopamine activity, amphetamines can worsen

• Less frontal lobe activity

• Paranoid – more activity in amygdala

• Shrinkage of tissue and enlargement of fluid-filled areas

Famous Schizophrenics• There are few famous schizophrenics due to its early-life

development and impairment

• Mary-Todd Lincoln (possibly bipolar)• Jack Kerouac• Eduard Einstein (son of Albert)• Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)

Dissociative Disorders• Disorders in which conscious awareness becomes

separated (disassociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings• Can manifest in a sudden loss of memory or change in identity• When a situation becomes overwhelmingly stressful, people are

said to dissociate themselves from it conscious awareness becomes separated from painful memories, thoughts, or feelings.

Dissociative Disorders

Disorder Characteristics

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

AKA multiple personalities

Two or more distinct and alternating personalities during which the original personality denies awareness of the others

Rare and contested (controversial)

Possibility a coping mechanism for anxiety or PTSD

Dissociative Fugue Reversible amnesia for personal identity

Sudden, unexpected travel away from home/work/life with inability to recall one's past

Somatoform Disorders• characterized by symptoms that suggest physical

illness or injury but cannot be explained fully by a medical condition, a drug substance, or another mental disorder

Somatoform DisordersDisorder Characteristics

Hypocondriasis Excessive preoccupancy or worry about having a serious illness

Often accompanied by other disorders, mainly anxiety disorders

Conversion Disorder

Blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation

Mind-over-matter

Personality Disorders• Psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and

enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning.

• Several different types – can appear similar to psychological disorders, however personality disorders are enduring and inflexible

Personality DisordersType Characteristics

Avoidant Feel inadequateSensitivity to others’ opinionsLack of close relationships – fear of rejection

Borderline Unstable sense of selfRapid mood changesUnstable personal relationshipsSuicide attempts and self-mutilation are common

Histrionic Seek emotion and attentionCenter of attention, suggestible, emphasized physical appearanceRapid changes in emotionsExaggerated emotionsInappropriate sexual behavior

Personality DisordersType Characteristics

Narcissistic Need for admirationLack empathy for othersExtreme arroganceBelieves people are envious of themExploits others for self gainFantasies of power or successSense of entitlement

Schizotypal Lack of close relationships because of discomfortEccentric beliefsNeed for social isolationLikely to experience delusions/hallucinations

Schziod Lack of close relationships because of lack of interest and indifferenceEmotionless

Personality DisordersType Characteristics

Antisocial Superficial charm and intelligenceLack personal responsibilityNo regret, shame, or remorseInability to establish close relationshipsPoor judgment

Usually maleAppears before age 15Criminal, con artist, even serial killer

Less frontal lobe activityLess reactivity with stress hormones

“I didn’t know what made people want to be friends. I didn’t know what made people attracted to one another.” – Ted Bundy