My responses to questions about psychological disorders
What two psychological disorders do you think are the most different? Why?
Speaking in terms of uniqueness, the disorders that I think are the most different are the Autism spectrum disorders and Schizophrenia. Not just because the psychological disorders are uncommon but they both exhibit symptoms that are outside the range of distressing emotions like major depression, bi-polar, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and dissociative disorders have. Those symptoms include hallucinations, and delusions for schizophrenia, lack of wanting to bond in infancy and while growing up between parents and others, and impaired verbal communication for autism. I also think that the two psychological disorders that differ most from each other are the Autism spectrum disorder and Schizophrenia for the same reasons.
Choose one category of mental illness (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders). Explain how, even within this single category, two disorders show distinctions from one another.
Well since the DSM-5 focuses on a categorical approach instead of a dimensional approach, there is bound to be differences between two different types of disorders within one category of mental illness. It would be fun explaining the ways different types of the autism spectrum disorder are different but they are not listed in the book. Major depression is more common than bi-polar disorder but people who have bi-polar disorder are affected equally regarding gender. While females on the other hand, are the ones who are affected the most in major depression. The onset of major depression can happen at any point in someone’s life span while the onset for bi-polar disorder is around 25 years old.
What is one psychological disorder where the type or quality of symptoms might be very different from one individual to another, even though they have both been diagnosed with the same disorder? Explain your choice.
The symptoms may be different, regarding the variation in degrees of vulnerability to depression or bi-polar disorder. Since the onset of major depression can happen at any age, there is more room for variation in the vulnerability perpetrating to the onset of the disorder. Women deal with more vulnerabilities to the symptoms of major depressive disorder than men because of external and internal conditions such as postpartum depression, postmenopausal depression, being more likely to be victims of sexual abuse, poverty, role constraints, and because of their tendency to ruminate about setbacks.
What psychological disorder do you think would vary the most in terms of its severity, disruption of functioning, or prognosis when comparing between individuals who have the same disorder?
I think major depression would vary the most in terms of its severity, disruption of functioning, and prognosis when comparing between individuals who share the same disorder. A reason for this is because of the wide range of age in the onset of its occurrence. Also because it can be episodic, the lifetime prevalence of the disorder is high and because of the high rates of comorbidity.
What psychological disorders do you think are the most mild or least disruptive to daily functioning or are the most difficult to distinguish from normal behaviors? Why?
I would think Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is the most mild and least disruptive and almost the most difficult to distinguish from normal behaviors because half of the problem is occurring in their own minds which are based on a fearful belief that contributes to the other half of the problem usually resulting in a physical obsession. Although OCD can cause severe social and occupational impairment, people with OCD can still function normally because they and the people around them don’t experience super distressing emotions the way major depression, anxiety, dissociative, schizophrenic, autistic, and eating disorders does; or at least to the degree of them. People with OCD do get anxiety if they don’t listen to a compulsion. So in some ways it is difficult to distinguish from normal behaviors because the disorder doesn’t cause extreme emotional roller-coasters and people can sometimes overlook their repetitive habits thinking they are just taking extra care depending on how mild the disorder is. This must explain why 17 percent of people in a study without a mental disorder reported a significant obsession or compulsion. I don’t think this disorder is the most difficult to distinguish from normal behaviors because of the physical symptoms. You can’t tell if someone is depressed or has depression by looking at them sometimes but you can easily see if someone has OCD.
What psychological disorders do you think are the most severe or most disruptive to daily functioning or the easiest to distinguish from normal behaviors? Why?
I think some of the autistic disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenic disorder, and major depression are the most severe, most disruptive to daily functioning and among the easiest to distinguish from normal behaviors along with OCD. PTSD is not mentioned in the chapter but I believe it is among the most severe of mental disorders too. With help only 15 to 20 percent of autistic people can live independently. Only 20 percent of people with schizophrenia enjoy a full recovery. From my experience depression is among one of the worst things anyone can go through mentally and even physically which reminds me of a quote “depression is such a cruel punishment. There are no fevers, rashes, no blood tests to send people scurrying in concern, just the slow erosion of self, as insidious as cancer. And like cancer it is essentially a solitary experience; a room in hell with only your name on the door.” There is no worse of a form of suffering than chronic sadness. Also major depression has a high rate of comorbidity hence making it severe. The severity of anorexia nervosa is obvious because of the dramatic physical appearance.
