Psychological Disorders — Psychology STD 12 Humanities — Question

Achenbach has identified two factors in behavioural disorders:

• Externalizing Factors.
• Internalizing Factors.

These disorders must manifest before the age of 18.
On the basis of these two factors he classified children’s disorders in two categories:

• The externalizing disorders or undercontrolled emotions: Behaviours that are disruptive and often aggressive and aversive to others in the child’s environment.
• The Internalizing disorders or over-controlled emotions: Those conditions where the child experiences depression, anxiety, and discomfort that may not be evident to others.

1. Externalizing Disorders:

1. Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
2. Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).
3. Conduct Disorder.

1. Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The two main features of ADHD are:

1. Inattention.
2. Hyperactivity-impulsivity.

Inattention:

• Children who are inattentive find it difficult to sustain mental effort during work or play.
• They have a hard time keeping their minds on any one thing or in following instructions.

Common complaints are that:

• The child does not listen, cannot concentrate, does not follow instructions, is disorganized, easily distracted forgetful, does not finish assignments, and is quick to lose interest in boring activities.
• Children who are impulsive, unable to control their immediate reactions or to think before they act.
• They find it difficult to wait or take turns, have difficulty resisting immediate temptations or delaying gratification.
• Minor mishaps such as knocking things are common whereas more serious accidents and injuries can also occur.
• Hyperactivity also takes many forms. Children with ADHD are in constant notion. Sitting still for some time through a lesson is impossible for them.The child may fidget, squirm, climb and run around the room aimlessly.
• Parents and teachers describe them as ‘driven by a motor’, always on the go, and talk a lot.
• Boys are four times more prone for this diagnosis than girls.

2. Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD):

• Age-inappropriate amounts of stubbornness.
• Irritable.
• Defiant, disobedient and,
• Behave in a hostile manner.

Unlike ADHD, the rates of ODD in boys and girls are not very different.

3. Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Behaviour refer to age-inappropriate actions and attitudes that violate family expectation, societal norms and the personal or property rights of other.

The behaviours typical of conduct disorder include:

• Aggressive actions that cause or threaten harm to people or animals.
• Non-aggressive conduct that causes property damage.
• Major dishonesty.
• Theft and,
• Serious rule violations.

Children show many different types of aggressive behaviour, as:

• Verbal aggression (i.e., name-calling, swearing)
• Physical aggression (i.e., hitting, fighting)
• Hostile aggression (i.e., directed at inflicting injury to others)
• Proactive aggression (i.e., dominating and bullying others without provocation).

2. Internalizing disorders:

1. ​​​​​​​Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
2. Depression.

1. Separation anxiety disorder is an internalizing disorder unique to children. Its most prominent symptom is:

• ​​​​​​​Excessive anxiety or even panic experienced by children at being separated from their parents.
• Have difficulty being in a room by themselves, going to school alone, are fearful of entering new situations, and cling to and shadow their parents’ every move.
• To avoid separation, children with SAD may fuss, scream, throw severe tantrums, or make suicidal gestures.

2. ​​​​​​​Depression:

• ​​​​​​​An infant may show sadness by being passive and unresponsive; a preschooler may appear withdrawn and inhibited; a school-age child may be argumentative and combative; and a teenager may express feelings of guilt and hopelessness.