Psychology 3 Marks Question

Bipolar mood disorder is also known as manic-depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which mania and depression do occur alternatively/cyclic. Mania and depression are sometimes interrupted by normal mood. Lifetime risk of a suicide attempt is the highest in this disorder.

Substance dependence: Intense craving for the substance to which the person is addicted:

1. The person shows, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and compulsive drug taking.
2. The substance is psychoactive and can change mood, thinking processes and consciousness.

Substance abuse: Recurrent and significant adverse consequences of use of sustenances.

1. Damage to family, social relationship, poor work performance and physical hazards.
2. Alcohol, Cocaine, Heroin are common substances abused.

Autistic Disorder:

• Autism is a type of pervasive developmental disorder Characteristics:
• Marked difficulties in social interaction.
• Difficulties in communication.
• Restricted range of interests.
• Strong desire for routine.
• Repetitive and deviant speech patterns.
• Self stimulatory motor movements.

Somatoform Disorders - The individual has psychological diffi­culties and complaints of physical symptoms for which there is no biological cause.The disorders include:

1. Pain disorders.
2. Somatisation disorders.
3. Conversion disorders.
4. Hypochondriasis.

Bipolar Mood Disorder:

1. People suffer from Mania.
2. People usually have Depression.

Such a mood disorder in which both mania and depression are altematively present and some times interrupted by periods of normal mood is known as bipolar mood disorder.
(justified with suitable symptoms of Mania and Depression).

Specific phobias - Most commonly occurring type of phobias, irrational fears such as intense fear of a certain type of animal or of being in an enclosed space.

Obsession refers to the inability to stop thinking about a particular idea or topic, often these thoughts are unpleasant and shameful.
Compulsion refers to the need to perform certain behaviours over and over again such as ordering, checking, touching and washing.

Many people suffering schizophrenia develop delusions or may experience hallucinations. A delusion is a false belief that is firmly held on inadequate grounds.
It is not affected by rational argument as no basis in reality.
Hallucination is a perception that occurs in the absence of external stimuli.

• People hear sounds or see objects where none exists.

Dissociative amnesia is a type of dissociative disorder characterised by.

• Extensive but selective memory loss that has no organic causes (e.g. head injury).
• Some people cannot remember anything about their past; others can no longer recall specific events, people, places or objects while their memory for other events remain intact.
• Associated with overwhelming stress.

People affected by obsessive-compulsion disorder are unable to control their preoccupation with specific ideas or are unable to prevent themselves from repeatedly carrying out a particular act or series of acts that affect their ability to carry out normal activities. Obsessive behaviour is the inability to stop thinking about a particular idea or topic. The persons involved, often find these thoughts to be unpleasant and over again. Many compulsive behaviours is the need to perform. Certain behaviours over and over again. Many compulsions deal with counting, ordering, checking, touching, and washing.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Severe psychological problem that results from traumatic events such as natural disasters.
Features–

Disorientation.	Symptoms manifested.
Physical reactions.	E.g. flashbacks, nightmares.
Emotional reactions.	Sleeplessness, sweating.
Cognitive reactions.	Recurring dreams, impaired.
Social reactions.	Concentration, emotional numbing.

Dissociative amnesia: is characterised by extensive but selective memory loss that has no organic cause (e.g. head injury). Some people cannot remember anything about their past. Others can no longer recall specific events, people, places or objects; while their memory for other events remains intact. This disorder is often associated with an overwhelming stress.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsession refers to the inability to stop thinking about a particular idea or topic, often these thoughts are unpleasant and shameful.
Compulsion refers to the need to perform certain behaviours over and over again such as ordering, checking, touching etc.
Therefore obsessive compulsive disorder is inability to control thinking repeatedly about a particular idea and to stop performing certain behaviours over and over again.

Diathesis - stress model - An important model for explaining causes of abnormal behaviour. Diathesis refers to biological predisposition to the disorder.
Components of Diathesis - Stress model

• Presence of some biological predisposition which may - be inherited.
• It may carry a vulnerability to develop a psychological disorder. i.e. one is more prone - to abnormal behaviour due to the presence of biological predisposition.
• Presence of pathogenic stressors due to which the said predisposition evolves into a disorder.

Obsessive Behaviour-Inability to stop thinking about a particular idea or topic. Often these thoughts are unpleasant and shameful.
Compulsive Behaviour:- is the need to perform certain behaviours over and over again such as repeated activity, ordering, checking, touching and washing.

Biological factors: Biological factors influence all aspects of our behaviour. A wide range of biological factors such faulty genes, endocrine imbalances, malnutrotion, injuries and other conditions may interfere with normal development and functioning of the human body. These factors may be potebtial causes of abnormal behaviour. According to the Biologiacal model, abnormal behaviour has a biochemical or physiological basic. Biologists have found all the abnormal behaviour is the result of problems in transmission of massages from one neuron to the other. A thin space called synapse separates on neuron from the next, the massage must move across that space, when an electrical impulse reaches a neuron's ending, the nerve ending is stimulated to release a chemical, called a neurotransmitter. Anxiety disorders have been linked to low activity of the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), schixophrenia to excess activity of dopanine and depression to low activity of serotonin.

The four D’s are:

• Deviance (different, extreme, unusual even bizarre).
• Distressing (unpleasant and upsetting to the person and to others).
• Dysfunctional (interfering with the person’s ability to carry out daily activities in a constructive way).
• Dangerous (to the person or to others).

For either choice marks to be awarded as follows:

• If the answer is that behaviour is normal/ not abnormal.

Term ‘eating disorder’ refers to serious disruption of the eating habit or the appetite manifested as distorted body image.
The main types are:

• Anorexia nervosa.
• Bulimia nervosa.
• Binge eating.

In anorexia nervosa the individual has:

• A distorted body image that leads him/ her to see himself/ herself as overweight.
• Often refusing to eat, exercising compulsively and developing unusual habits such as refusing to eat in front of others.
• Anorexic may loose large amounts of weight and even starve himself/ herself to death.

In bulimia nervosa:

• The individual may eat excessive amounts of food, then purge his/ her body of food by using medicines. Such as laxatives or diuretics or by vomiting.
• The person often feels disgusted and ashamed when she/ he binges and is relieved of tension and negative emotions after purging.

In binge eating there are frequent episodes of out-of-control eating.