Early Ideas of Mental Disorders
Supernatural models: People once believed mental disorders came from the devil, evil spirits, or curses.
Biological imbalance models: Hippocrates (the “father of medicine”) thought disorders were caused by bodily imbalances.
Example: Hysteria was thought to come from the “wandering uterus” moving around the body.
Freud (psychological model): Later, Freud shifted focus to early childhood experiences and unconscious conflicts as causes of abnormal behavior
The 4 D’s of Abnormality
Dangerousness (to self or others)
Distress (emotional suffering)
Dysfunction (interference with daily life, work, relationships)
Deviance/Difference (unusual or culturally unexpected behavior)
➡ Together, these help define psychopathology: psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment that is not typical or culturally expected
Biopsychosocial Approach
Integrates biological factors (genes, brain, neurotransmitters), psychological factors (thoughts, behaviors, emotions), and social/environmental factors (family, culture, stress).
This is the most widely used model today.
Genetics:
Genotype = genetic status (alleles).
Phenotype = how traits show up in the person (e.g., blue eyes, or presence of a disorder)
Behavior Theory
All behavior is the product of learning.
Skinner: reinforcement & punishment shape behavior.
Cognitive Theory
Abnormal behavior results from distorted thinking.
Examples: irrational beliefs, misinterpretations of events.
Concepts like self-efficacy and attributions play a role.
Humanistic Theory
People are basically good and motivated to realize their potential.
Rogers: behavior is determined by each person’s unique perception of the world.
Psychodynamic Theory (Freud)
Behavior (normal or abnormal) influenced by unconscious forces.
Therapy tries to:
Gain insight into unconscious origins of behavior.
Reduce reliance on defense mechanisms.
Repair early relationship patterns through the therapeutic relationship.
Sociocultural Theories
Abnormality explained by external factors:
Harmful environments
Adverse social policies
Powerlessness
Cultural traditions
Treatment: improve broader social and cultural conditions.
Alcohol Use Disorder & Genetics
Alcohol use disorder is linked to genetic vulnerabilities, but genetics are not the whole story.
Reciprocal gene-environment model:
Genes interact with experiences.
Example: someone genetically prone to impulsivity may also end up in environments where alcohol is more accessible.
Environmental influences (like parenting style) can override or protect against genetic risk
Anxiety Disorders
Highly comorbid with:
Panic disorder
Depression
PTSD
Panic Disorder:
sudden panic attacks, feels like heart attack, not tied to specific triggers.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
chronic, excessive worry about many aspects of life.
Phobias:
intense irrational fears of specific things, often treated with systematic desensitization .
Social Anxiety Disorder
extreme fear of social/performance situations.
Cultural Context & DSM Definition
DSM defines a disorder as psychological dysfunction with distress/impairment that is not typical or culturally expected.
Cultural context matters: what is abnormal in one culture may be normal in another.
Diathesis-Stress Model
Disorders result from interaction of:
Diathesis = predisposition/vulnerability (biological, psychological, or genetic).
Stress = environmental trigger.
Example: a person might carry a genetic risk for schizophrenia but only develop it after major stress.
MAPS Acronym
Medical myths
Attempted answers
Prejudicial pigeonholing
Superficial syndromes
Prognosis
Only described as: good, fair, guarded, poor.
Refers to the clinician’s prediction of how the patient will do over time with treatment.
Good: high chance of recovery.
Fair: moderate chance, depends on treatment compliance.
Guarded: uncertain, could go either way.
Poor: little chance of significant improvement.
Assessment Tools
MSE (Mental Status Exam) interviews: structured or semi-structured conversations to understand patient’s background, thought processes, and symptoms.
Psychological testing:
Objective tests → standardized measures (e.g., MMPI).
Subjective tests → projective (e.g., Rorschach).
Intelligence tests → measure cognitive ability.
Personality tests → trait assessment.
Neuropsychological testing: checks brain–behavior relations (e.g., after brain injury).
Physiopsychological testing: looks at biological markers like biofeedback or brain imaging.
Fear, Panic, Anxiety
Fear = emotional, behavioral, and physical responses to an actual danger.
Panic = fear in the absence of actual danger (false alarm, sudden and intense).
Anxiety = vague sense of apprehension about the future, with tension, arousal, and avoidance behaviors.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Persistent, excessive worry across many areas of life.
Often comes with physical symptoms: tension, fatigue, poor sleep.
Highly comorbid with panic disorder, depression, and PTSD.
Specific Phobia
Persistent, intense fear of a specific object/situation (e.g., spiders, flying, needles).
Causes distress and impairment.
Characteristics:
People recognize the fear is irrational.
They avoid the feared stimulus excessively.
Treatment: Systematic Desensitization (exposure-based).
Create a hierarchy of fears (least → most scary).
Pair with relaxation techniques to tolerate anxiety.
Does NOT require real-life confrontation at the end (e.g., you don’t have to hold a bee if bees are your phobia).
Social Anxiety Disorder
Extreme fear of social or performance situations.
Markedly interferes with functioning (school, work, relationships).
People either avoid situations or endure them with intense distress.
Panic Disorder:
Unexpected panic attacks (sudden intense fear).
Feels like a heart attack.
DSM criteria include:
Feeling things are not real (derealization).
Thinking you are going crazy.
Worrying you are going to die.
Key difference from GAD:
Panic Disorder → short bursts of intense panic, no anxiety between attacks.
GAD → chronic worry, tension, and uneasiness across many areas of life.
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Psychopathology Lecture 1 & 232
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Mental Disorder Assessment - Lecture 310
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Specific Phobias, Panic & Anxiety Disorder - Lecture 3 (Cont'd)12
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Trauma and Stressor Disorders - Lecture 4 (Pt. 1)22
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Trauma and Stressor Disorders - Lecture 4 (Pt. 2)8
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Exam 1 Study40
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Somatic Symptom & Related Disorders (SSRDs)12
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Eating Disorders18
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Sleep Wake Disorders15
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Sexual Dysfunction & Gender Dysphoria15
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Neurodevelopmental Disorders19
