Bipolar Disorder

Identify bias in a research project.

12. Conduct internet research and identify bias in a research project. Explain the project, the possible bias or biases and how to avoid bias. Be sure to provide the url (links) to the web sites you cited. You must provide a minimum of two paragraphs of 7-9 sentences each.

Lesson 5: The Classification of Abnormal Behavior

Visit these links to learn more about human behaviors.

Abnormal

The term itself is one of the most debated terms used in psychology. In order to determine what is “abnormal” (not normal), one must be able to determine “normal.” Are you normal? Probably so. All of the time? Probably not. Many of us have acted out, been depressed, dressed in clothes that make our parents truly wonder. But where does normal stop and abnormal begin?

There are many ways to look at normal and abnormal. For example, if you are behaving the way most people do, then you are normal. This is called “statistical definition” of abnormal. Most college students study at night and sleep excessively during the day. They are “normal” for a college student, but “abnormal” when compared to the rest of society that prefers to sleep at night and work during the day. A second way to determine normal or abnormal is culturally. An act that is normal in one culture is seen as abnormal in another. There exists a tribe in Africa that kills a twin baby. Because of a food shortage, this is normal, and acceptable in that African tribe, but would not be so in our society. The third way to determine abnormal deals with one’s ability (or inability) to adjust. One is considered abnormal when they cannot adjust.

The most commonly used system for classifying disorders is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual For Mental Disorders (DSM) developed by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM describes symptoms rather than interprets them. Its classification system uses five axes or dimensions rather than just one. The DSM is a complex classification system which requires much training to use.

“Insanity” is a term which we hear all of the time. Insanity is a legal term, not a psychological one. Insanity describes a condition in which a person is considered unable to understand the difference between right and wrong. It is difficult to “prove” insanity in court and this aspect of abnormal behavior remains a controversial one.

Neurosis is a broad classification of psychological disorders characterized by anxiety, fear, and self defeating behaviors. Today, what used to be called neurosis is now referred to as anxiety disorders. The key to understanding anxiety disorders (neurosis) is the existence of generalized anxiety, more often than not, for no real reason. Their reason for feeling anxious is inside them. There are several types of anxiety disorders.

General anxiety disorders are characterized by a constant state of agitation and fear. People who suffer from this have trouble falling asleep, do not feel like eating, feel tense, and experience increased heart rate. Usually, a generalized anxiety disorder gradually takes hold. In contrast, a panic attack has the same characteristics as the generalized anxiety disorder, but the symptoms come on very quickly. The person suddenly begins sweating, has chest pains, and shortness of breath.

A more recent category of neurosis (anxiety disorder) is post-traumatic stress disorder. This type of disorder became prevalent after the Viet Nam war, although it has existed for years with different names. This disorder has persons re-living stressful events which occurred during war long after the event happened. A phobia is an irrational fear of objects, persons, or situations. The important word here is “irrational.” Everyone feels fear if someone points a gun at them. That is a rational fear. However, there are people who fear guns. They become afraid at the sight of a gun. They feel the same anxiety that others feel if a loaded gun is pointed at them. There is no reason to fear guns in general. That is a phobia. There are phobias for every type of object or event imaginable and someone who fears it.

Some of the more common phobias are:

• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Agoraphobia – fear of open places
• Ophidiadiophobia – fear of snakes
• Claustrophobia – fear of small places

People who have phobias control them by avoiding the things that they fear.

Multiple personalities develop two or more distinct personality types. Each one is self-contained and independent, although there may be one personality that has awareness of the others. One of the most famous cases of multiple personality is Chris Sizemore who was the real “Eve” in the book, The Three Faces of Eve.

Another major category of anxiety disorders are called mood disorders. As the name indicates, these problems center on emotions. Depression is a major type of mood disorder. People who suffer from depression feel irritable, sad, and hopeless. They pity themselves, fin life hopeless, and have little motivation. As a result, depression manifests itself both psychologically and physically. To clarify again, it is perfectly normal to feel depressed in certain situations such as the death of a close friend or loss of a job. But neurotically depressed persons have no real reason to feel this way. In extreme cases, depressives can be suicidal. Depression is the most common psychological disorder with estimates suggesting that 15% of the population suffer from this disorder.

The opposite end of the emotion spectrum finds a disorder known as mania. The manic has great amounts of energy and very positive feelings about themselves. They do not, however, stay with one task and are easily distracted. While pure cases of mania are rare, people with this problem suffer from what is now called a “bipolar disorder” or manic-depressive. These people have mood swings between severe depression and high elation.

The anxiety disorders (neurosis) described previously have one characteristic that separates them from the broad classification of psychotic disorders. People that suffer from these are in touch with reality. While it may be true that they deal with reality in strange ways, they are in touch with reality. People who suffer from psychosis are not in touch with reality. Their behavior is bizarre, and their perceptions are impaired. Psychotics generally require care and usually must be hospitalized. Some psychologists feel that psychosis is nothing more than a more severe anxiety disorder, but there are types of psychosis that do not in any way resemble anxiety disorders.

Schizophrenia is a group of disorders which are characterized by a disintegration of thought, perceptions, communication, and emotions. Literally, schizophrenia means “split mind” and is sometimes confused with multiple personality, but they are two different disorders. Schizophrenia is the most common severe disorder, with this illness accounting for one half of all the psychiatric beds occupied in the United States.

There are some common characteristics shared by most schizophrenics. Schizophrenics suffer from delusions – or irrational beliefs. They often have hallucinations involving any of the five senses. The most common hallucination is hearing voices that are not there. They have severely disturbed communication techniques, show inappropriate emotions, and unusual motor activities. For example, the hebephrenic schizophrenic may giggle and laugh incessantly. The catatonic schizophrenic may sit in one position for days or have fixations of behavior such as rocking back and forth.

An obsession is a reoccurring irrational thought. A compulsion is a reoccurring irrational action. People who suffer from compulsions perform an irrational act, but do not know why they do this act. For example, some people cannot go up stairs without counting them. Hypochondria is a disorder in which the person believes he or she is sick. They make frequent trips to the doctor’s office. Another type of disorder related to health is called conversion disorders. These are different from hypochondria because there really exists a symptom, but with no physical cause. People who suffer from conversion disorders transfer their anxiety to the loss of a physical function. For example, a person wakes up one day paralyzed or without sight.

Another large category of neurosis is called Dissociative disorders. These types of disorders are characterized by a separation from or “dissociation” from situations. People who have these have no control over the on-set of the symptoms. One type of dissociative reaction is amnesia, a selective forgetting of past events. Sometimes the person also moves away and establishes a new identity. That is called a fugue state. Also within the category of dissociative disorders are people suffering from multiple personalities. This is one of the strangest of all neurosis and is rare.

The final major classification of psychological disorders is called personality disorders. Personality disorders are rigid and maladaptive ways of dealing with the environment. Symptoms for personality disorders are not as clear cut as with other disturbances, but deal primarily with how people function in an overall way. There are several types of personality disorders. One type is the antisocial personality, often referred to as psychopaths and sociopaths. These individuals are violent and harmful to others and do not show or experience any guilt or remorse. They tend to be manipulative, distant, and insincere.

Antisocial personality disturbances arc relatively common and often do not seek professional care, and unless care comes via the justice system these individuals have a good chance of ending up in jail. However, unlike criminals who have a goal when they commit a crime, the antisocial personality type tends to act impulsively.

The following is a list of disorders followed by the symptoms of each:

Paranoid:

Pervasive and unwarranted tendency to interpret the actions of others as deliberately demeaning or threatening. A paranoid person holds grudges, expects to be exploited, distrusts others, and is quick to anger.

Schizoid:

Pervasive patterns of indifference to social relationships and restricted range of emotional expression. Chooses solo activities, indifferent to praise or criticism of others, no close friends.

Histrionic:

Pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking. Constantly demands praise and approval, overly concerned about physical attractiveness, is self-centered, displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions.

Avoidant:

Pervasive pattern of social discomfort, fear of negative evaluation, and timidity. Is easily hurt by criticism, fears being embarrassed by blushing or crying, avoids social or occupational activities involving interpersonal contact.

Passive Aggressive:

Pervasive pattern of passive resistance to demands for adequate social and occupational performance. Procrastinates, becomes sulky and irritable when asked to do something, works deliberately slowly or does a bad job on unwanted tasks, avoids obligations by claiming to have “forgotten,” unreasonably criticizes people in positions of authority.

Common Warning Signs

Although every classification of mental illness has unique symptoms, there are some general warning signs. Some of these signs include;

• significant personality change,
• difficulty coping with problems and daily activities,
• unusual or elaborate ideas,
• excessive anxiety
• long lasting depression or apathy,
• significant changes in eating and/or sleeping patterns,
• expressing suicidal thoughts or about harming oneself
• severe mood swings from high to low/ low to high
• abuse of alcohol or drugs
• expressing anger, hostility, or violent behavior towards oneself or others.

SUMMARY

Throughout history people have been both interested in and frightened by abnormal behavior patterns. Explanations as to why people behave in maladaptive ways are critical in determining how to treat these problems. Before the coming of psychology about 100 years ago, people tried to explain abnormal behavior patterns in terms of spiritual and mystical forces. People were said to be “possessed by demons” or “touched by the Gods.”

Some people view mental illness as a medical problem. The term “mental illness” itself suggests this. People who view abnormality as a medical problem look for biological and physical bases for the behavior. While some disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Down Syndrome, have a biological base, other abnormal disorders do not have a physical base. Some feel that psychological disorders are not physical but are psychological: a result of conflicts that exist in one’s unconscious mind. Others still prefer to view abnormal behavior as something that we learned. Because some of these behaviors are learned, they can also be unlearned. We will again look at these explanations when we examine theories of personality later in this course.

Lesson 5 Review

Directions: Answer each of the following questions.

1. Identify and describe the most commonly used system for classifying psychological disorders. Be specific and cite your resources.

2. What is the broad classification of psychological disorders characterized by anxiety, fear, and self-defeating behavior?

3. Describe the difference between a generalized anxiety disorder and a panic attack.

4. Identify the term used for an irrational fear and describe its characteristics.

5. A person constantly thinks that he is going to die from contamination from germs and washes his hands twenty times per day. Is this a neurosis, a delusion, an obsession-compulsion, or schizophrenia? Explain your answer.

6. Identify and describe the condition of a person who wakes up one morning to find himself or herself blind. Explain your answer.

7. What is the most common psychological disorder characterized by irritability, sadness, self-pity, and a feeling of hopelessness is?

8. Identify and describe symptoms of psychosis. Be specific.

9. Identify and explain the type of psychosis that means literally, split mind, and is the most common severe psychological disorder.

10. Psychotics have elaborate yet irrational belief systems. What are these called? Explain your answer.

11. What is the most common form of hallucination found in psychotic disorders? Provide an example.

12. Carmen D. is hospitalized in a mental institution where he sits in one position for days, is unresponsive, and often rocks back and forth. Identify this disorder and explain your answer.

13. Identify the disorder that is present when individuals are violent, manipulative, distrustful, distant, and insincere and who show no conscience regarding how they act. Explain your answer.

14. Identify some causes of psychological disturbances.

15. Explain why is it can be difficult to tell the difference between right and wrong and defining normal and abnormal. Name and describe the three ways to define “normal” and “abnormal.”

16. Identify symptoms that may indicate a psychological disorder. Would a person necessarily exhibit all of these symptoms? Explain your answer.

17. Identify the disorder of a person who relives stressful wartime events long after they occur.

18. Identify the disorder of a person who thinks they are sick when they are not.

19. What is the most common disorder suffered by people who are living in psychiatric facilities are occupied by?

20. How does the term “insanity” differ from psychological terms for behavioral problems?

21. How is neurosis as a psychological disorder different from psychosis?

22. Provide a brief description of each of the following terms:

Anxiety Disorder

Phobia

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Obsession

Compulsion

Hypochondria

Conversion Disorder

Amnesia

Fugue State

Multiple Personality

Depression

Mania

Bipolar Disorder

Schizophrenia

Delusional

Catatonic Schizophrenia

Hebephrenic Schizophrenia

Psychopath

Sociopath