CAS PS 101 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: American Psychiatric Association, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Psychopathology
5 Dec 2017
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Chapter 14: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
I. DEFINING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
1. What We Call It - Psychological disorders, as a class, are called many things. We use the term
psychopathology, mental illness, behavior disorder, emotional disturbance, etc. They all mean roughly
the same thing although the severity of the disorder may vary greatly. They share the following features
however.
2. Distress - The person is experiencing some sort of negative reaction such as anxiety, depression,
confusion, etc.
3. Atypical - Behavior deviates from what society believes is normal. They may react differently to
normal stressors or engage in behaviors society considers deviant. This type of definition has led to
some behaviors we may now not consider as mental illness to be labeled as pathology such as
homosexuality. This was considered to be a mental illness until the 1970's.
4. Maladaptive - The disorder interferes with normal, every day functioning. They may not be able to
hold a job, have normal social interactions, or care for themselves.
5. Unacceptable to Society - The behavior is in some way viewed negatively by society, as either
objectionable or unacceptable. Again, homosexuality fell into this category.
II. HISTORY OF PERSPECTIVES ON MENTAL ILLNESS
1. Possessed by Demons - The earliest view of mental illness was that people suffering from it were
possessed by demons. People were actually treated by drilling holes into their skulls to let the demons
out. This procedure was called trephining.
2. Medical Model - The next view of mental disorder held that mental illness, just as physical illness,
was the result of biological or medical factors. This view is still widely held today and it is probably
valid for many mental disorders. It did lead to more humane treatment for the mentally ill.
3. Psychodynamic Perspective - This is the Freudian perspective. It holds that mental disorders are the
result of unconscious urges or impulses.
4. Behavioral Perspective - This perspective holds that abnormal behavior is learned just like normal
behavior. You are the product of your environment and through modeling, and social and cultural
factors you learn to behave in a maladaptive manner.
III. DSM-IV
1. DSM-IV - The American Psychiatric Association publishes the "bible" of psychiatric diagnosis. It is
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is usually just referred to as the DSM-IV,
meaning that the version we are currently using is the third edition revised.
2. Diagnosis - What the DSM-IV does is give you a listing of behaviors that are associated with each
classification. In order to use a diagnosis, the individual must meet the specific criteria set forth in the
manual. It makes no claims to etiology (usually, PTSD is an exception) nor does it propose treatment.
3. Constantly Revised - As knowledge and attitudes change, so does the DSM-IV. As I mentioned,
homosexuality was once considered a mental disorder, it no longer is. Other conditions like PMS
(premenstrual Syndrome) and PTSD have been added in more recent versions. Others change. For
example, what we now refer to as ADHD (Attention Deficit hyperactivity Disorder) was called
Minimal Brain Dysfunction in DSM-II and Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity in
DSM-III. DSM-IV is returning to the DSM-III categorization.
IV. ANXIETY DISORDERS
1. Anxiety - We have all experienced anxiety, it is part of everyday life. For anxiety to become a
disorder it must be intense enough and of long enough duration to cause disruption in functioning.
There are different types of anxiety disorders.
2. Generalized Anxiety Disorder - This is when the person is experiencing persistent and severe anxiety
in most situations. In other words, they worry about everything and can't function. There is a constant
fear, tension, and dread.
3. Panic Attacks - This is when an individual experiences sudden intense anxiety which temporarily
renders them incapable of functioning. They are brief but intense but do not appear to be triggered by a
particular object or event.
4. Phobias - A phobia is defined as an irrational fear of a particular object or event such as a fear of
snakes, heights, etc. We talked about these bore when we discussed classical conditioning because they
are though to be learned through classical conditioning. Everyone has fears but it does not become a
phobia unless it interferes with normal functioning.
5. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - An obsession is a thought that you can't get out of your
mind. A compulsion is a ritualistic behavior that you engage in over and over again such as washing
your hands over and over to get rid of germs. These are anxiety disorders because the obsession creates
anxiety and the compulsion is your means to overcome anxiety. Both are maladaptive and disrupt
normal functioning.
6. Treatment - Generalized anxiety disorders are usually treated with medication but phobias and OCD
are usually treated behaviorally.
V. DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
1. Overview - These include disorders of though in which you lose identity or memory.
2. Psychogenic Amnesia - Amnesia is a loss of memory. while it usually happens due to some physical
cause it is sometimes due to psychological causes such as experiencing trauma or extreme stress. When
there is no physical cause we call it psychogenic amnesia. It usually involves a selective or localized
forgetting but in rare instances it can involve a total loss of identity.
3. Multiple Personality - This is very rare, much rarer than you would imagine considering made for
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Document Summary
Chapter 14: psychopathology: defining psychological disorder, what we call it - psychological disorders, as a class, are called many things. We use the term psychopathology, mental illness, behavior disorder, emotional disturbance, etc. They all mean roughly the same thing although the severity of the disorder may vary greatly. They share the following features however: distress - the person is experiencing some sort of negative reaction such as anxiety, depression, confusion, etc, atypical - behavior deviates from what society believes is normal. They may react differently to normal stressors or engage in behaviors society considers deviant. This type of de nition has led to some behaviors we may now not consider as mental illness to be labeled as pathology such as homosexuality. This was considered to be a mental illness until the 1970"s: maladaptive - the disorder interferes with normal, every day functioning.
