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A quick-revision summary of Chapter 4 Psychological Disorders: the key definitions, tables and lists in one place, for the night before the exam.
1Core Definitions
Key definitions
AdaptationAbility to modify behaviour to changing environmental requirements; failure to do so is maladaptive
Abnormal psychologyThe area of psychology focused on maladaptive behaviour: causes, consequences, treatment
The four DsDeviance, distress, dysfunction, danger
Psychodynamic modelBehaviour shaped by unconscious conflict between id, ego and superego (Freud)
Diathesis-stress modelA disorder emerges when a biological predisposition (diathesis) is triggered by a stressor
AnxietyA diffuse, vague, very unpleasant feeling of fear and apprehension
PhobiaAn irrational fear related to specific objects, people or situations
DissociationSeverance of connections between ideas and emotions; unreality, estrangement, identity loss/shift
Major depressive disorderA period of depressed mood and/or loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, with symptoms such as change in body weight, sleep problems, tiredness, inability to think clearly, agitation, greatly slowed behaviour, excessive guilt or worthlessness, and thoughts of death and suicide
DelusionA false belief, firmly held on inadequate grounds, unaffected by rational argument
HallucinationA perception that occurs with no external stimulus
Intellectual disabilityBelow-average intellectual functioning (IQ approximately 70 or below) with adaptive-behaviour deficits before age 18
AlogiaPoverty of speech; a negative symptom of schizophrenia
AvolitionApathy, inability to start or complete a course of action
2Two Views of Abnormality
Deviation from Social Norms
- Abnormal = differs markedly from a society’s ideas of proper functioning
- Problem: assumes socially accepted behaviour is not abnormal, so normality is nothing more than conformity to social norms
Maladaptive Behaviour
- Best criterion: fosters well-being and growth of individual/group
- Even conforming behaviour can be abnormal if maladaptive
3Historical Perspectives
SupernaturalEvil spirits, exorcism, the shaman/ojha
Recurring perspectivesSupernatural; biological/organic (body and brain not working properly); psychological (inadequate ways of thinking, feeling or perceiving)
Ancient GreeceHippocrates, Socrates and especially Plato: organismic approach, disturbed behaviour from conflict between emotion and reason; Galen: four humours, imbalance causes disorders; similar to India’s tridosha (vata, pitta, kapha)
Middle AgesDemonology, witch-hunts; St. Augustine
RenaissanceJohann Weyer: “witches” are mentally disturbed, need medical treatment
Age of ReasonScientific method; Reform Movement; deinstitutionalisation
ModernBio-psycho-social (interactional) approach
4Classification and Models
| System | Published by |
|---|---|
| DSM-5 | American Psychiatric Association (APA) |
| ICD-10 | World Health Organisation (WHO) |
| Neurotransmitter | Change | Disorder |
|---|---|---|
| GABA | Low | Anxiety disorders |
| Dopamine | High | Schizophrenia |
| Serotonin | Low | Depression |
1
Biological
Faulty neurotransmitters (table above); genetic factors
2
Psychodynamic
Id, ego, superego (Freud)
3
Behavioural
Classical, operant, social learning
4
Cognitive
Irrational beliefs, overgeneralisation
5
Humanistic-existential
Self-actualisation; freedom to give meaning to life
6
Socio-cultural
War and violence, prejudice and discrimination, economic problems, rapid social change, lack of social support; societal labels and roles
Psychological and interpersonal factors: maternal deprivation; faulty parent-child relationships; maladaptive family structures; severe stress.
1 DiathesisBiological predisposition, may be inherited
↓
2 VulnerabilityPerson becomes “at risk”
↓
3 Pathogenic stressorsTrigger the actual disorder
5Twelve Disorder Categories: Key Facts
| Category | Remember this |
|---|---|
| Anxiety Disorders | Most common category. GAD, panic disorder, 3 phobia types, SAD |
| OCD and Related | Obsessions (thoughts) vs compulsions (acts); hoarding, trichotillomania, excoriation |
| Trauma/Stressor-Related | PTSD, adjustment disorder, acute stress disorder |
| Somatic Symptom and Related | Somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder, conversion disorder |
| Dissociative | Amnesia (+fugue), Identity Disorder (multiple personality), Depersonalisation/Derealisation |
| Depressive | Major Depressive Disorder; suicide: previous attempt = strongest risk factor |
| Bipolar and Related | Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymic; mania + depression |
| Schizophrenia Spectrum | Positive/negative/psychomotor symptoms; delusions, hallucinations, catatonia |
| Neurodevelopmental | ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (~70% also intellectual disability), Intellectual Disability (IQ ≤70), Specific Learning Disorder |
| Disruptive/Impulse-Control/Conduct | ODD, Conduct Disorder; verbal/physical/hostile/proactive aggression |
| Feeding and Eating | Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating |
| Substance-Related and Addictive | Alcohol, heroin, cocaine; tolerance and withdrawal. Box 4.3: alcohol, stimulants, caffeine, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, tobacco, opioids, sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics |
6Schizophrenia Symptom Map
Three Symptom Categories
PositiveDelusions, disorganised thought and speech, heightened perception, hallucinations, inappropriate affect
NegativeAlogia, blunted/flat affect, avolition, social withdrawal
PsychomotorOdd gestures; extreme form = catatonia
7Intellectual Disability: IQ Bands
| Level | Approx. IQ range |
|---|---|
| Mild | 55 to ~70 |
| Moderate | 35/40 to ~50/55 |
| Severe | 20/25 to ~35/40 |
| Profound | Below 20/25 |
Final Recap
- Four Ds: deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger
- Two views of abnormality: social-norms deviation vs maladaptive behaviour
- DSM-5 (APA) and ICD-10 (WHO) classify disorders
- GABA↓ = anxiety, dopamine↑ = schizophrenia, serotonin↓ = depression
- Twelve categories of psychological disorders, each with named sub-types
- Suicide is preventable; previous attempt is the strongest risk factor
- Do not diagnose yourself or others from a few symptoms, and do not try to treat each other
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