Abnormal Psychology notes
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ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
The scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain, and exert some control over abnormal patterns of functioning.
Deviance - extreme, unusual, perhaps even bizarre
Distress - unpleasant and upsetting to the individual
Dysfunction - disruptive to the person's ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive manner
Danger - to themselves or others
SCHIZOPHRENIA
1 - 2 % op the population meets the DSM-IV criteria for
Psychosis
Lack of contact with reality
ex. Mania, organic brain syndrome, brief psychotic reaction (response to particular condition or physiological states), psychotic depression and schizophrenia
Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Delusions
Beliefs that have no basis in reality and are often absurd.
Disorganized Thinking and Speech
Peculiar excesses of verbal expression
loose associations - rapidly shifting from one topic to another
perseveration - repeating words and statements over and over again
neologisms - making-up words
clang - using rhymes to guide statements
Hallucinations
Perceptions that occur in the absence of external stimuli. Can be auditory, visual, gustatory, olfactory, or tactile.
Inappropriate Affect
Emotions unsuited to the situation
Psychomotor Symptoms
Loss of spontaneous movement or the development of odd gestures, Catatonia psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia
Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Poverty of Speech
Decreased command and productivity of speech
Blunted and Flat Affect
Showing little or no emotion
Disturbance in Volition
Feeling drained of energy
Disturbed Relationship With Others
Withdrawing emotionally and socially from others
Diagnostic Criteria for Schizophrenia
Disorganized
Catatonic
Paranoid
Undifferentiated
Residual
Type I Schizophrenia
Many positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations - may be due to biochemical abnormalities in the brain; good response to medication
Type II Schizophrenia
Negative symptoms may be due to structural abnormalities in the brain; poor response to medication
Other Types of Psychosis
Brief Reactive Psychosis
Criteria A without negative symptoms, last one day to a month
Schizophreniform - one to five months
Delusional Disorder
Non-bizarre delusions, no criteria A, except for the delusional behavior is not odd.
Views on the Etiology of Schizophrenia
Sociocultural View
Society defines and maintains it, but note that schizophrenia symptoms are the same cross culturally and schizophrenia occurs in all cultures at a consistent rate
Biological View
Genetic (concordance)
Relative of schizophrenics have higher rates schizophrenia than the general population. Identical twins have a higher rate of concordance for schizophrenia than fraternal twins, and have a higher risk of getting schizophrenia if one of the two gets it (40-60%). Adults of schizophrenia who were adopted at birth are more likely to have a biological parent with schizophrenia than adopted parents.
Biochemical abnormalities
Neurotransmitter dopamine may fire too often and transmit too many messages; may be due to too much L-dopa in schizophrenics; this hypothesis seems too fit Type I schizophrenics (they respond to treatment)
Abnormal brain structures
Enlarged ventricles, damaged frontal lobes or cerebrum linked to more negative symptoms in Type II schizophrenics...