Psychopathology : Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding

by James E. Maddux and Barbara A. Winstead

Original Question:

For this week’s Forum, respond to the following:  Thinking back over the course of the semester, share with your classmates what you consider the three most important things that you learned in this class, including at least one component from your Diagnostic Paper assignment. Then, share the most three most meaningful things you experienced while engaging with your classmates and professor on the course discussion forums.  Be thoughtful here about what you experienced and why it is meaningful enough for you want to share it with your classmates and instructor.

Reply to the following response with 200 words minimum. (please make response as if having a conversation, respond directly to some of the statements in below post. This is not providing an analysis of the original post. Respectfully address it and even ask clarifying or additional questions.)

There was a lot of great content put out over the course of the past 8 weeks. While it did not make me an expert of Psychopathology, it did help bring a better understanding on types of mental illnesses, mental distresses or the display of behaviors and experiences which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment. Some of the things I found notable during the last 8 weeks were.

Characteristics, diagnostic criteria and treatment of substance use disorders. Covered in week 4, the DSM recognizes substance-related disorders resulting from the use of separate classes of drugs. The stimulation of the brain’s reward system is significant to problems arising from drug use; the rewarding sensation that individuals feel as an effect of taking drugs may be so intense that they abandon other regular activities in favor of taking the drug. Though pharmacological mechanisms for each class of drug are different, the activation of the reward system is similar across substances in producing feelings of pleasure or euphoria, which is often referred to as a “high.” People are not all susceptible to developing substance-related disorders and that there are those that have lower levels of self-control that contributes to the problems.

Characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders. Covered in week 5, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes. These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. A person with anxiety disorder may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings. There are several types of anxiety disorders that exist. Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. You can have more than one anxiety disorder. Sometimes anxiety results from a medical condition that needs treatment.

Characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Discussed in last week’s forum, OCD is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations obsessions and engage in behaviors or mental acts in response to these thoughts or obsessions. Often the person carries out the behaviors to reduce the impact or get rid of the obsessive thoughts, but this only brings temporary relief. Not performing the obsessive rituals can cause great anxiety. A person’s level of OCD can be anywhere from mild to severe, but if left untreated, it can limit his or her ability to function at work or school or even to lead a comfortable existence at home or around others. Obsessions are unwanted, repetitive and intrusive ideas, urges or images. Persistent paranoid fears, an unreasonable concern with becoming contaminated, or an excessive need to do things perfectly, are common. These thoughts are intrusive and unpleasant and produce a high degree of anxiety. In response to their obsessions, most people resort to repetitive behaviors. Common compulsions are putting things in order, checking, washing, rearranging, counting, mentally repeating phrases, list making, and avoiding. These behaviors generally are intended to ward off harm to the person with OCD or to others. The most influential in combating OCD is behavior therapy. The thing that I found really remarkable is the way the body automatically tries to take care of its self. The same way the white blood cells attack a virus, the human brain is put into a type of safety mode to ease the discomfort of the unwanted obsessions. One could say the mind is the cause of the problem but I say it’s also the solution. Think of the turmoil an individual would go through if the mind did not create these compulsions.

Unfortunately I am unable to identify any specific encounters in the class discussions that felt personal or important during the last 8 weeks. Though I do mostly enjoy the encounters I have each week, there really wasn’t anything to write about.  I will say that it helps to receive another person’s view or take on the topics we cover. I also found it to be beneficial reading my peers’ forum posts because it can cover something I didn’t catch during the readings or never even thought about. I would like to say by far this class was one of the more enjoyable ones. I am really happy heading into this week because of few reasons. This week I will complete not only my capstone for my major but also Psychopathology is the last class for my minor in Psychology. I have officially completed what I set out to do a few years ago.

Before I go and party like its 1999 , My “Question to the Class” is… if you had to chose one mental illnesses or mental distresses to be diagnosed with, what would it be?

-Jeff

References:

Anxiety. (2017, August 16). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

(n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/psychopathology.htm

Hartney | Reviewed by a board-certified physician, E. (2017, October 22).What Are Some Criteria for Substance Use Disorders? Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/dsm-5-criteria-for-substance-use-disorders-21926

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. (2017, March 23). Retrieved October 24, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder

** Please don’t just rephrase their info, but respond to it. Remember to answer question at the end. **

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