Psychological disorders Perspective on psychological Disorders. mental disorders Psychosomatic and Somatoform Disorders Dissociative disorders Sexual and Disorders Gender and Cultural Differences and more
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History- how have the views changed throughout time
Insanity vs mental illness
● A mental illness- when a person is responsible fo his/her own crimes unless
they are determined to be insane
● Insanity- legal term applied to defendant who do now know right from
wrong or are unable to control their behavior
Mood disorder
Anxiety, Phobias
Schizophrenia
Professions
Perspective on psychological Disorders
1. Society – considers abnormal behaviors to be those actions which deviate from
the social norms which cultural and social institutions enforce.
2. Individual – abnormal behaviors are those actions which create feelings of
unhappiness or anxiety in oneself.
3. Mental Health Professional – personality traits and/or behaviors which
negatively impact functioning and coping with everyday life are considered
“abnormal.”
Biological Model – view that psychological disorders have a biochemical or
physiological basis.
● Researchers assume the origin of these malfunctions is often hereditary
Psychoanalytic Model – view that psychological disorders result from
unconscious internal conflicts.
● According to this model, many of the problems that adults encounter are the
product of childhood traumas or unresolved conflicts
Cognitive-Behavioral Model – view that psychological disorders result from
learning maladaptive ways of thinking and behaving.
● Treatment focuses on maladaptive thought patterns and the problems and
hindrances they cause
Diathesis-Stress Model – view that people biologically predisposed to a mental
disorder (those with a certain diathesis) will tend to exhibit the disorder when
, particularly affected by stress. Diathesis – biological predisposition.
Systems Approach – also known as the biopsychosocial model, this view holds
that biological, psychological, and social risk factors combine to produce
psychological disorders.
Insanity - a legal term applied to defendants who do not know right from wrong or
are unstable to control their behavior
Mental Disorders
Mood disorders – disturbances in mood or prolonged emotional state.
Depression – a mood disorder characterized by overwhelming feelings of sadness,
lack of interest in activities, and perhaps excessive guilt or feelings of
worthlessness.
● Depression is the most common mood disorder, and it is 2-3 times more
prevalent in women than in men.
● Clinical depression differs from the “normal” depressed moods that people
feel from time to time in that it is long-lasting and more intense than the
typical reaction to stressful life events.
Major depressive disorder – a depressive disorder characterized by an episode of
intense sadness, depressed mood, or marked loss of interest or pleasure in nearly
all activities; these episodes may last for months.
Dysthymia – a depressive disorder where the symptoms are generally less severe
than for major depressive disorder, but are present most days and persist for at least
2 years.
Mania – a mood disorder characterized by euphoric states, extreme physical
activity, excessive talkativeness, distractedness, and sometimes grandiosity.
Bipolar disorder – a mood disorder in which periods of mania and depression
alternate, sometimes with periods of normal mood intervening.
● Bipolar disorder can also occur in a mild form, and unlike depression, its
prevalence is the same for women and men.
Causes of Mood Disorders
Biological Factors
● Studies with identical twins suggest a genetic link to depression
● A specific variation on the 22nd chromosome appears to be linked to the
susceptibility to bipolar disorder
● Recent research indicates that a diathesis leaves some people vulnerable to a
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