Ali Kilinc 900235909 Scribd.

com/people/view/6555-Ali-TekBoi 11/27/2007

Behavioral Pathology:
ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
Criterion to Define Abnormal Behavior
 Statistical Frequency – anything that varies from general, statistical
behavior

o Lower IQ ; Higher IQ ; Mild retardation

 Subjective Discomfort – “How do you feel?”

o Being depressed & Loss of interest

 Maladaptive/Dysfunctional Behavior
o Alcohol abuse & Drug abuse

 Danger to oneself or others around you

 Society [DSM-IV-TR] – Society determines what is considered as

abnormal behavior

o Things considered “abnormal” can change in society, and do;

they change constantly.

DSM-4 TR
 Diagnostic tool used address psychological disorders

 5 Different part called “Accesses”

1) Access One: List of all clinical syndromes and disorders

2) Access Two: Refers to personality issues and mental

disorders/retardation

3) Access Three: General medical condition (ex: diabetes, cancer, etc.)

4) Access Four: Current psychological and/or environmental problems

(hobo {homeless person}, or recent divorce)

5) Access Five: Global functioning ability – the ability to function and be

productive in daily life (ex: working)

1
Ali Kilinc 900235909 Scribd.com/people/view/6555-Ali-TekBoi 11/27/2007

Access ONE
→ Anxiety Based Disorders
Anxiety: an EXTREMLY NEGATIVE emotional state

Phobia: irrational or unrealistic fear (unrealistic) from things generally

accepted as harmless

o GAD (general anxiety disorder): anxiety as a part of daily life;

experienced at all times.

 Specific anxiety reaction: anxiety attack that occurs and you

are aware of the reason of the attack

 Free Floating anxiety: anxiety that occurs without the person

experiencing this, being aware of the source of the anxiety

o OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder): must interfere with daily

functional ability and behavior. Possible inclusion of specific phobias.

2
Ali Kilinc 900235909 Scribd.com/people/view/6555-Ali-TekBoi 11/27/2007

o Stress Disorders: occurs in two common forms

(1) Acute stress disorder – comes on very quickly and is very INTENSE
and must last at least a month but does not tend to last longer than
that.

(2) Chronic stress reaction: {generally does not as intense as acute

attacks; but lasts much longer} constant anxiety and attacks.
Anxiety levels affect daily life, and sometimes this anxiety last for
the entire life of the individual.

→ Dissociative Disorder – some aspect of you becomes separated or isolated

from the rest of you

o Amnesia: some aspect of memories are suppressed subconsciously

o Fugue: to “take flight” or leave. In the presence of EXTREME stress, the

individual leaves the problem or stress related area to another
location, and goes away

o Dissociative Identity Disorder [f.k.a Multiple Personality Disorder]:

multiple human personalities being exhibited inside one individual.

 About 3-5: Number of documented cases

 Heavy Trauma: speculated cause

→ Somatoform Disorder – the individual experiences physical pain and

physical discomfort when there are no scientific evidence and/or symptoms.
Heavy stress ⇒ 100% Psychological pain

→ Psychotic Reactions – when the individual loses contact with reality; inability
to distinguish between what is real and what is not. Exhibiting delusions
(false beliefs) and dysfunction.

Common Delusions |key: = inability to think otherwise or differently

from this view|

 Somatic Delusion (ex: brain is melting, stomach filled with

concrete {literally} )

 Erotic Delusion (ex: person is in love with you, wants to marry

you )

3
Ali Kilinc 900235909 Scribd.com/people/view/6555-Ali-TekBoi 11/27/2007

 Delusions of Grandeur: the individual believes that they are

someone they are not in reality (ex: prince, doctor, CEO )

 Delusions of Persecution: the individual believes that he is

constantly trying to persecuted or that someone is “out to get
him” all the time (ex: spies all around)

 Hallucination: he individual sees and/or hears things that are not

real

Common Dysfunctional Behavior

 Disordered Intellectual Dysfunction: cannot function properly in

society and with other people (ex: cannot perform basic tasks or
converse {not a retard} )

 Disordered Emotional Dysfunction: occurs in two forms

(A) Emotionally FLAT: No emotion whatsoever. No cumulative
emotion.

(B) Emotionally EXAGURRATED: All emotions to the

maximus. The individual experiences happiness, sadness,
anger and all emotions, but feels all of them to a heavily
extent. The individual is unable to have “normal”
emotions.

4
Ali Kilinc 900235909 Scribd.com/people/view/6555-Ali-TekBoi 11/27/2007

→ Schizophrenia (Psychotic Behavior)

o Most serious problem facing psychologists today

o Four different types, all of which are psychotic in nature:

1) Disorganized Schizophrenic: very flat or exaggerated emotions

2) Catatonic Schizophrenic: bodily state dominates; stupor level. All

levels of bodily effort are brought down to as minimum as
POSSIBLE.

 Individuals sometimes freeze themselves and stay that

way for hours at time, sometimes even days, weeks.

 Waxy Flexible: ability to move the body or

reposition limbs into comfortable positions when
frozen

 Rigid: body cannot move or be repositioned whilst

frozen

3) Paranoid Schizophrenic: experiences delusions of grandeur PLUS

persecution simultaneously, whilst possibly hearing and seeing
things as well.

 Most “potentially” dangerous of all psychopaths

4) Undifferentiated Schizophrenic: an individual who exhibits

characteristics and symptoms of a schizophrenic, but does not
specifically fit into type 1, 2 or 3.

o Possible Causes |key: = relevant data, but not extremely

conclusive as final cause|

 Patients of schizophrenia are commonly found to have some

kind of heavy trauma at one point or another in their lifetime

 The probability of the disorder being genetically transferred is

high

 Individuals with schizophrenia are commonly found with higher

than normal levels of dopamine {similar to being “high” all
the time}

5
Ali Kilinc 900235909 Scribd.com/people/view/6555-Ali-TekBoi 11/27/2007

 MRI scans reveal: brain ventricles are wider than normal

 PET scans reveal: lower than normal brain activity in the

frontal lobes

 Autopsies reveal: wider than normal brain fissures

→ Mood Disorders
(A) Major Depressive Disorder: classified as a deep, DEEP form of
depression; deepest and lowest possible state. Learned helplessness
has taken on most extreme form.

 Suicide a very high probability.

(B) Bipolar Disorder – f.k.a. “Manic Depressive Psychosis”:

1: Individual experiences EXTREME mood swings (ex: from over-

exaggerated happiness to heavy and deep depression). Does not
experience mania.

2: Individual experiences severe depression, but without any

instances of mood changes, as in non-altering.

 Expresses at least one instance of mania or manic

depression

(C) S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder): classified as depression brought

on by the change of time in the day or seasons of the year | ex:
{summer⇒happiness} {winter⇒sadness}