PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Phobia, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Attack

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Sherri Atwood

Document Summary

Mental disorder: persistent disturbance or dysfunction in behavior, thoughts, or emotions that causes significant distress or impairment. According to the theory of physiognomy, mental disorders could be diagnosed from facial features. Symptoms: subjectively reported behaviors, thoughts, and emotions: comorbid: co-occurrence of 2 or more disorders. Provides 22 chapters that lists specific criteria that must be met for diagnosis for each disorder. Provides section devoted to cultural considerations in diagnosis of mental disorders: an integrated perspective (biopsychosocial) incorporates biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Different individuals may experience a similar psychological disorder for different reasons: diathesis-stress model: suggests that a person may be predisposed for a mental disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress. Disadvantage: stigmas are likely attached to labeling people with psychological disorders: roughly 60% of sufferers do not seek treatment, education does not dispel the stigma, may result in unnecessary incarceration, may lead to low self-esteem. Advantages: peace of mind, treatment: research domain criteria project (rdoc)