Psychiatric/Psychological Disorders
- A deviant, distressful and dysfunctional pattern of thoughts, feelings or behaviors that
interferes with the ability to function in a healthy way
Possible causes
Biological Influences (ex. Genes, Brain structure and chemistry)
Socio-cultural influence (ex. Roles, Expectations, Definitions or Normality and Dis-order)
Psychological Influence (ex. Stress, Trauma, Learned helplessness, Mood related perceptions)
FYI: 6 months is usually the length required for a formal diagnosis
Anxiety
2 perspectives of a possible cause
-Learning Perspective= Conditioning, Observational Learning, Cognition
-Biological Perspective= Natural Selection, Genetics and Brain Chemistry
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- Unwanted repetitive thoughts which becomes obsession by actions then compulsions
GAD (General Anxiety Disorder)
- Continually tense and apprehensive, experiencing unfocused, negative and out of control
feelings
- Unknown cause of anxiety
Panic disorders
- Sudden episodes of intense dread or sudden fear
- Common trigger is the fear of having another panic attack
Phobias
- Persistent irrational fears of specific objects, activity or situations leading to avoidance
behavior
10 common Phobias
Arachnophobia= fear of spiders Claustrophobia= fear of small spaces
Ophidiophobia= fear of snakes Mysophobia=fear of germs, people are often
Acrophobia= fear of heights referred as “germaphobe”
Agoraphobia= fear of open or crowded spaces Aerophobia= fear of flying
Cynophobia= fear of dogs Trypophobia=fear of holes
Astraphobia= fear of thunder and lightning
Good to know phobias
Trypanophobia= fear of needles
Glossophobia = fear of public speaking
Anuptaphobia= fear of staying single
Ailurophobia= fear of cats
Nomophobia= fear of losing or being without your mobile phone
Social Anxiety Disorder
- Anxiety related to interacting or being seen by others
Mood disorders – emotional extremes in longer perspective
10 basic emotions/moods
1. Joy 6. Contempt
2. Surprise 7. Shame
3. Sadness 8. Fear
4. Anger 9. Guilt
5. Disgust 10. Excitement
Mood disorders tend to be submerged into good and bad moods
2 types under mood disorders
Depressive disorder
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
- Caused by a certain trigger emotionally while feeling down
A person can be diagnosed if 5 signs have manifested within 2 weeks
- Depressed mood
- Significant weight or appetite loss or gain
- Too much or too little sleep
- Decreased interest in activities
- Feeling worthless, fatigued or lethargic
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Bipolar Disorder/ Manic depressive disorder
- Alternates between hopelessness and lethargy or depression and the excited state or mania
Responsible neurotransmitters for mood disorders
Serotonin/ 5-HT
Norepinephrine
Trauma
- Lasting emotional response that often results from living through a distressing event
- Caused by physical, emotional, fear conditioning or moral injury
Symptoms
-nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, fear, guilt, anxiety, rage and insomnia
PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder)
- Psychological disorder generated by either witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event
Addiction
- Compulsive, excessive and difficult to control use that begins to interfere with ordinary life,
work and health
2 types of dependence brought about by addiction
- Physical dependence= need for a drug that reveals itself through unpleasant withdrawal
symptoms if the use stops or reduces
- Psychological dependence= a need to use a drug, or complete an activity to relieve negative
emotions
Schizophrenia
-split from reality
- Disorganized thinking; emotions and behaviors that are often incongruent with their situations
and disturbed perceptions including delusions and hallucinations
- increased in Dopamine neurotransmitter
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
- When a person exhibits more than one distinct and alternating personality
- Personalities are in response to stress or anxiety sort or a sort of extreme coping mechanism
Other psychological disorders tackled
Eating disorders
Anorexia/ Anorexia Nervosa
o Eating disorder in which a person maintains a starvation diet despite being
significantly underweight
o Refusal to maintain a minimal body weight
Bulimia/ Bulimia Nervosa
o Tend to maintain an apparently normal or at least minimally healthy body weight
but alternate between binge eating with purging or fasting
Binge-eating disorders
o Significant binge-eating, followed by emotional distress, feelings of lack of control,
disgust or guilt but without purging or fasting
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
o An illness that centers on a person’s obsession with physical flaws either minor or
imagined
Personality Disorder
Narcissistic
- People have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance seeking to much attention
and want people to admire them
Paranoid (PPD)
- Long term pattern of distrust and suspicion of others without adequate reason to be
suspicious
Behavioral Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Problem of not being able to focus, being overactive, not being able to control behavior, or
any combination of these.
Impulse Control Disorder
Kleptomania
- Repetitive, uncontrollable stealing of items not needed for a personal use.
