Abnormal Psychology Lecture Notes

3/22/99

Personality Disorders

1. Paranoid
2. Schizoid
3. Schizo-typal
4. Dysthemic à not included in book
5. Cyclothemic à not included in book

Anxiety-related:

6. Avoidant

• cannot bear social rejection
• social withdrawal
• poor self-esteem, sensitive to ridicule
• limited social relationships
• lonely and bored, but don’t enjoy aloneness
• different from schizoids who enjoy solitude

7. Dependent

• put at mercy of others, subordinate own needs
• lacks confidence, assertiveness
• extreme dependence

8. Obsessive-Compulsive

• not quite the same level of impairment as the major disorder
• overly concerned with trivia
• rules, efficiency, lacks warmth
• overinhibited, dutiful, obstinent, overcontientious

9. Passive Aggressive

• aggressive, but not overtly; comes out in sabotage
• never confrontational
• jealous, envious

Colorful, Erratic, Flamboyant, Emotional, Dramatic:

10. Histrionic

• self-dramatization, flamboyant
• presence is always known
• stormy, dependent, helpless, gullible, vain
• self-centered, seeking approval

11. Narcissistic à based on myth of god who fell in love with himself

• in love with himself
• center of attention and grandiose
• great sense of entitlement, lack of empathy
• stuck on self

12. Borderline à most severe in terms of implications

• likely to do themselves harm; not suicide, more mutilation
• thought to be related to mood disorders
• impulsive, low frustration, poor social relations
• distrustful, insecure, poor self identity

No longer in DSM IV (Prof. states that this is for "political reasons")

12. Self-Defeating Masochistic à drawn to punishment and aggressiveness

• if this diagnosis is given to women in abusive relationships, she is already the victim

12. Sadistic à cruel, attempt to demean others, aggressive

• both deal with women in abusive relationships
• might be engaging in criminal behavior – how do you deal with it? Psychologically or in criminal justice system?

3/24/99

Most DSM IV disorders that we’ve dealt with so far appear in teen and adult years after emotional, cognitive, and physical maturity has occurred.

• makes it more difficult to determine when regression occurred
• may require different interpretation of psychopathology
• psychopathology is more devastating
• symptom targets seen for diagnosis are peculiar to childhood and infancy and maturational tasks of the child

2 categories of symptom targets:

1. socialization à interpersonal, respect for property, familial, need for supervision and responsibility, Need to develop affiliative relationships, self-maintenance skills, manner of sexual expression
2. school à control disruptions, pay attention at school, present disciplinary problems

• considered a single disorder (attention deficit, hyperactivity)
• hyperactivity à sequel to certain brain infections: encephalitis – damages causes extreme hyperactivity "whirling dervishes"
• constant movement outside normal limits
• associated with reduced attention span that never keeps pace with normal development
• treated with Ritalin (stimulant drug)- calming effect = drug paradox

• distress produced when separated from familiar environment
• girls outnumber boys
• distressed, nervous child
• minor tranquilizers used

• disturbed sleep, eating pattern, crying a lot
• rocks back and forth
• symptoms a lot like agitated depression

1. Enuresis à loss of control of bladder function
2. Encopesis à loss of control of bowel function

• primary à disorder appears in child who never had control
• secondary à disorder appears in child who had control
• never diagnose enuresis in a child younger than 5 years old

Eating Disorders

• nightmares, nightterrors, sleepwalking that disturb the child
• sleepwalking à gets up, walks around doing meaningful tasks, back to bed, don’t remember

• propensity to be indifferent toward the rights of others
• develops empathy with difficulty
• reckless criminal acts
• males: vandalism, destruction of property, physical aggression
• females: deceitfulness, failure to accept supervision
• before the age of 10
• mimics adult anti-social personality disorder???

Borderline Personality Disorder:

• female patient with suicidal gestures à depressed, empty, no reason to keep going
• depression has gone on for years
• present attempt caused by depression brought on by planning to see child
• anger, poor interpersonal relationships
• married 4 times, 1^st at age 15 à history of abusive relationships
• defense mechanism of splitting à either all good or all bad

Compulsive Personality Disorder:

• male patient with anxiety attacks out of overwhelming need to control his environment
• felt that things were forced on him
• wants to just work and get things done, got frustrated after working
• puts too much pressure on himself, not others

Passive Aggressive Personality Disorder:

• female patient with procrastination and performing inadequately
• whiny, no participation in ward activities
• family says that she doesn’t listen to them
• withdrawal from activities à didn’t go to graduation, teacher’s pet
• husband says that she’s pretty, but she doesn’t believe him
• ends up doing things that she doesn’t want to do in their marriage
• short answers to interviewer’s questions