Psychological disorders
Psychological disorders are complex conditions that affect a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, often making it challenging for them to function in daily life. In this section, we will explore key concepts such as what defines normal behavior, how mental disorders are classified, and what symptoms are commonly associated with psychosis.
By the end of this section, you should know about:
- Normality—What’s Normal?
- Classifying Mental Disorders— Problems by the Book
- What are the most common symptoms of psychosis?
- What Is the Nature of a Delusional Disorder?
Let’s take a closer look at them.
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Normality—What’s Normal?
Definition of abnormal behavior: Judging whether someone’s behavior is inappropriate is complicated. Informal labels like “wacko” or “ready to go postal” are common, but there are some difficulties in doing serious psychological classification. The housekeeper seems perfectly normal but can be psychologically terrible, while the eccentric loner can be the sanest person around. In psychology, abnormalities are not easily explained.
Psychopathology: The study of mental diseases
Psychopathology refers to the study of mental disorders such as schizophrenia or schizophrenia, and includes behaviors that prevent individuals from growing. While statistical anomalies (e.g., anxiety levels or excessive intelligence) may provide some guidance, this approach does not define what these constraints matter, nor does it define the boundary between behaviors a between right and wrong
Statistical anomalies and their limitations
Statistical anomalies describe abnormal behavior through extreme scores on a particular scale, such as intelligence or anxiety. But just because something is rare (high or low) doesn’t make it harmful or undesirable. For example, while extremely high intelligence or rare talents such as winning the Olympics are not considered exceptional, where to draw the line for potentially extreme behaviors (such as everyday anxiety) is never decided is still a challenge.
Social dissonance: Behavioral deviance from norms
Inconsistencies, or violations of social norms, can indicate abnormalities, but they are not always negative. Some people who lead non-traditional lifestyles, such as drug addicts or weird people, may not be mentally disturbed. In contrast, strong associations do not predict mental illness. Some problems come from strict adherence to standards.
Context and culture have a definition of anomalies
Practices must be evaluated in context—what is considered abnormal in one context may be appropriate in another. Once considered reckless, practices like bungee jumping are now commonplace. Cultural values also strongly influence decisions. For example, in some cultures, a woman sleeping in her own home is considered virtuous, but in Western contexts, she is diagnosed with agoraphobia
Subjective discomfort: emotional distress
One way to explain abnormality is by causing emotional distress, such as sadness or emotional pain. However, depression alone is not an indicator of psychosis, as people can experience pain without psychological distress. Conversely, a person who is not grieving after the death of a loved one may show signs of disorganization.
A key feature of disorganized behavior: maladaptation
Schizophrenia behaviors are generally transformative—they interfere with the ability to function in daily life. For example, compulsive gambling or loss of thought control (such as hearing voices) may be a sign of abnormality. In extreme cases, individuals may pose a danger to themselves or others.
Legal implications: madness and commitment
Commitment is a legal proceeding in which individuals may commit themselves to a mental health facility without wishing to be considered incapable of dealing with their affairs or understanding the consequences of their actions The legal term insanity refers to a lack of self-respect accountable for his actions due to a mental disorder. The insanity defense can be invoked in court to show that a person does not understand the seriousness of his actions. However, mental illness itself does not provide complete protection against insanity.
Classifying Mental Disorders— Problems by the Book
Mental disorders are classified according to the Diagnosis of Mental Disorder Statistical Manual (DSM). The current version is DSM-IV-TR, with an updated version of DSM-5 expected in 2013. This document is essential for diagnosis, treatment, and even insurance premiums
Overview of mental disorders
Cognitive disorders require greater intensity of cognitive functioning. The DSM lists disorders, but some major categories are as follows:
Psychological problems: These include delusions, delusions and social withdrawal. Mental illness and associated disorders are examples.
Biological trauma: Brain damage due to injury, disease, or toxins. Symptoms include memory loss, personality changes and psychosis.
Emotional disorders: These are characterized by intense emotions such as depression or anxiety. bipolar disorder and major depression fall into this category.
Anxiety: These include extreme anxiety, fear, panic, phobia, or obsessive-compulsive behavior.
Somatoform disorders: These include physical symptoms such as lameness or blindness, with no discernible physical disorder. Psychological factors explain these symptoms.
Dissociative disorders: These include amnesia, multiple personalities and periods of out-of-body, where people feel dissociated from their bodies.
Personality disorders: These are chronic unhealthy personality traits, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, narcissism and antisocial behavior.
Sexual and Gender Disorders: These include sexual behavior, or sexual transition issues, including conditions such as sexual dysfunction or paraphilia (e.g., pedophilia, fetishism).
Changing definitions of disorders
The DSM evolves over time. For example, the term “neurosis” was removed due to its imprecision, and some conditions, like gender identity disorder, continue to evolve in their classification. New potential disorders, like post-traumatic embitterment disorder and internet addiction, are under consideration.
General risk factors for psychological disorders
Several risk factors contribute to the development of mental health issues:
Biological/Physical Factors: Genetics, prenatal care, chronic illnesses, or head injuries.
Psychological Factors: Stress, learning difficulties, and a sense of low control.
Family Factors: Dysfunctional parenting, severe family strife, or abuse.
Social Conditions: Poverty, homelessness, overcrowding, or social disorganization.
Disorders in Perspective—Psychiatric Labeling
Mental health labels are designed to help employees communicate about psychological problems, but they can be misused. Labeling should be used with caution, as it can cause serious problems for individuals.
Psychological disorders: The impact of mental health labels
While mental health labels are useful for diagnosis and communication, they can be harmful if used incorrectly. People may act “crazy” when stressed, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they have a serious psychosis. Psychotic symptoms are more long-term and severe that most people experience after a short period of distress.
Psychological disorders: The classic Rosenhan study
A famous study by psychologist David Rosenhane revealed the dangers of mental health labels. Rosenhan and colleagues (1973) falsified admissions to psychiatric hospitals using depressive symptoms. After admission, they stopped feigning illness and functioned as normal. Despite normal practices, none of the employees perceived fraud. In contrast, patients themselves tended to see researchers as outsiders. For example, patients would say, “You’re not crazy, you’re doing clinical research!”
Interestingly, Rosenhan’s study found that staff assumed that everything the fake patients did was a symptom of their supposed illness. Even when Rosenhan mentioned it explicitly, it was interpreted as a symptom of “psychopathy,” referring to how labels can distort perceptions of behavior.
Psychological disorders: Labeling problems versus labeling people
Rosenhan’s research emphasized the importance of labeled problems, not people. It’s far less harmful to say, “You’re experiencing severe psychosis,” than it is to say, “You’re depressed.” The latter narrative defines a person by their illness and reduces their identity to that one line.
Psychological disorders: Social stigma and discrimination
There is another issue with mental health registries that often leads to social stigma—misconceptions and discrimination against those labeled as having a mental illness. People on the mental health registry can face denial, difficulty finding employment, denial of housing, and wrongful criminal charges. This social stigma can be as damaging as psychological distress, making it difficult for individuals to recover.
What are the most common symptoms of psychosis?
Psychotic disorders are among the most severe and dramatic forms of mental illness, often causing a deep disconnect from reality. Individuals experiencing psychosis can experience significant changes in their thinking, behavior, and emotions. A key feature of psychopathology is the loss of communication and collective conception of reality, that is, individuals with psychosis perceive the world in ways that are disconnected from actual events or facts on
Psychological disorders: Basic features of psychosis
Delusions
Deception is the persistence of false beliefs despite evidence to the contrary. Common misconceptions are:
- Delusions: The belief that a person has committed a crime or sin.
- Somatic delusions: Belief that the body is numb or emits a foul odor.
- Delusion of greatness: The belief that a person is very important or has special powers.
- Influence illusion: The belief that one’s thoughts or actions are controlled by external forces.
- Delusions of abuse: The belief that others are conspiring against the individual.
- Context bias: The belief that neutral events or external stimuli have personal significance, such as the belief that a TV program conveys a personal message to them.
These delusions often resemble superstitious or “magical” thinking.
Psychological disorders: Hallucinations
Hallucinations are sensory experiences that occur without external stimuli. The most common hallucinations in psychosis are auditory hallucinations, where a person hears a voice, sometimes compelled to do something harmful. Hallucinations can also involve sight, smell (smell). touch(es) or experiences, such as tasting bugs crawling on the skin or food poisoning.
Psychological disorders: Disturbed Emotions
People experiencing psychosis often have severe emotional problems. They may be very excited, depressed, overly emotional, or uninterested. In some cases, schizophrenic individuals exhibit a flat effect, where their faces are cold or passive, indicating greater inefficiency in processing emotions.
Psychological disorders: Disorganized Speech
A common symptom of psychosis is disorganized speech, which can be so incoherent as to be compared to a “word salad”. This reflects a breakdown in coherent thinking and communication, making it difficult for a person to express themselves clearly.
Psychological disorders: Personality Disintegration
One of the hallmarks of psychosis is personality disorder—disruption of the coordination of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This fragmented identity creates a disconnect between self and reality and can lead to a complete deterioration of the program, as if it is impossible to distinguish between what is real and what is imagined.
Psychological disorders: Organic Psychosis
Organic psychosis refers to a mental illness caused directly by physical changes in the brain, usually as a result of injury, illness, or toxins Examples include: Exposure to toxic substances such as lead or mercury can cause psychotic symptoms.
• Substance abuse: Drug abuse can lead to psychosis, including delusions and hallucinations.
• Cognitive impairment: The most common form of cognitive impairment, especially in older adults, is dementia, characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities such as memory, reasoning, and judgment The best-known cause of dementia comes with Alzheimer’s disease, which also impairs memory and cognitive function.
Psychological disorders: Specific mental illness
There are two main types of mental illnesses:
1. Delusional Disorders: In these disorders, individuals develop persistent false beliefs without other significant psychotic symptoms. These hallucinations are usually very specific and long lasting.
2. Schizophrenia: A severe and chronic illness characterized by a broad array of psychotic symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, slurred speech, and erratic behaviors that often cause problems greatly occurs in daily routine and requires long-term management.
Although mood disorders primarily have extreme emotional components, some mood disorders can also have mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder with mood disorders.
What Is the Nature of a Delusional Disorder?
What appears to be widely held false beliefs (delusions) that resist logic or evidence to the contrary but unlike a severe psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia, usually people with delusions does not experience hallucinations, dramatic emotional changes or personality disruption.
Psychological disorders: Types of Delusional Disorders
- The romantic person believes that they are loved by someone, usually a celebrity or a high-ranking person. This can lead to bizarre behaviors, as the person tries to communicate with the object of interest.
- The Highway: People with this delusion believe they have some special talent, knowledge, or insight that others don’t. They may also feel a special connection to important people or consider themselves a celebrity. In some cases, celebrities are considered cheaters.
- Jealous Behavior: This delusion includes an unfounded belief that a spouse or lover is unfaithful. A person may be suspicious of his or her spouse even if there is no evidence to support the accusation.
- Bully Pattern: This is one of the most common forms of schizophrenia, and is often referred to as bipolar disorder. Individuals with bullying delusions believe they are being conspired against, manipulated, spied upon, poisoned, or manipulated. This uncertainty creates a constant sense of intense suspicion and threat in others.
- Somatic type: People with somatic delusions believe that their bodies are sick, decaying, infested with insects or parasites, or have a physical defect that others cannot see.
Psychological disorders: Features of Delusional Disorders
Although the illusions in delusion are obviously false, they often apply to situations that theoretically could happen in real life. For example, a person with persecution delusions believes that their husband is trying to steal things from them or that these beliefs, although untrue, are not as bizarre or dramatic as those found in conditions such as depression in the 19th century, where fantasies can involve aliens or supernatural forces
Psychological disorders: Paranoid psychosis
One of the most common forms of bipolar disorder is bipolar disorder, which involves suspicion of bullying. People with this type of prejudice believe that others are conspiring against them or making them their enemies. They are often very suspicious and feel the need to be on constant guard to protect themselves.
Examples of confused thinking include:
Believing that innocuous information, such as ringing sounds during a phone call, is evidence that someone is watching them.
Thinking that a stranger asking for directions is part of a conspiracy.
Because of their deeply ingrained beliefs, individuals with paranoid narcissism tend to be more withdrawn and distrustful of others. They are hostile and suspicious, which makes it difficult for them to build or maintain relationships.
Psychological disorders: Challenges in Treatment
Treating individuals with delusional disorders, especially paranoid types, is very challenging. These individuals often do not believe they have a problem, and anyone who suggests they need help is seen as part of the conspiracy. As a result, they may resist treatment and lead isolated, lonely lives dominated by their irrational fears.
While individuals with paranoid delusions are not necessarily violent, their delusions can sometimes lead to dangerous behavior. For example, they might interpret a stranger’s actions as threatening and react with aggression to “defend themselves.”
Psychological disorders: Schizophrenia—Shattered Reality
Schizophrenia is a severe and serious mental disorder that involves disturbing thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors. It manifests in a variety of symptoms, including hallucinations (false beliefs), hallucinations (delusions), severe cognitive issues and can also manifest through apathy, erratic thinking and impulsivity violence, creating a strong connection between one’s thoughts and feelings
Schizophrenia Types: Depression is often divided into several subtypes based on the main symptoms shown:
Disorganized type: This type is characterized by incoherent speech, bizarre behavior and inappropriate emotions. The disorder often leads to a complete personality disorder, where the person may exhibit irrational speech or behavior.
Catatonic type: In this form, the person may be unable to move or stand in a rigid and abnormal posture for long periods of time. They have periods of criticism or agitation, which makes communication difficult.
Paranoid type: This is the most common type and consists mainly of intense delusions of persecution or grandeur. People believe they are being conspired against or have special powers or connections to important individuals. Auditory hallucinations are also common.
Undifferentiated form: Some individuals do not fit into the above characteristics and are diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia, where psychotic symptoms are present but do not correspond to any particular subtype.
Psychological disorders: Causes of Schizophrenia:
The exact cause of Schizophrenia remains unclear, but there are many factors:
Genetics: Research shows that there is a strong genetic component. Those with a family history of the disorder are at increased risk for dementia. For example, identical twins have a 48% chance if one twin develops schizophrenia if one twin develops schizophrenia.
Brain chemicals: Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, plays an important role in depression. Some studies suggest that excessive activity or high sensitivity in dopamine systems can trigger psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. Other neurotransmitters and brain systems may be involved.
Prenatal supplies: Complications during pregnancy, such as infections (e.g., the common cold), malnutrition, or stress, can increase the risk of developing depression such in utero can impair normal brain development and make the child more vulnerable to the disorder later in life.
Environmental and psychological factors: Childhood trauma such as bullying or severe family stress can increase the risk of developing schizophrenia Living in a violent and abusive environment can raise the possibility has grown, although this alone is not enough to cause the problem.
