ABPG1103

Topic 12 – Psychological Disorders

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Evaluate abnormal behaviour;
2. Describe the four major types of anxiety disorders;
3. Compare somatoform disorders with dissociative disorders;
4. Identify the common symptoms of mood disorders;
5. Explain the causes of schizophrenia; and
6. Group personality disorders into three clusters.
 Definition of psychological disorders
A psychological disorder is a designation often used interchangeably with the terms mental disorder,
psychiatric disorder, or mental illness. The “official” term is mental disorder, defined in the latest edition of
the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, the DSM-5:

"...a syndrome characterized by​ a clinically significant disturbance in an

individual's cognitive, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a
dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental process
underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with
significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities."
As psychological disorders come in various “shapes and size”, where some are severe and obviously
noticeable, while others are more mild and discreet. The field of psychology that is concerned with
psychological disorder is called abnormal psychology; and one of the most difficult challenges is to define
abnormal behavior.
 Abnormal behavior
Abnormality (or dysfunctional behavior) is a behavioral
characteristic assigned to those with conditions regarded as
rare or dysfunctional.

Behavior is considered abnormal when it is atypical or out of

the ordinary, consists of undesirable behaviour, and results
in impairment in the individual’s functioning.
 ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR – EVALUATION
CRITERIA IN MAKING DIAGNOSE FOR
ABNORMALITY BEHAVIOUR
• Behaviour that deviates from the norm and is considered inappropriate in one’s
Deviance society.
• Homosexuality

• Maladaptive behaviour refers to the type of behaviour that inhibits a person’s ability
to adjust to certain situations. We inevitably face challenges and conflicts in daily
Maladaptive life and must adapt our behaviour to face them. Sometimes, however, people can
Behaviour develop a tendency to escape these challenges rather than deal with them.
• Alcohol & drug use

• Based on an individual’s description of their subjective pain and suffering or

Personal
personal distress which usually the case with people suffering from depression and
Distress
anxiety.
 ANXIETY DISORDERS

PHOBIC
GENERALISED ANXIETY
Characterized by a persistent and irrational fear
Characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated of an object or situation that presents no
worry and tension realistic danger.

4 Major Types
PANIC
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE (OCD)
Characterized by unexpected and repeated Characterized by recurrent unwanted thoughts
episodes of intense fear accompanied by (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors
physical symptoms that may include chest pain, (compulsions)
shortness of breath, dizziness etc.
Causes of anxiety disorder
• Hereditary
• Brain Chemistry
• Personality
• Life experiences
SOMATOFORM DISORDERS VS DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS

DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
SOMATOFORM DISORDERS
People lose partial consciousness or memory,
Physical ailments (aches and pains) that resulting in disturbances in their sense of
are mainly due to psychological factors. identity.

Dissociative Amnesia
Somatisation Disorder
- Sudden loss of memory due to traumatic
-physical complaints incident

Dissociative Fugue
Conversion Disorder
-permanent loss of memory of personal
- Loss of physical function (hearing) identity

Hypochondriasis (hypochondria) Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

-excessive & constant worry with - Multiple personality disorder
health
MOOD DISORDER
MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
LASTING & CONTINOUS DEPRESSION

SUICIDAL

CAN’T THINK CLEARLY

BIPOLAR DISORDER
EPISODES OF MANIA
COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MOOD DISORDERS

Low Self
Esteem

Feelings of
A Drop in
Wanting
Energy
To Die
MOST
COMMON
SYMPTOMS
Suicidal
Ongoing
Thoughts
Feeling of
or
Sadness
Attempts
Sleep
Problems,
Such As
Insomnia
 SCHIZOPHRENIA
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia
disorders are characterized by combination of hallucinations, delusions, and deterioration of adaptive
behaviour

People with schizophrenia require lifelong treatment. Early treatment may help get symptoms under
control before serious complications develop and may help improve the long-term outlook.

CAUSES OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

INFECTIONS SUBSTANCES LIFE EXPERIENCES

Viral infection present ABUSE Stressful life events such as
GENETICS in utero or in childhood social exclusion in childhood,
Use of strong drugs or
Passed down by genes which may cause psychological adversity,
substance abuse discrimination sexual abuse
schizophrenia later on and other traumas
in life
 PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Personality disorder can be group into three clusters

• Avoidance Personality Disorder

Anxious/Fearful • Dependent Personality Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

• Schizoid Personality Disorder

Odd/Eccentric • Schizotypal Personality Disorder
• Paranoid Personality Disorder

• Histrionic Personality Disorder

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Dramatic/Impulsive • Borderline Personality Disorder
• Antisocial Personality Disorder
SUMMARY
 The three criteria used in diagnosing people with psychological disorders are deviance,
personal distress and maladaptive behaviour.
 Anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder, phobic disorder, panic disorder
and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
 Somatoform disorders include somatisation disorder, conversion disorder and
hypochondriasis.
 Dissociative disorders include dissociative amnesia, fugue disorder and dissociative
identity disorder.
 People suffering from major depressive disorder experience emotional extremes at only
one end of the mood range ă they only experience depression. People suffering from
bipolar disorder experience both ends of the mood range ă they experience periods of
both depression and mania (excitement and euphoria).
 Schizophrenic disorders are marked by worsening of adaptive behaviour,
delusions, hallucinations and disturbed mood.
 Some of the causes of schizophrenic disorders are genetic, infections, substance
abuse and life experiences.
 Personality disorders can be grouped into three clusters: anxious-fearful,
odd-eccentric and dramatic-impulsive.
Narcissism: by Dr. Ramani
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w4jxWPczLc
Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPNltPLvDIQ