Pg 4.1 Pg.4.2 Pg.4.3 Pg. 4.4 Pg. 4.5
I) Disorders
Psychological Disorder - "disease of the mind" that makes it hard for the patient to deal with ordinary stresses of life.
Causes:
1) Natural cause- imbalance of neurological chemicals; genetical inheritance
2) Nurture causes - trauma or abuse in childhood
Stereotyping - assuming that all people with mental illness share the same characteristics.
The truth is, however, in many cases of such disorders, the patient only exhibits behvaiour that is only slightly differect from what is portraited as "normal".
- In the past, patients with such disorders were thought to be possessed by the devil.
II) Type 1: Neurotic Disorders
Neurosis: experience high levels of anxiety or tension but can manage their daily affairs
i) Panic Attacks
- fear, intense physical and emotional anxiety
- four or more times within a month = panic disorder
- 2 to 4% of population; men and women in equal numbers
Causes: exposure to abuse and imbalance of brain chemicals
Treatment: therapy & medication (tranquilizers)
ii) Phobias (Read examples on pg. 50-51)
- an irrational, dibilitating fear
Treatment: Exposure therapy, relaxation techniques
iii) Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder
- behaviour that's obsessed with exactness & symmetry (eg. turning lights on and off 20 times)
- neurological chemically-caused
Treatment: therapy and medication
III) Type 2: Psychotic Disorders
- losing touch with the real world, patients have their own perceptions of reality
- delusions and hallucinations (hearing or seeing something that's not there)
i) Anti-social Disorder (ASP)
- aka sociopathy; a "lifelong pervasive pattern of rule breaking that begins before age 15."
- criminals, troublemakers, etc. who do not learn from punishment and blame others
- inabiliy to feel empathy, the ability to understand and experience the feelings of others
- Usually exhibit Calm and controlled behaviour because they believe that they won't be caught
- 8x as many men with ASP than women (Cause: Biological? Cultural?)
ii) Causes of ASP
- nature-nurture debate
- abusive childhoood, infants' lack of bonding with moms (Zack and Bibily!!!!)
- Biological: less grey matter in prefrontal cortex of the brain, the part that regulates behaviour