When something causes significant impairment in the person's ability to function effectively in either work, school or personal life.

When normal behavior becomes abnormal behavior; a behavior that is deviant, maladaptive, or personally distressful over a long period of time.

• Attributes psych disorders to organic, internal causes such as the brain or genetic factors
• –Utilizes the medical model:
• ™Psych disorders are medical diseases with a biological origin

Psychological Approach to Psych Disorders

Contributions of experiences, thoughts, emotions, and personality characteristics explain psychological disorders

Emphasizes that social contexts in which a person lives.

Includes gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family relationships, and culture.

Abnormal behavior can be influenced by biological factors, psychological factors, and sociocultural factors.

This is your combo approach.

• Basically a "dictionary" of disorders
• First DSM (1952) listed 112 disorders, Currently lists 374
• 5 dimensions:
• Axis I: All categories except personality disorders and mental retardation
• Axis II: Personality disorders and mental retardation
• Axis III: General Medical conditions
• Axis IV: Psychosocial and environmental problems
• Axis V: Global access of functioning (GAF)

• Disorders First Diagnosed in childhood
• Anxiety disorders
• Somatoform Disorders
• Factitious Disorders
• Dissociate disorders
• Delirium, dementia, amnesia, other cognitive disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
• Substance related disorders
• Sexual and gender identify disorders
• Eating disorders
• Sleep Disorders
• Impulse control disorders
• Adjustment disorders

• Intellectual disability
• Personality disorders
• Other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention

• Involve fears that are uncontrollable, disproportionate to the actual danger the person might be in, and disruptive of everyday life
• Some examples:
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Phobic Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (compulsive thoughts lead to rituals)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Psychological disorders in which there is a primary disturbance of mood
• Prolonged emotion that impacts the individuals entire emotional state
• Major Types:
• Depressive Disorder: ≈10% of the population, more women than men. Multiple categories of Depression
• Bipolar Disorder: ≈2-7% of the population 

• Involves a sudden loss of memory and change in identity
• Major Types:
• Dissociative amnesia ≈ can't remember traumatic events
• Dissociative fugue: "Who am I?"
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)... (Formerly multiple personality disorder)

• Characterized by highly disordered thought process
• Referred to as psychotic because they are far removed from reality
• Half of the patients in psychiatric hospitals
• 8x risk of suicide over general population

• Chronic, maladaptive cognitive behavioral patterns that are thoroughly integrated into an individual personality. ≈ 15% of people
• 10 listed personality disorders
• 2 major ones
• Anti-social personality disorder: Characterized by guiltlessness, law breaking, exploitation of others, irresponsibility and deceit
• Borderline personality disorder: Pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self image, and emotions. Marked impulsivity begins in early adulthood and present in various contexts

Other Personality Disorders

(Arranged in Clusters)

Cluster A (odd or eccentric disorders)

Paranoid PD

Schizoid PD

Schizotypal PD

Cluster B (dramatic, emotional, erratic disorder)

Anti-Social PD

Narcissistic PD

Histrionic PD

Borderline PD

Cluster C (anxious or fearful disorder

Obsessive Compulsive PD

Avoidant PD

Dependent PD

• ADHD: Inattentive vs. Hyperactive type
• Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• Autism
• Asperger's
• Eating Disorders
• Anorexia
• Bulimia
• Binge Eating Disorder
• Substance disorders
• Adjustment Disorders

Treatments that are designed to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of psychological disorders

Commonly referred to as Biomedical therapy

• Only psychiatrist or family doctors can prescribe medication.
• Used mainly for 3 types of disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Mood disorders
• Schizophrenia

• Tranquilizers: Make and individual calmer and less excitable
• Most common, Benzodiazepines
• Xanax and Valium
• Side effects: Drowsiness, loss of coordination, fatigue, and mental slowing
• Birth defects if used while pregnant

• Used to regulate mood
• 4 classes
• Tricyclic's
• Tetracyclic
• Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors (MAO)
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

• (antidepressant)
• Increase level of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and serotonin
• Take 2-4 weeks to work
• Work in about 65% of people
• Side effects:
• • Restlessness, faintness, trembling, sleepiness, and memory problems
• Most common ones are:
• • Elavil, Victoril

• antidepressant
• Effect both norepinephrine and serotonin by increasing level of the chemicals in the brain
• Most effective in reducing depression  
• Most common ones:
• Remeron

• antidepressant
• Blocks enzyme monoamine oxidase, which is responsible for breaking down serotonin and norepinephrine.
• By blocking it, it allows neurotransmitters to stick around longer in the brain
• Not widely used due to harmful side effects
• Reaction with fermented foods can cause a deathly stroke

• Most commonly used class of drug to treat mood disorders
• Interferes in the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain
• Most common ones are: Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft
• Fewest side effects of the antidepressants: Insomnia, headaches, diarrhea
• Can cause severe withdraw symptoms if stopped abruptly

• Diminish agitated behavior, reduce tension, decrease hallucination and improve social behavior
• Neuroleptics:
• Most common type of antipsychotic
• Reduce a variety of schizophrenia symptoms
• Block dopamine's action in the brain
• Can have severe side effects: 
• Tardive dyskinesia (20%)
• Involuntary movements of facial muscles, tongue, and mouth
• Atypical Antipsychotic medications:
• Clozapine and Risperdal
• Fewer side effects
• Influences dopamine and serotonin 

• Shock Therapy
• Goal is to set of a seizure in the brain
• Used in past to treat schizophrenia and manage psychotic behavior
• Used currently to treat severe depression if not responding to medication or therapy
• Severe Side effects:
• Permanent memory loss, Slowed or delayed cognition, development of epilepsy, dementia

• Its history is rooted in lobotomies
• Inserting an ice pick into the brain and severing fibers that connect frontal cortex to other areas of brain (1930-1960s).
• Now only used as last resort for severe OCD, Depression, Bipolar (Small lesion in amygdala or other parts of the limbic system)
• Severe side effects
• Permanent brain damage
• Many people left in vegetable state

• Nonmedical process that helps individual with psychological disorders recognize and overcome their problems
• This is your traditional therapy that many people associate with psychology
• 4 main approaches
• Psychodynamic
• Humanistic
• Behavioral
• Cognitive 

• Importance of unconscious mind and early childhood experiences
• Relies on interpretation by the therapist of what the client “really means”
• Used to help individual recognize their maladaptive ways of coping with problems as a result of unconscious conflicts
• Think Freud....

• Free Association: Say whatever comes to mind.
• Interpretation:Therapist finding the “true” meaning of what is being said.
• Dream Analysis
• Transference: Person relating to therapist in way that reproduces important relationships in their life's

• People are encouraged toward self-understanding and personal growth
• Emphasizes conscious as opposed to unconscious thoughts and emphasize the present over the past
• Designed to help client toward self fulfillment
• Client Centered Therapy (Carl Rodgers) 
• Emphasis on clients self reflection
• Use active listening and reflection

• Use principles of learning to reduce or eliminate maladaptive behavior
• Assume that the symptoms displayed are the central problem
• Must eliminate the behaviors of the disorder  and do not need to understand the problem

• Emphasize cognitions (thoughts) are the major source of psychological problems
• Change individual feelings and behaviors by changing the way a person thinks
• Less concerned with past or origin of the problem, but focus on expressed symptoms
• Basic belief that you have control over your feelings and how you think is what drives your feelings and behavior
• 3 main types: 
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Cognitive Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

• Albert Ellis (1913-2007)
• Psychological dysfunction caused by a persons irrational and self defeating beliefs
• Musterbations:
• Must perform well
• Other people must like and respect me
• My life must not be frustrating
• Person learns to dispute their own beliefs

Albert Ellis (1913-2007)

• Aaron Beck
• Psychological problem develop when people think illogically about themselves, their world, and the future
• Goal of therapy is help people recognize and disregard self-defeating thoughts
• Identify connection between thinking and emotions

Aaron Beck 

(How Psychological problems develop)

 When people think illogically about themselves, their world, and the future.

Thinking Errors

(name some)

Thought Stopping

Examine Evidence

Reattribution

Labeling of distortions

Extreme Thinking scenarios

• Combination of cognitive therapy and behavior therapy
• Emphasis on self-efficacy
• Belief you can master a situation and produce positive outcomes
• Stop behavior then change thinking patterns that led to emotions and behaviors
• CBT is the most empirically supported therapy in psychology in terms of effectiveness