Abnormal Psychology: Mental Disorders.

1. Anxiety Disorder : Specific Phobia --> A specific phobia, formerly called a simple phobia, is a lasting and unreasonable fear caused by the presence or thought of a specific object or situation that usually poses little or no actual danger. Exposure to the object or situation brings about an immediate reaction, causing the person to endure intense anxiety or to avoid the object or situation entirely.

Symptoms:-

• Excessive or irrational fear of a specific object or situation.
• Avoiding the object or situation or enduring it with great distress.
• Physical symptoms of anxiety or a panic attack, such as a pounding heart, nausea or diarrhea, sweating, trembling or shaking, numbness or tingling, problems with breathing (shortness of breath), feeling dizzy or lightheaded, feeling like you are choking.
• Anticipatory anxiety, which involves becoming nervous ahead of time about being in certain situations or coming into contact with the object of your phobia. (For example, a person with a fear of dogs may become anxious about going for a walk because he or she may see a dog along the way.)

Requirements for diagnosis:- 


The doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical exam. Although there are no lab tests to specifically diagnose specific phobias, the doctor may use various tests to make sure that a physical illness isn't the cause of the symptoms. If no physical illness is found, the patient is referred to a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a specific phobia.A specific phobia is diagnosed if the person's fear and anxiety are particularly distressing or if they interfere with his or her daily routine, including school, work, social activities, and relationships.

Causes:-

The exact cause of specific phobias is not known, but most appear to be associated with a traumatic experience or a learned reaction. Fear can be learned from others, as well. A child whose parents react with fear and anxiety to certain objects or situations is likely to also respond to those objects with fear.

Risk-Factors:-

Environmental factors --> 1) Direct exposure to a traumatic event.
2) Witnessing a traumatic event.
3)Hearing or reading about dangerous situations.
 Psychological factors-->  it is common for individuals with specific phobia to have distortions regarding memories that involve the phobic stimulus. They recall the phobic situation as more dangerous than it really was, or the feared animal larger, faster, or more aggressive than it was in reality. The memory distortions can be supported by impaired beliefs and interpretations attributed to feared objects or situations. The anxiety response experienced during a phobic situation can be maintained or increased by these impaired beliefs and interpretations.
Biological factors--> Although there is relatively little research conducted on the biological factors of specific phobia, there is evidence that specific phobia tends to run in the family.

Affective Disorder: Major Depressive Disorder

Symptoms:-

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. .
• Loss of interest in daily activities. .
• Appetite or weight changes. 
• Sleep changes. 
• Anger or irritability. .
• Loss of energy. .
• Self-loathing. 
• Reckless behavior.
• Concentration problems. 
• Unexplained aches and pains. 

Requirements for diagnosis:-

Mental health professionals may administer a screening test such as the Beck Depression Inventory or the Hamilton Rating Scale, both of which consist of about 20 questions that assess the individual for depression. However, most mental health professionals generally diagnose depression based on symptoms and other criteria.

Causes:- 


Genetic, biological, and environmental factors can contribute to its development.Currently, it appears that there are biochemical causes for depression, occurring as a result of abnormalities in the levels of certain chemicals in the brain.

 Risk-Factors:- 

Statistics show that the children of parents who suffer from depression are more likely to develop the disorder themselves. A person has a 27% chance of inheriting a mood disorder from one parent, and this chance doubles if both parents are affected. Studies of the occurrence of depression in twins show a 70 percent chance for both identical twins to suffer from depression, which is twice the rate of occurrence in fraternal twins.Depression is more common in people who have a history of trauma, sexual abuse, physical abuse, physical disability, bereavement at a young age, alcoholism, and insufficient family structure.Fifty percent of people with major depressive disorder experience their first episode of depression at about age 40, but this may be may be shifting to the 30s. Studies find that the rate of incidence is higher among middle-aged people. Major depressive disorder affects 10% of men and 20% of women. Hormonal differences may put women at a higher risk for depression. Hormone levels are influenced by pregnancy, and many women experience depression after giving birth.