Psychological Disorders

Definition

Patterns of behaviour and thought that are atypical, viewed as undesirable, maladaptive and that usually causes the persons who experience them considerable distress.

Psychological disorders involve biological, psychological, social and cultural factors.

Approximately 20% of the population experience some form of psychological disorder over the course of their life span.

How Psychologist study psychological disorders

Assessment interviewsPersonality measuresAssessment of Brain DisordersBehavioural Assessment

Mood Disorders

Major symptoms of depression include:

Negative mood

Reduced energy

Feelings of hopelessness or despair

Loss of interest in previously satisfying activities and difficulties in sleeping

Bipolar disorders involve wide swings in mood between deep depression and mania

Mood disorders are influenced by genetic factors and by disturbances in brain activity.

Anxiety disorders

These are disorders involving increased arousal accompanied by intense, persistent, generalized feelings of fear or apprehension

Panic Attacks

Involve symptoms of arousal coupled with intense fear-often of losing control is some specific situation

Phobias

Excessive fears focused on specific objects or situations

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

This is a disorder in which individuals have repetitious thoughts and engage in repetitious behaviours they can’t seem to control.

Somatoform disorders

These are disorders in which individuals have symptoms typically associated with physical diseases or conditions, but in which no known organic or physiological basis for the symptoms can be found.

Eating Disorders

In anorexia nervosa, individuals literally starve themselves until their body weight falls to dangerously low levels.

In bulimia, individuals maintain normal weight but they engaged in repeated cycles of binge eating and purging.

Personality Disorders

A continuing, inflexible, maladaptive pattern of inner experience and behaviour that causes a great distress or impaired functioning and differs significantly from the patterns expected in the person’s culture.

Anti-social personality

Person shows callous disregard for the rights and feelings of others; is manipulative, impulsive, selfish, aggressive, irresponsible, reckless; is willing to break the law, lie, cheat or exploit others for personal gain, without remorse; fails to hold a job.

Paranoid

Highly suspicious, untrusting, guarded, hypersensitive, easily slighted, lacking in emotion; holds grudges

Histrionic

Individual seeks attention and approval; is overly dramatic, self-centered, shallow, is demanding , manipulative easily bored, craves excitement

Narcissistic

Individual has exaggerated sense of self-importance and entitlement and is self-centered, arrogant, demanding, exploitive, envious; craves admiration and attention and lacks empathy

Borderline

Individual is unstable in mood, behaviour, self-image and social relationships; has intense fear of abandonment; exhibits impulsive and reckless behaviour; inappropriate anger, often self-mutilates