PSY2012 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Substance Dependence, Disulfiram, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Chapter 15: Abnormal Psychology: Disorders and Treatment
Defining Abnormal Behavior
• Biopsychosocial Model: the problems we have root from biological,
psychological, and sociological aspects of abnormal behavior.
• Cultural influences our mental health → in some cultures
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
➢ A reference book that sets specific criteria for each
psychological diagnosis
Categories of Psychological Disorders according to DSM-5
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Bipolar and related disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Diagnosis: you cannot ask just yes or no question because you will miss
some key symptoms.
• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): disorder in which people have
frequent and exaggerated worries.
• Panic disorder (PD): condition marked by frequent periods of anxiety and
occasional attacks of panic—rapid breathing, increased heart rate, chest
pains, sweating, faintness, and trembling.
o Hyperventilation: rapid deep breathing.
o Agoraphobia: an excessive fear of open or public places
o Social phobia: a severe avoidance of other people and a fear of
doing anything in public.
➢ Phobia: a fear that interferes with normal living
• Phobias are learned through observation as well as through experience
o Ex: public places, heights, air travel, water travel, being observed
by strangers, snakes, blood, lightning storms.
• Exposure therapy: a method of reducing fear by gradually exposing
people to the object of their fear.
➢ Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): a condition with repetitive thoughts
and actions
o Obsession: a repetitive, unwelcome stream of thought
o Compulsion: a repetitive, almost irresistible action
▪ Common: cleaning, checking, counting, hoarding.
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