5.4 - Selection of Categories of Psychological Disorders

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Definition: Conditions affecting the development of essential brain functions, leading to difficulties with social skills, language, perception, or motor behavior.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):

  • Key Features: Challenges with social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors or interests.

  • Spectrum: Ranges from individuals with high functioning to those needing significant support.

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):

  • Key Features: Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

  • Inattention: Difficulty focusing, easily distracted, trouble following through on tasks.

Depressive Disorders

• Major Depressive Disorder:

  • Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities.

  • May also include changes in sleep, appetite, and concentration.

  • Biological Factors: Linked to imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

  • Social-Cognitive Factors: Negative thoughts and behaviors can reinforce depression.

• Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): A less severe but longer-lasting form of depression.

Schizophrenia

• Psychosis: A break from reality, involving impaired thinking and perception.

• Schizophrenia: A chronic mental disorder characterized by a split from reality, manifesting in:

  • Disorganized Thinking and Delusions: False beliefs that are firmly held despite evidence to the contrary.

  • Disturbed Perceptions (Hallucinations): Sensory experiences without any external stimulus. Most common: Hearing voices.

  • Inappropriate Emotions and Actions: Laughing at inappropriate times, flat affect (lack of emotion), catatonic behavior.

• Positive Symptoms: Excesses or distortions of normal functions. Often more prominent in early stages.

  • Examples: Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior.

• Negative Symptoms: Reductions or losses of normal functions.

  • Examples: Flat affect, apathy, poverty of speech (reduced speech).

• Other Symptoms:

  • Paranoia: Extreme suspiciousness or unfounded fear of persecution.

  • Catatonia: Marked decrease in reactivity to the environment, including:

    • Immobility or excessive, purposeless movement.

    • Extreme negativism (resisting instructions).

    • Repetition of speech or movements (echolalia or echopraxia).

• Brain Abnormalities:

• Dopamine: Schizophrenia is associated with an excess of dopamine activity in certain brain regions.

• Other Brain Changes: Reduced frontal lobe activity, enlarged ventricles (fluid-filled spaces), and abnormal thalamus activity.

Bipolar Disorder

Definition: Mood swings between depression and mania.

• Manic Symptoms: Elevated mood, hyperactivity, racing thoughts, impulsive behavior.

• Bipolar I: Experiences full manic episodes and usually major depressive episodes.

• Bipolar II: Experiences hypomania (less severe mania) and major depressive episodes.

Anxiety Disorders

• Key Features: Excessive fear, worry, and apprehension that interferes with daily life.

• Types of Anxiety Disorders:

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):

    • Persistent, excessive worry about a variety of things.

    • Difficulty controlling the worry.

    • Physical symptoms (e.g., muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue).

  • Panic Disorder:

    • Sudden and repeated panic attacks (intense fear and physical symptoms).

    • Fear of having future panic attacks.

  • Phobias:

    • Specific Phobia: Intense fear of a specific object or situation (e.g., spiders, heights).

    • Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia): Fear of social situations and scrutiny by others.

    • Agoraphobia: Fear of open or public spaces, often linked to panic disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Obsessions: Persistent, unwanted thoughts or images that cause anxiety.

• Compulsions: Repetitive behaviors or mental acts performed to reduce anxiety (e.g., handwashing, checking).

• Brain Imaging: PET scans show increased activity in the frontal lobe.

OCD-Related Disorders

• Hoarding Disorder: Persistent difficulty discarding possessions, leading to clutter and distress.

Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative Disorders: Conditions involving disruptions in memory, identity, or consciousness.

• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID):

  • Formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder.

  • Presence of two or more distinct personalities within one individual.

• Dissociative Amnesia with Fugue:

  • Involves a sudden loss of memory for personal information, often triggered by stress or trauma.

  • Accompanied by unexpected travel or wandering away from home, often with confusion about one's identity or the assumption of a new identity.

• Dissociative Amnesia without Fugue:

  • Involves a loss of memory for personal information or significant life events, but without the travel or identity confusion seen in fugue states.

  • The amnesia typically centers around a specific event or period of time.

Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

• Definition: These disorders are characterized by exposure to a traumatic or stressful event, leading to significant psychological distress. Symptoms may include hypervigilance, severe anxiety, flashbacks, insomnia, emotional detachment, and hostility.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):

  • Develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.

  • Symptoms: Flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, avoidance of reminders.

Eating Disorders

• Definition: Feeding and eating disorders are characterized by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect physical health or psychological well-being.

• Anorexia Nervosa:

  • Intense fear of gaining weight, leading to self-starvation and extreme weight loss.

• Bulimia Nervosa:

  • Cycles of binge eating (consuming large amounts of food) followed by purging (vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise).

Personality Disorders

• Three Clusters:

  • Cluster A: Odd or eccentric behavior (e.g., paranoid, schizoid).

  • Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional, or erratic behavior (e.g., borderline, narcissistic, antisocial).

  • Cluster C: Anxious or fearful behavior (e.g., avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive).

Cluster A

• Paranoid Personality Disorder is characterized by a persistent distrust of others and suspicion.

• Schizoid Personality Disorder involves a lack of interest in forming social relationships and limited emotional expression.

• Schizotypal Personality Disorder is marked by difficulties in social interactions, unusual thoughts, and distorted perceptions of reality.

Cluster B

• Borderline Personality Disorder is characterized by unstable moods, self-image, and behavior, often leading to impulsive actions and relationship problems.

• Histrionic Personality Disorder involves seeking excessive attention through seductive behavior and a strong need for approval.

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder is defined by an inflated sense of self-importance, a constant need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.

Cluster C

• Avoidant Personality Disorder is characterized by extreme social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and a fear of rejection, making it challenging to maintain relationships.

• Dependent Personality Disorder involves a reliance on others for decision-making and reassurance, leading to anxiety when alone.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder is marked by a fixation on perfectionism, orderliness, and a lack of flexibility in interpersonal relationships.

Personality Disorders and Mood Disorders

Personality Disorders

• Antisocial Personality Disorder: A pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others.

  • Key features: Repeatedly breaking laws, lying, impulsivity, aggression, lack of remorse.

  • Not the same as being "antisocial" (shy or withdrawn).

• Conduct Disorder: A childhood disorder characterized by continued violation of rules and social norms.

• Oppositional Defiant Disorder: A pattern of angry, defiant, and argumentative behavior, particularly toward authority figures.