IB Psychology Paper 2

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Chronic condition compromising a range of psychological and physiological symptoms that affect people of all ages and do not follow the normal pathways of the resistance phase of the general adaptation syndrome.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

(Experiment 1) Had 8 sane people check into mental institutions, 7 diagnosed with schizophrenia and one with bipolar disorder. Not only did the institutions not notice when they were acting the disorders, but they also wouldn't believe them when they started acting sane. (Experiment 2) Later, various institutions asked to receive more pseudo-patients in order to re-test their aptitude at diagnosis, and even though Rosenhan didn't send anyone, they still released 41 patients who were now considered \"sane\".

Roger Pitman did a pilot study to see whether the Memory Pill could prevent PTSD symptoms. Rape victims were given 10 days of the drug or dummy pills when they came into the Massachusetts General Hospital emergency room. Three months later in follow up appointments, patients listened to tapes that described their traumatic events as their heart-rates, palm sweating, and forehead muscle tension was measured. The 8 who had taken propanolol had fewer stress symptoms that those who didn't. However the difference in the frequency of the symptoms were so small they might have only occurred by chance. However, this was still the first study that showed that PTSD symptoms could be prevented.

Terms that were formerly utilized to describe individuals in society whose cognitive processes deviated away from those in society who were deemed as \"normal\". However, it is no longer utilized in today's psychology due to the fact that it's incredibly offensive as well as the fact that it's actually impossible to determine who or what is normal.

A form of therapy where the patient is taught how to think in new ways and solve their cognitive problems on their own.

Szasz : identifying behaviour as abnormal is a way for society and clinicians to justify interfering in an individual's life. Stanley and Raskin: abnormality is a social construction, not a real condition. Sarbin and Mancuso: schizophrenia is a label applied to those who live outside society's norms; society still defines abnormality in moral terms.

Cuban culture - belief in communication with dead is common, which could lead to diagnosis of psychosis by non-Cuban (Alonso and Jeffery). Bhui et al found that English doctors were less likely to recognize depression in Punjabi patients, Asian doctors less likely to recognize depression in English women than men. Sue et al found similar effects in the US for treatment for Asians, blacks, and Native Americans.

McGaugh studied PTSD within troops returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He found that the use of the medication, Propranolol helped alleviate the severity of PTSD within the veterans by destroying their traumatic memories. He argues that it should be utilized in PTSD treatment for veterans for we can do so much for those with physical wounds, but little for those with mental wounds.

Kayak Angst - anxiety among Eskimos of western Greenland which occurs after periods of sensory deprivation (kayaking alone on a sunny day); involves cognitive and perceptual distortions. Shinbyung - syndrome found in Korea where individual believes they've been possessed by spirit of a dead ancestor. Cure comes when individual is persuaded to become a shaman through a dream or hallucination. Zar - Northern Africa and Middle Eastern societies. Refers to possession of individual; may show a variety of symptoms (withdrawal, apathy and loss of appetite or crying, shouting, self-injury, etc.) Eating disorders - Highest incidence in North America and Europe due to distorted concerns about body image and weight.

Exposure & Response Prevention. Gradual exposure to things that cause anxiety in order to avoid phobia.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Medication to regulate serotonin.

Book used to diagnose psychological disorders.