Summary and Analysis of ‘Psychological Disorders: Crash Course Psychology 28 and 29’
Neena Guiterrez
Department of Psychology
Ashford University:
Course: Food Business Management:
Instructor:
Due Date:
Psychological Disorders: Crash Course Psychology
Definition of Psychological Disorders
A psychological disorder can be defined as a deviant, distressful and dysfunctional pattern of thoughts, feelings or behaviour that interferes with an individual’s ability to function in a healthy way (James N. B, 2007). The definition, however, belies the stigma associated with the victims, the lack of understanding of the conditions and the general misuse of the terms.
Perspective on Mental Illness:
Mental illness came to be considered as sickness of the mind in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The expose occasioned by studies such as done by investigative journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1887 and her team, helped remove mental illness patients from asylums to medical hospitals for proper treatment. The study heralded a shift in perspectives of mental illness towards the medical model of psychological disorder.
Contemporary psychologists prefer the more comprehensive biophysiological approach. This approach takes into account the psychological influences, biological factors and socio-cultural influences to mental health. It also acknowledges that not all mental disorders can be cured.
Diagnosing Disorders With DSM:
As part of a scientific approach to standardize the handling, diagnosing and treatment of mental disorders, the American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), currently in its fifth edition, was developed in 1952. It is used across board by clinicians and other disciplines.
DSM Is Constantly Evolving:
Diagnosing disorders with the manual is designed to be work in progress partly due to incomplete understanding of the field, the evolving thinking, discovery of new disorders, reviewed classification reflecting a growing understanding of symptoms and changing attitudes. However, comparative analysis between editions raises concerns of risks of misdiagnosis, wrong treatment and wrong classification of psychological disorders.
OCD and Anxiety Disorder:
Psychological disorders can best be understood from the analysis of their symptoms, types, causes, and the perspectives that help explain them. Common psychological disorders include:
Anxiety Disorder:
Anxiety Disorder is a paralyzing dread that eventually turns into a full-fledged anxiety disorder. It is characterized by distress, persistent anxiety and dysfunctional behaviour that the patients employ to reduce that anxiety. Anxiety can be viewed from two main perspectives: (a) The learning perspective suggests that things like conditioning, observational learning and cognition best explain the source of anxiety; (b) the biology biological perspective holds that everything that is physiological is simultaneously biological. Some anxiety disorders have a genetic predisposition, while others reflect how an individual’s brain process anxiety.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD:
The condition is characterized by continually tense and apprehensive, experiencing unfocused, negative, and out of control feelings.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD:
OCD is characterized by a deep sense of fear and loss of control. Sufferers take normal behaviour to ritualistic and obsessive levels to relieve intense and often unbearable anxiety. Treatment of OCD includes certain kind of psychotherapy and some psychotropic drugs.
Panic Disorder and Phobias:
Panic Disorder is characterized by panic attacks, sudden and intense dread. Some of the symptoms may partly be due to the body’s physiological fight or flight response. Panic disorder triggers could be genetic, persistent stress, past psychological trauma or fear of having another panic attack. When elevated to extreme fear, anxiety gives rise to phobias.
Relationship Between Food and Mental Health
Studies suggest that there is a relationship between the quality of diet and mental disorders (BMC Medicine Vol.13, 215, 2015). Intake of nutrient-dense diets contributes to reduced prevalence of cognitive disorders while the converse holds. (Mental Health Foundation., 2017).
References:
Felice N. J., Nicholas C. N., Karin J. A., et al. (2015): Western diet is associated with a smaller
hippocampus: a longitudinal investigation. BMC Med 13, 2015, pg. 215 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26349802/ DOI: 10.1186/s12916-015-0461-x.
Mental Health Foundation.,2017: Food for Thought: Mental Health Briefing: Policy Briefing,