Psychological Disorders
Psychological Disorders encompasses a wide range of conditions that influence the way individuals think, feel, and behave. In this section, we will delve into mood disorders, where extreme emotional peaks and valleys often define an individual’s experience, as well as anxiety-based disorders, which can take control of a person’s life.
By the end of this section, you should know about:
- Mood Disorders—Peaks and Valleys
- Anxiety-Based Disorders— When Anxiety Rules
- How do psychologists define anxiety-based disorders?
- What Is a Personality Disorder?
- Why Do People Commit Suicide, and Can They Be Stopped?
Let’s take a closer look at them.
Test Your Knowledge
At the end of this section, take a fast and free pop quiz to see how much you know about Psychological disorders.
Mood Disorders—Peaks and Valleys
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that causes severe emotional disturbance, resulting in severe long-lasting feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or extreme mood swings These disorders facilitate, making it difficult for people to function in their daily lives, in some cases leading to suicidal thoughts or actions
Psychological Disorders: There are two common types of mental illness
Depression:
These are characterized by chronic sadness and hopelessness. Common symptoms include:
Depression, hopelessness, and sometimes lack of interest in pleasurable activities
Fatigue, disturbed sleep, and diet
Feelings of worthlessness, negative self-image, and suicidal ideation.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder:
These involve severe mood swings alternating with severe pain and severe depression.
In schizophrenia I disorder, individuals experience full-blown manic episodes, which can lead to risky behaviors such as overspending or withdrawal, followed by severe depression
Individuals with bipolar II disorder have hypomania (less intense mania) with depression.
Psychological Disorders: Causes of Mood Disorders
The exact causes of psychosis are not yet fully understood, but biological and psychological factors are thought to play a role:
Psychological Disorders: Physical properties
Research suggests that schizophrenia, especially schizophrenia, may have a genetic component, as it runs in families. Studies show that if one identical twin develops schizophrenia, there is a 67% chance that the other will also develop it.
Brain chemistry also plays an important role. Disruption of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine are associated with mood disorders. For example, the use of lithium carbonate has been found to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder, supporting the role of brain chemicals in emotion regulation.
Psychological Disorders: Psychological factors
Psychological theory suggests that depression results from repressed anger, which is turned inward to self-blame and self-hatred.
Cognitive theories focus on the role of negative thoughts such as self-criticism or distorted thinking that can trigger the onset of depression. People who think negatively are more likely to develop psychosis when exposed to stress.
Learned helplessness theory suggests that depression arises when individuals feel unable to control or change their environment, resulting in a sense of powerlessness.
Psychological Disorders: Environmental and social factors
Life stressors, such as depression, loss, and ongoing stress, can trigger psychopathology, especially in people with certain personality traits or psychopathology
Gender differences also play a role. Women experience more depression than men, perhaps as a result of life stressors such as juggling family and work responsibilities, experiencing marital conflict, or coping with abuse or poverty
Postpartum depression, which can affect women after childbirth, is another example of how hormonal changes, stress and social stress can trigger psychological problems
Psychological Disorders: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Some people experience depression in the fall and winter, called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The condition is associated with a decrease in sunlight and changes in melatonin levels, which can interfere with sleep and mental regulation. Phototherapy, which requires exposure to ultraviolet light, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of SAD.
Anxiety-Based Disorders— When Anxiety Rules
Elevated levels of anxiety can lead to problems that negatively affect a person’s mental and physical well-being. When anxiety is excessive and persistent, it can interfere with daily life and lead to a variety of unhealthy behaviors. There are many major issues resulting from high levels of anxiety:
Psychological Disorders: Interference with daily activities
Anxiety can prevent people from doing important things like going to work, taking tests, or forming relationships. For example, individuals like Jian who avoid important information due to anxiety may face consequences in education, work, and life.
Psychological Disorders: Self-Defeating Behaviors
People often engage in avoidance or elaborate defense mechanisms, which only provide temporary relief and perpetuate the cycle of anxiety. For instance, an individual might avoid public speaking altogether instead of addressing the underlying fear.
Psychological Disorders: Physical and psychological distress
Chronic anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms, including sweating, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, or headache and if it also causes stress, insecurity and life dissatisfaction a pervasive sense of absence.
Psychological Disorders: Emergence of anxiety disorders
There are cases where anxiety is severe and does not correspond to actual threats that may indicate an anxiety disorder:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Persists and persists for six months or more with physical symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and mood disorders.
Panic attacks: sudden panic attacks accompanied by intense physical and emotional symptoms such as a racing heart and fear of losing self.
Fear: irrational fears, such as fear of heights (acrophobia) or fear of spiders (arachnophobia), that prevent them from going about their daily lives.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): obsessions (unwanted thoughts) combined with compulsions (repetitive behaviors) to alleviate anxiety.
Social phobia: Fear of social situations in which there may be scrutiny or embarrassment.
Psychological Disorders: Risk of adjustment disorders
Life changes or stressful events can cause adjustment disorders, which share symptoms with anxiety but resolve as circumstances improve without intervention, these problems can become more chronic anxiety-related problems.
Effects on quality of life
Anxiety often causes sleep disturbances, changes in appetite and difficulty concentrating, which together reduce overall life satisfaction.
Psychological Disorders: Stress Disorders
Stress disorders result from exposure to extreme and traumatic stress, such as natural disasters, violent crimes, or war. Key characteristics include:
- Symptoms: Repeated reliving of the traumatic event, emotional numbness, avoidance of reminders, insomnia, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, poor concentration, irritability, and aggression.
- Types:
- Acute Stress Disorder: Symptoms persist for less than a month after the trauma.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Symptoms last for more than a month and often involve a chronic inability to recover from the trauma.
PTSD is prevalent among combat veterans and survivors of severe trauma, with about 3.5% of adults affected annually. Therapy focuses on reducing symptoms and improving coping mechanisms.
Psychological Disorders: Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in memory, identity, or consciousness, often as a defense against traumatic events. Types include:
- Dissociative Amnesia: Loss of memory regarding personal identity or history, often triggered by trauma.
- Dissociative Fugue: Sudden, unexpected travel with confusion about personal identity.
- Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Formerly called multiple personality disorder, it involves two or more distinct personality states. This condition often begins in response to severe childhood abuse.
Treatment: Therapy, sometimes involving hypnosis, aims to integrate the identities into one balanced self.
Psychological Disorders: Somatoform Disorders
Somatoform disorder appears as non-medical physical symptoms and is often associated with psychological distress:
Hypochondria: Intense anxiety of serious illness despite medical reassurance.
Somatization Disorder: Chronic physical complaints such as nausea or pain that have no medical basis.
Pain: Debilitating pain without visible cause.
Conversion disorder: Emotional conflict is transformed into physical symptoms, such as paralysis or blindness (e.g., “glove anesthesia,” where symptoms conflict with medical realities).
Special Features:
• Symptoms usually resolve during sleep or sleep, suggesting a psychological origin.
• Treatment may involve therapy to address underlying emotional issues.
How do psychologists define anxiety-based disorders?
Anxiety-based disorders, such as panic, phobia, and generalized anxiety disorders, result from a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors and are often labeled with these explanations of the mild stress model, which produces mild harm from individuals, life-. The four key factors below highlight that stressors can trigger their development There are a number of psychological considerations that shed light on their causes:
Psychological Disorders: The cognitive behavioral approach
Basic Idea: Anxiety is caused by unconscious conflict in the mind, especially between the id (innate desires), ego (rational self), and superego (moral values).
Explanation: Anxiety occurs when repressed emotions (e.g., aggression or sexuality) threaten to surface, causing guilt and overwhelming the ego. To maintain these impulses, individuals may develop rigid defensive strategies or maladaptive behaviors.
Psychological Disorders: Human-lifestyle
Humanistic approach: Anxiety stems from a discrepancy between one’s own perception (how they see themselves) and reality. For example, a person with a weak self-image may reject evidence to the contrary, creating additional anxiety.
Mood in life: Anxiety reflects a loss of meaning in life or an overwhelming sense of responsibility for making important choices. People experiencing “moral anxiety” avoid making rational decisions, resulting in feelings of stagnation and hopelessness.
Psychological Disorders: Behavioral permission
Key Idea: Anxiety and related problems are learned behaviors that persist as a result of reinforcement.
discussion:
Anxiety can result from classical conditioning, where neutral stimuli (e.g., a room full of people) are associated with fear.
Operant conditioning reinforces avoidance behavior; For example, avoiding a threatening situation provides immediate relief from anxiety, which reinforces avoidance behaviors. This is known as an anxiety recovery mood.
Psychological Disorders: Cognitive approach
Basic Idea: Distorted thinking exacerbates daily stressors, leading to anxiety.
Explanation: People with anxiety often experience the following:
Disaster Thinking: Believing small problems will lead to big problems.
Perfectionism – setting unattainable standards, which increases the fear of failure.
Misinterpretation of social cues: recognition of criticism or judgment when it is not present.
Psychological Disorders: What it means
Each perspective emphasizes different causes of anxiety and suggests different treatment strategies. The combination of results from these approaches often leads to improved understanding and effective therapeutic strategies.
For example:
Psychodynamic therapy might focus on resolving unconscious conflicts.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) works to correct distorted thinking and reduce avoidance behaviors.
Humanistic therapies help individuals build a stronger, more authentic self-concept and find meaning in life.
What Is a Personality Disorder?
Personality disorders are characterized by deeply ingrained, immutable patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that lead to significant distress or dysfunction These patterns typically begin in adolescence or early adulthood and chronic, making it difficult to treat.
A dysfunctional model of personality
People with personality disorders often exhibit behaviors that deviate significantly from cultural expectations, leading to interpersonal problems. Example:
Paranoid personality disorder: persistent distrust and suspicion of others.
Narcissistic personality disorder: Excessive need for praise and self-centeredness.
Dependent personality disorder: submissive behavior and dependence on others for decision making.
Histrionic personality disorder: constant attention-seeking and excessively dramatic displays of emotion.
Such traits often cause ongoing challenges in relationships, work, and self-identity.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Key Features:
Unstable emotions, relationships, and self-image.
Terrifying behavior and intense fear of abandonment.
Emotional instability often leads to self-harming behavior or suicidal alcoholism.
Example: Judy, who appears to have denial and small self-destructive behaviors, is an example of someone with BPD who has a chaotic life. His hypersensitivity and criticism leads to emotional problems and relationship conflicts.
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)
Key Features:
Lack of conscience and empathy.
Manipulative, impulsive, and often deceptive behavior.
Inability to feel guilt, fear, or loyalty.
Risk: Some individuals with ASPD commit crimes, others join society and use aesthetics to manipulate others for personal gain. They generally do not respond to common emotional stimuli, such as guilt or anxiety, and may seek pleasure to overcome feelings of chronic boredom.
Reasons:
Prior emotional distress or abuse.
Subtle neurological abnormalities, including abnormalities in brain activity, that may lead to pleasure-seeking behavior.
Treatment complications: Clinic patients rarely benefit from therapy, and procedure changes are frequent. However, antisocial behavior decreases with age.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Key Features:
Unstable moods, relationships, and self-image.
Impulsive behaviors and intense fear of abandonment.
Emotional instability often leads to self-harming actions or suicidal gestures.
Example: Judy, who lashes out at minor perceived rejections and engages in self-destructive behavior, exemplifies the tumultuous life of someone with BPD. Her hypersensitivity to criticism and impulsivity create cycles of emotional crises and relationship conflicts.
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)
Key Features:
A lack of conscience and empathy.
Manipulative, impulsive, and often deceptive behavior.
Inability to feel guilt, fear, or loyalty.
Dangers: While some individuals with ASPD commit crimes, others blend into society, using charm to manipulate others for personal gain. They are often unresponsive to normal emotional triggers, like guilt or anxiety, and may seek thrills to overcome feelings of chronic boredom.
Causes:
Early emotional deprivation or abuse.
Subtle neurological abnormalities, including underaroused brain activity, which might drive thrill-seeking behaviors.
Treatment Challenges: Sociopaths rarely benefit from therapy, often manipulating the process. However, antisocial behavior tends to decline with age.
Implications
Personality disorders are deeply rooted and challenging to treat, often requiring long-term interventions. While some disorders, such as BPD, may respond to structured therapies (e.g., dialectical behavior therapy), others, like ASPD, are more resistant. Greater understanding of these conditions can reduce stigma and foster supportive environments for those affected.
Why Do People Commit Suicide, and Can They Be Stopped?
Suicide, often described as a “permanent solution to a temporary problem,” remains a significant cause of death worldwide. Understanding why people attempt suicide and how to prevent it is critical to reducing its prevalence.
Factors Affecting Suicide Rates
Gender: Men are four times more likely to complete suicide due to the use of more lethal methods (e.g., firearms). Women attempt suicide more often, but they frequently use methods like overdosing, which have a higher chance of survival.
Ethnicity: Suicide rates are higher among Caucasians and Native Americans in the U.S., with Native Americans having the highest rates. Globally, suicide rates vary dramatically by country and cultural context.
Age: Suicide rates increase with age, especially among white males over 65. It is also the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, often linked to academic stress, substance use, and interpersonal difficulties.
Marital Status: Married individuals have lower rates of suicide compared to the divorced, widowed, or single.
Immediate Causes of Suicide
Most suicides are preceded by a diagnosable mental health condition, with depression and substance use disorders being the most common. Other risk factors include:
- Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.
- Impulsive or aggressive behavior.
- Significant life crises, such as divorce, rejection, or bereavement.
- Access to lethal means, particularly firearms.
- A history of family or personal suicide attempts.
Preventing Suicide
Suicide prevention involves recognizing warning signs, understanding suicidal thoughts, and offering timely intervention. Key strategies include:
Recognizing Warning Signs:
Direct or indirect threats (e.g. “I’d be better off dead”).
The sense of death or precious gifts.
Sudden personality changes, mood swings, or withdrawal.
Recent life crisis or emotional trauma..
Understanding Suicidal Thought Patterns:
Escape: The person wants to escape from unbearable mental pain.
Reducing options: Death seems to be the only solution.
Frustrated needs: Unmet needs for love, achievement, or belonging is often helpful.
How to Help:
Take threats seriously: Most suicidal individuals give warnings.
Ask directly: It’s okay to ask, “Are you thinking of suicide?”
Offer support: Establish rapport, listen empathetically, and offer practical help.
Encourage commitments: Suggest small, daily actions (e.g., meeting for coffee) to build hope.
Seek professional help: Call crisis intervention teams or accompany the person to a hospital if a threat is imminent.
Crisis Intervention
Most cities have suicide prevention hotlines and mental health crisis teams. Providing these resources to someone at risk can save a life. Immediate action is critical if the person has a plan or is in the act of attempting suicide.