5.2.2 - Types of Psychological Disorders
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Introduction to Psychological Disorders
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Today, weβre going to explore what psychological disorders are. Psychological disorders are conditions affecting our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. They can significantly impair our ability to function. Can anyone give me an example of how this might look in daily life?
Like if someone feels very anxious about meeting new people?
Exactly! That could represent social anxiety disorder. Each disorder is categorized based on the symptoms that individuals demonstrate. Can anyone think of another type of disorder?
Maybe a mood disorder?
Correct! Mood disorders, like depression, affect how people feel. A good way to remember categories is through the acronym **OANE** - **O**bservable behaviors, **A**nxiety, **N**egative mood, **E**ccentric behaviors. Great job, everyone!
Anxiety Disorders
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Letβs dive deeper into anxiety disorders. They are the most common mental health issues. Can anyone list some types of anxiety disorders?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder!
What about specific phobias?
Excellent! These disorders feature excessive fear or worry in various forms. To help memorize, you can use **Gaps in a PANIC**: **G**eneralized Anxiety, **P**anic Disorder, **A**nxiety, **N**egative Social Situations, **I**ntense Fears, and **C**ompulsions.
Thatβs a great way to remember them!
Mood Disorders
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Now let's discuss mood disorders. What distinguishes these from anxiety disorders?
Theyβre more about fluctuations in mood, like being very happy one moment and very sad the next?
Correct! Mood disorders include major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Remember the phrase **Bipolar Cycle**: it emphasizes the cyclical nature of mood fluctuations. Can anyone share how this might affect someone's life?
They might have trouble with work or relationships?
Absolutely! Understanding these effects helps us empathize with those affected.
Causes of Psychological Disorders
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Lastly, letβs examine the causes. What factors might contribute to psychological disorders?
Biological factors, like genetics?
And psychological factors, like trauma or learned behaviors, right?
Exactly! A combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors shapes our mental health. Think of it as a wheel with three spokes: Biological, Psychological, and Environmental - if one is weak, the whole wheel can wobble.
I can visualize that now!
Introduction & Overview
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Quick Overview
Standard
Psychological disorders encompass a wide range of conditions that impair thinking, feeling, and behavior. They are categorized based on symptomatic similarities and include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and more. Understanding these classifications is critical for effective treatment and intervention.
Detailed
Types of Psychological Disorders
Psychological disorders affect an individual's ability to function in daily life, leading to distress and impairment. The DSM-5 categorizes these disorders based on symptom similarities, causative factors, and outcomes.
Categories of Psychological Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders: Characterized by excessive fear, including:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Specific Phobias
- Mood Disorders: Involving emotional disturbances, with types like:
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: Such as:
- OCD
- Hoarding Disorder
- Psychotic Disorders: Including schizophrenia which involves loss of touch with reality.
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Typically diagnosed in childhood, these include:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Eating Disorders: Abnormal eating habits, such as:
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Personality Disorders: Patterns of behavior deviating significantly from cultural norms, categorized into:
- Cluster A (Odd/Eccentric)
- Cluster B (Dramatic/Emotional)
- Cluster C (Anxious/Fearful)
Causes of Psychological Disorders
Understanding the prevalence of psychological disorders requires delving into their causes:
- Biological Factors: Genetic predispositions and neurotransmitter imbalances.
- Psychological Factors: Trauma and cognitive distortions.
- Environmental Factors: Stressful life events and social isolation.
Recognizing these classifications and causative factors is essential for effective treatment strategies and interventions.
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Anxiety Disorders
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Chapter Content
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems, characterized by excessive fear or worry. They include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Chronic anxiety, without a specific trigger.
- Panic Disorder: Recurrent and unexpected panic attacks.
- Social Anxiety Disorder: Fear of social situations and embarrassment.
- Specific Phobias: Intense, irrational fear of a particular object or situation (e.g., heights, spiders).
Detailed Explanation
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by overwhelming feelings of fear and worry. These disorders can significantly interfere with a personβs daily life. For instance, someone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) may feel anxious most days without an identifiable cause. On the other hand, a person with a specific phobia might feel extreme fear when facing a particular situation, like seeing a spider or going up high. Other types of anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, involve sudden attacks of fear and worries about future attacks, while social anxiety disorder makes individuals fear judgment in social situations.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine always feeling a tight knot in your stomach, even on days with nothing particularly stressful happening; that's what someone with GAD might feel. Think of it like always carrying a backpack full of rocks where each rock represents a worry. On the other hand, remember a time you were nervous before speaking in front of a class? Thatβs similar to how someone experiencing social anxiety might feel, but magnified.
Mood Disorders
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Chapter Content
Mood disorders primarily involve disturbances in an individualβs emotional state. The most common mood disorders are:
- Depressive Disorders: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities.
- Bipolar Disorder: Alternating periods of depression and mania (elevated mood, high energy).
Detailed Explanation
Mood disorders affect a person's overall emotional state, leading them to experience extreme highs and lows. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mood disorders, where an individual feels persistently sad and has little interest in daily activities. On the flip side, bipolar disorder is marked by shifts between depressive lows and manic highs where the person may feel exceptionally energetic and elated.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a swing set; when it swings high, itβs like the mania phase of bipolar disorder, where someone feels on top of the world. But once it swings down, representing the depressive phase, itβs incredibly low and can feel overwhelming. Picture someone who loved playing guitar suddenly not wanting to touch it anymoreβthis illustrates the loss of interest experienced in depression.
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
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Chapter Content
These disorders involve the presence of persistent thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Examples include:
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors or rituals.
- Hoarding Disorder: Persistent difficulty discarding possessions, leading to clutter.
Detailed Explanation
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders are characterized by the presence of unwanted thoughts, known as obsessions, and the need to engage in specific behaviors, known as compulsions. For example, a person with OCD might experience obsessive thoughts about dirt and feel compelled to wash their hands repeatedly to alleviate anxiety. Hoarding Disorder, however, reflects an inability to part with possessions, causing significant clutter in living spaces.
Examples & Analogies
Consider a person who feels compelled to check if the door is locked multiple times before leaving; they might have OCD. It's like trying to convince yourself that the door is secured, but no matter how many times you check, the fear lingers. Conversely, think of someone who struggles to throw away anything, including broken items, because they feel a deep attachment to themβhighlighting the difficulty faced in Hoarding Disorder.
Psychotic Disorders
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Chapter Content
Psychotic disorders involve significant disruptions in perception, thought, and reality. These include:
- Schizophrenia: Characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and impaired functioning.
Detailed Explanation
Psychotic disorders are serious mental health conditions where an individual cannot distinguish between reality and their thoughts. Schizophrenia is a prevalent psychotic disorder that can lead to hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that arenβt there), delusions (strong beliefs in things that are false), and disorganized thinking, severely affecting the individualβs ability to function in daily life.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a movie where a character believes they have superpowers and sees people who arenβt there; this reflects delusions and hallucinations in schizophrenia. It feels very real to them, causing confusion about their environment and experiences, much like solving a puzzle where the pieces donβt quite fit together.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
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Chapter Content
These are typically diagnosed in childhood and involve developmental deficits that impair cognitive, social, and emotional functioning. They include:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Difficulty with communication and social interaction.
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
Detailed Explanation
Neurodevelopmental disorders typically manifest during childhood and include conditions that affect the development of brain functions. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves challenges in communication and social interactions, while Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and often hyperactive behaviors, impacting educational outcomes.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine a child in a classroom who struggles to maintain focus on a lesson, constantly distracted, which represents ADHD. In contrast, picture a child who finds it hard to make friends or understand social cues; this child might be experiencing ASD, akin to trying to communicate in a foreign language without knowing the words.
Eating Disorders
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Chapter Content
Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal eating habits and a preoccupation with body image. Common eating disorders include:
- Anorexia Nervosa: Extreme restriction of food intake due to a fear of gaining weight.
- Bulimia Nervosa: Binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like purging.
- Binge Eating Disorder: Recurrent episodes of excessive eating without compensatory behavior.
Detailed Explanation
Eating disorders are mental health conditions focused around problematic eating behaviors and distorted body image. Anorexia Nervosa involves self-starvation due to the fear of gaining weight. Bulimia Nervosa consists of cycles of binge eating followed by purging to prevent weight gain. Binge Eating Disorder involves eating large quantities of food without trying to compensate or control weight afterward.
Examples & Analogies
Consider someone afraid of becoming overweight, leading them to eat very little or skip meals, which is representative of anorexia. Now think of a person who eats an entire cake but then feels guilty and forces themselves to vomit; this reflects bulimia. Binge eating might look like someone who regularly consumes a full pizza by themselves without realizing the amount theyβre eating.
Personality Disorders
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Chapter Content
Personality disorders involve patterns of behavior that deviate significantly from cultural expectations and cause distress or impairment. They are divided into three clusters:
- Cluster A: Odd or eccentric behaviors (e.g., Paranoid Personality Disorder).
- Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviors (e.g., Borderline Personality Disorder).
- Cluster C: Anxious or fearful behaviors (e.g., Avoidant Personality Disorder).
Detailed Explanation
Personality disorders involve rigid and unhealthy patterns of thinking, behaving, and relating to others. They are categorized into three clusters based on their behavioral characteristics. Cluster A includes odd or eccentric behaviors, such as Paranoid Personality Disorder, where individuals might distrust others without reason. Cluster B consists of dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviors, such as Borderline Personality Disorder, characterized by unstable moods and relationships. Cluster C is primarily focused on anxious and fearful behaviors, represented by Avoidant Personality Disorder, where individuals avoid social situations due to fear of criticism or rejection.
Examples & Analogies
Think of a person who feels an intense and unpredictable range of emotions about relationshipsβthey may feel love one moment and extreme anger the next, similar to someone with Borderline Personality Disorder. In contrast, imagine a person who avoids social situations entirely, fearing humiliation, as someone with Avoidant Personality Disorder might do.
Key Concepts
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Psychological Disorders: Conditions affecting mental functioning.
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Anxiety Disorders: Characterized by excessive fear and worry.
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Mood Disorders: Emotional disturbances affecting daily life.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Intrusive thoughts leading to compulsive behaviors.
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Psychotic Disorders: Disruptions in perception or thought.
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Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Impairments in cognitive functioning diagnosed in childhood.
Examples & Applications
A person with Social Anxiety Disorder may avoid situations where they could be judged, like public speaking.
Someone with Major Depressive Disorder may experience feelings of hopelessness and lose interest in daily activities.
Memory Aids
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Rhymes
Anxiety makes you shake and fumble, mood swings lead to feelings of humble.
Stories
Once there was a little girl who loved to climb trees. One day, she fell and was so scared she never climbed again. This story illustrates how anxiety can interrupt daily activities.
Memory Tools
For remembering anxiety types: GAPS β Generalized, Anxiety, Panic, Specific.
Acronyms
For mood disorders, think of **BMD** β Bipolar Mood Disturbance.
Flash Cards
Glossary
- Psychological Disorders
Mental health conditions that disrupt thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.
- Anxiety Disorders
The most common mental health problems characterized by excessive fear or worry.
- Mood Disorders
Disorders primarily involving disturbances in emotional state.
- ObsessiveCompulsive Disorder (OCD)
A disorder involving unwanted, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors.
- Psychotic Disorders
Disorders that involve significant disruptions in perception and thought.
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Disorders diagnosed in childhood involving developmental deficits.
- Eating Disorders
Disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits and body image issues.
- Personality Disorders
Disorders involving patterns of behavior that deviate from cultural expectations.
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