Abnormal behaviours
ANXIETY
Anxiety disorders is a class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive fear and anxiety and
related disturbances in their behaviour. Reduce this= avoidance behaviour.
Generalised anxiety- marked by a chronic, high level of anxiety that isn’t tied to any specific threat.
Worry about minor matters related to family, finances, work and personal illness.
Focus of worry may shift from one concern to next. They hope worrying will help ward off
negative events.
Symptoms: trembling, muscle tension, diarrhoea, dizziness, faintness, sweating and heart
palpitations.
Specific phobic disorder- an irrational fear of specific object or situation that interferes with an
individuals ability to function.
Many have fears of things that aren’t dangerous: dentist and flying. Common phobias
include animals, height, storms, water, needles, blood, medical procedures, aeroplanes,
elevators, enclosed spaces and vomiting or chocking.
Symptoms: physical like anxiety such as trembling and palpitations.
Panic disorders- characterised by recurrent attacks/surges of overwhelming anxiety that usually
occur suddenly and unexpectedly.
After number of panic attacks, victims often wonder when next will occur and fearful of
losing control or dying. Avoid certain situations in order to avoid having another attack.
Symptoms: accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling and shortness of breath. Sometimes
misinterpreted as heart attacks.
Aetiology of anxiety disorders:
Biological factors
Conditioning and learning- acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through
operant conditioning. (Snakes and spiders/electrical outlets and irons)
Cognitive factors- some people may suffer from anxiety 1) misinterpret harmless situations
as threatening 2) focus excessive attention on perceived threats 3) selectively recall
information that seems interesting.
Stress
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE AND RELATED DISORDERS (OCD)
OCD is marked by persistent, uncontrollable instructions of unwanted thoughts (obsession) and
urges to engage in senseless rituals (compulsions).
Obsessions- thoughts that repeatedly intrude on ones consciousness in a distressing way.
Often centre on inflicting harm on others, personal failures, suicide or sexual acts. (obsession
about contamination paired with cleaning compulsions
, Compulsions- actions that one feels forced to carry out. Involve stereotyped rituals that
temporarily relieve anxiety. (Washing hands, cleaning cleaned things again, rechecking locks
and taps).
Excoriation- repetitive and compulsive picking of the skin, leading to issue damage.
TRAUMA- AND STRESSOR- RELATED DISORDERS
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - involves enduring psychological disturbance
attributed to the experience of a major traumatic event.
Caused by war experiences, rape or assault, sever vehicle accident, natural disaster or
witnessing someone’s death.
Key predictor of vulnerability is the intensity of ones reaction at the time of the event.
Symptoms: re-experiencing the traumatic event in forms of nightmares and flashbacks,
emotional numbing, alienation, problems in social relations, an increased in sense of
vulnerability and elevated arousal, anxiety, anger and guilt.
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
It’s a class of disorders in which people lose contact with portions of their consciousness or
memory, resulting in disruptions in their sense of identity.
Dissociative amnesia- is a sudden loss of memory for important personal information that is too
extensive to be due to normal forgetting.
May occur for single traumatic event (motor accident, home fire) or for an extended period
of time surrounding the event.
Disasters, accidents, combat stress, physical abuse, rape, witness a violent death of a parent)
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)-Involves a disruption of identity marked by the experience of
two or more largely, complete and usually different personalities. (Multiple personality disorder)
Aetiology of dissociative disorders
Amnesia is attributed to excessive stress.
Identity disorder most cases are rooted in severe emotional trauma that occurred during
childhood. Majority have reported childhood history of rejection from parents- physical as
well as sexual abuse.
DEPRESSIVE AND BIPOLAR-RELATED DISORDERS
Unipolar disorders experience emotional extremes at just one end of the mood continuum.
Bipolar disorders are vulnerable to emotional extremes at both ends of the mood
continuum. They also go through periods of both depression (low mood and loss of interest)
and mania (excitement and elation).
Major depressive disorder (MDD)- people show persistent feelings of sadness and despair,
and a loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure.
ANXIETY
Anxiety disorders is a class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive fear and anxiety and
related disturbances in their behaviour. Reduce this= avoidance behaviour.
Generalised anxiety- marked by a chronic, high level of anxiety that isn’t tied to any specific threat.
Worry about minor matters related to family, finances, work and personal illness.
Focus of worry may shift from one concern to next. They hope worrying will help ward off
negative events.
Symptoms: trembling, muscle tension, diarrhoea, dizziness, faintness, sweating and heart
palpitations.
Specific phobic disorder- an irrational fear of specific object or situation that interferes with an
individuals ability to function.
Many have fears of things that aren’t dangerous: dentist and flying. Common phobias
include animals, height, storms, water, needles, blood, medical procedures, aeroplanes,
elevators, enclosed spaces and vomiting or chocking.
Symptoms: physical like anxiety such as trembling and palpitations.
Panic disorders- characterised by recurrent attacks/surges of overwhelming anxiety that usually
occur suddenly and unexpectedly.
After number of panic attacks, victims often wonder when next will occur and fearful of
losing control or dying. Avoid certain situations in order to avoid having another attack.
Symptoms: accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling and shortness of breath. Sometimes
misinterpreted as heart attacks.
Aetiology of anxiety disorders:
Biological factors
Conditioning and learning- acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through
operant conditioning. (Snakes and spiders/electrical outlets and irons)
Cognitive factors- some people may suffer from anxiety 1) misinterpret harmless situations
as threatening 2) focus excessive attention on perceived threats 3) selectively recall
information that seems interesting.
Stress
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE AND RELATED DISORDERS (OCD)
OCD is marked by persistent, uncontrollable instructions of unwanted thoughts (obsession) and
urges to engage in senseless rituals (compulsions).
Obsessions- thoughts that repeatedly intrude on ones consciousness in a distressing way.
Often centre on inflicting harm on others, personal failures, suicide or sexual acts. (obsession
about contamination paired with cleaning compulsions
, Compulsions- actions that one feels forced to carry out. Involve stereotyped rituals that
temporarily relieve anxiety. (Washing hands, cleaning cleaned things again, rechecking locks
and taps).
Excoriation- repetitive and compulsive picking of the skin, leading to issue damage.
TRAUMA- AND STRESSOR- RELATED DISORDERS
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - involves enduring psychological disturbance
attributed to the experience of a major traumatic event.
Caused by war experiences, rape or assault, sever vehicle accident, natural disaster or
witnessing someone’s death.
Key predictor of vulnerability is the intensity of ones reaction at the time of the event.
Symptoms: re-experiencing the traumatic event in forms of nightmares and flashbacks,
emotional numbing, alienation, problems in social relations, an increased in sense of
vulnerability and elevated arousal, anxiety, anger and guilt.
DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS
It’s a class of disorders in which people lose contact with portions of their consciousness or
memory, resulting in disruptions in their sense of identity.
Dissociative amnesia- is a sudden loss of memory for important personal information that is too
extensive to be due to normal forgetting.
May occur for single traumatic event (motor accident, home fire) or for an extended period
of time surrounding the event.
Disasters, accidents, combat stress, physical abuse, rape, witness a violent death of a parent)
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)-Involves a disruption of identity marked by the experience of
two or more largely, complete and usually different personalities. (Multiple personality disorder)
Aetiology of dissociative disorders
Amnesia is attributed to excessive stress.
Identity disorder most cases are rooted in severe emotional trauma that occurred during
childhood. Majority have reported childhood history of rejection from parents- physical as
well as sexual abuse.
DEPRESSIVE AND BIPOLAR-RELATED DISORDERS
Unipolar disorders experience emotional extremes at just one end of the mood continuum.
Bipolar disorders are vulnerable to emotional extremes at both ends of the mood
continuum. They also go through periods of both depression (low mood and loss of interest)
and mania (excitement and elation).
Major depressive disorder (MDD)- people show persistent feelings of sadness and despair,
and a loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure.
