Mood disorders are defined as severe disturbances in mood and emotions, which can include depression, mania, and elation. Unlike typical emotional fluctuations, the mood shifts experienced in these disorders are extreme, distort an individual's perspective on life, and significantly impair their ability to function in daily activities.

Mood Disorders

- Psychotic disorders
- Antipsychotic drugs
- Mood disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Eating disorders
- Personality disorders
- Developmental disorders
- Substance use disorders
- Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Focuses of Psychopathology

Behaviors and internal experiences that are widely considered abnormal can serve as clear indicators of a psychological disorder. For instance, actions that violate social norms, such as wearing a heavy winter coat in July while screaming at strangers, or patterns like washing one's hands 40 times a day or claiming to hear demonic voices, are often identified as abnormal and suggestive of psychopathology.

Examples of Abnormal Behavior

Based on the scenario below, explain how the term 'psychopathology' applies in two different ways. First, describe the psychopathology as it relates to the client's experience. Second, describe the psychopathology as it relates to the psychologist's professional activities.

Applying the Dual Meaning of Psychopathology

Psychopathology is a term with a dual meaning. It refers to the scientific study of psychological disorders, which includes investigating their symptoms, etiology (causes), and potential treatments. Concurrently, the term can also describe the manifestation of a psychological disorder itself, meaning the abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that indicate its presence.

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- Emotion, Aggression, Stress
- Psychopathology

Neuroscience of Emotions and Mental Disorders

Also called psychological disorders, these are disorders rooted in mental thought patterns that impair the person's functioning, with specific disorders having their own disgnostic criteria. 

Mental Disorders/Mental Illnesses

Psychology is a diverse field composed of numerous major subdivisions, each offering a unique perspective on the study of mind and behavior. These disciplines represent the primary areas of research and practice, and include fields such as cognitive, developmental, personality, and biological psychology, as well as applied areas like clinical, health, and forensic psychology.

Psychological Disciplines

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

The body and mind has multiple ways of responding to emotions. 

Emotions, aggression and stress in the brain

Psychopathology

Reference for The neuroscience of trust violation: Differential activation of the default mode network inability, benevolence and integrity breaches

There were a total of 68 participants, and used an EEG.  Participants had an average age of 33.66 years and ranged in age from 18 to 62 years of age. Thirty-six individuals were female, and 32 were male.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three trust violation scenarios: ability violation, benevolence violation or integrity violation. The participants were presented with one of three pre-recorded trust violation events (ability, benevolence or integrity) by the EEG technician. These were presented to the participants as though it were live. Each trust violation event lasted approximately 20s (conversation start to finish). There were a number of loud noises such as a door opening, which was used to heighten the realism of the recorded audio segment. EEG activity was used as an indicator of the neurological reaction to each trust violation.

The language used in the 3 experimental manipulations was designed to reflect the definitions of ability, benevolence and integrity.

Methods and Procedure

Summary of article

- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders 
- Psychotic disorders
- Personality disorders
- Eating disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Addiction
- Adjustment disorders

Categories of mental disorders/mental illnesses

Characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of developing a mental illness/disorder.
- Biophysical 
- Psychological 
- Social 
- Spiritual 

Protective Factors

Various health and life outcomes of mental disorders/mental illnesses. 

Mental Disorders/Mental Illnesses Outcomes

Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) describes the fear of anxiety-related symptoms that are often accompanied by hyperarousal, pain, stomach distress, and racing thoughts. Individuals experience physical and social fears alongside concerns for mental capability.

Anxiety Sensitivity

In this study, researchers collected data on healthy eating barriers which impact individuals suffering from mental illness. They found that participant's barriers towards a healthy lifestyle were modifiable and suggested helpful intervention techniques. 

Healthy Eating in Persons with Serious Mental Illnesses: Understanding and Barriers

The cause of comorbid Anxiety and Depression is debated within the scientific community. Adolescents experience comorbidity of Anxiety and Depression at rates ranging from 15.9%-61.9%.  

Comorbidity of Anxiety and Depression in Youth

Gender Dysphoria is characterized by the subjectively experienced distress that arises from the mismatch between gender identity, or internally felt sense of gender, and assigned sex at birth.

Gender Dysphoria

An emerging field which seeks to identify which dietary components are truly important for mental health, including in psychiatric disease, as well as to whom,
under which circumstances and at which specific dosages these nutritional interventions have preventative and therapeutic efficacy.

Nutrition Psychiatry

Factors that predispose adults and children to develop a mental disorder
- Biological 
- Psychological 
- Social 
- Spiritual 
- Cultural

Risk Factors for Developing a Mental Disorder

Neurological disorders are a specific type of disorder that occurs as a result of injury or trauma to the brain or central nervous system, consisting of the spinal cord and the connected nerves. Neurological disorders can impair movement and speech to various degrees, depending on the intensity and the specific type of neurological disorder. Neurological disorders can also occur as a result of genetic abnormalities and infections. Specific neurological disorders include cerebral palsy, ADD, and conversion disorder.

Neurological Disorders

References for Neurological Disorders

The term of psychiatric survivor comes from the c/s/x movement and is meant to position individuals as survivors of the psychiatric system and psychiatric industrial complex.

Psychiatric Survivor

Ex-patient was used as a term starting in the 1970s by individuals in the growing ex-patients movement. The term was used at the time because of how madness and mad as derogatory terms were not yet reclaimed. It was used as an identity to indicate individuals who have previously been 
patients in asylums or other mental health systems.

Ex-patient

The term psychiatric consumer originated at the 1985 Alternatives Conference and was chosen to represent individuals who receive care from mental health and psychiatric services. It was chosen in part because it was meant to signify that patients have, or ideally should have, a choice of services and treatment.

Psychiatric Consumer

It examines psychology through the lens of evolution. How the human psyche has come to be through our "iterative development". Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain useful mental and psychological traits—such as memory, perception, or language—as adaptations, i.e., as the functional products of natural selection.

Evolutionary Psychology

Cognitive psychology is an area of psychology that focuses on studying cognitions, or thoughts, and their relationship to our experiences and actions. Like biological psychology, it is broad in scope and often involves interdisciplinary collaborations to study mental processes such as:  - attention - language - memory - perception - problem-solving - creativity - thought - decision-making - processing - knowledge - learning

It also includes the study of computer-based cognitive models such as connectionism (parallel distributed processing). Fields that draw from cognitive psychology include learning science and developmental psychology.

Cognitive Psychology

A branch of psychology dealing with the application of psychological principles and theories to a broad spectrum of teaching, training, and learning issues in educational settings. Educational psychology also addresses psychological problems that can arise in educational systems.

Educational Psychology

Personality psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the unique patterns of thoughts and behaviors that distinguish one individual from another. A central goal of this field is to understand and explain how an individual's personality develops over time.

Personality Psychology

Counseling psychology is a discipline that shares similarities with clinical psychology but primarily focuses on improving emotional, social, vocational, and health-related outcomes for individuals who are considered psychologically healthy.

Counseling Psychology

The study of the physiological basis for cognition.

Cognitive Neuroscience

Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychology is a specialized subfield of psychology that applies psychological theories, principles, and research findings to industrial and organizational settings. Professionals in this field address issues related to personnel management, organizational structure, and the workplace environment. Businesses often utilize I-O psychologists to improve hiring decisions and to design work environments that foster high levels of employee productivity and efficiency. In addition to its practical applications, I-O psychology also involves conducting scientific research on human behavior within these work-related contexts.

Industrial-organizational Psychology

Positive psychology is a field of research that was formally established in 1998 when Martin Seligman, then president of the American Psychological Association, called for a new focus on building human strength and psychological well-being. Often described as the 'science of happiness,' this area of study seeks to identify and promote the qualities that contribute to a more fulfilled life. It represents a significant shift from traditional psychology's emphasis on pathology, faults, and problems, instead concentrating on people's strengths and the factors that enable individuals to lead happy and contented lives.

Positive Psychology

Feminist psychology is a perspective that emerged to address and correct the historical male-dominated nature of the field. For much of its early history, psychology was a "womanless" science, meaning very few women could practice it or influence its research agenda. Furthermore, research subjects were predominantly men, leading to a skewed understanding of human behavior. Feminist psychology seeks to counteract these biases by actively including women's perspectives, scientifically studying gender, and re-examining the field to ensure a more equitable and accurate representation of all people.

Feminist Psychology

Cultural psychology is a sub-field that examines how culture influences individuals, groups, and society. It addresses the issue of research bias, where findings from over-studied populations have been improperly generalized to other groups. This field encompasses both multicultural approaches, which focus on diverse populations within a single country, and cross-cultural approaches, which compare populations across different countries.

Cultural Psychology

Forensic psychology is a specialized branch of psychology that addresses psychological questions as they emerge within the justice system. It involves the application of psychological principles and expertise to legal matters and proceedings.

Forensic Psychology

The study of behavior, emotion, and cognition and how they relate to brain function

Neuropsychology

Health psychology is a subfield of psychology that focuses on how human health is affected by the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, utilizing an approach known as the biopsychosocial model. Professionals in this field aim to help individuals achieve better health through public policy, education, intervention, and research. Health psychologists often conduct research exploring the connections between a person's genetic makeup, psychological stress, behavioral patterns, relationships, and their overall health outcomes. They also investigate effective ways to motivate people to address behaviors that negatively impact their health.

Health Psychology

Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) is an interdisciplinary field that addresses the stress, diseases, and disorders affecting employees due to workplace factors. It examines how an organization influences an employee's quality of work life and the subsequent psychological and behavioral responses. These reactions can extend beyond the workplace into an employee's personal life, an effect known as work-life spillover, particularly when work-life balance is poor. The field is informed by a wide range of research from medicine, biology, psychology, organizational studies, human factors, human resources, and industrial psychology. Its primary goal is to improve the health and well-being of individual workers, which in turn enhances the overall health of the organization.

Occupational Health Psychology

Sport and exercise psychology is a field that studies the interactions between thoughts, emotions, and physical performance in sports, exercise, and other activities. It investigates the psychological dimensions of athletic performance, covering topics like motivation and performance anxiety, and also examines the impact of sports participation on mental and emotional well-being. The principles of this discipline extend beyond athletics to include demanding contexts such as firefighting, military operations, artistic performance, and surgery.

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Biopsychology, also known as biological psychology, is a subfield of psychology that examines the influence of biological processes on behavior. It typically focuses on the immediate causes of behavior rooted in the physiology of an organism, with a primary emphasis on the nervous system's structure and function. This field is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on expertise from researchers with backgrounds in biology, medicine, physiology, and chemistry, and is considered a key component within the broader field of neuroscience.

Biopsychology (Biological Psychology)

Sensation and perception is an interdisciplinary field of psychology focused on how we receive and interpret sensory information to shape our conscious experience. It encompasses both the physiological aspects of how sensory systems work and the psychological experience of that information. Researchers in this domain study a wide array of sensory inputs—such as sights, sounds, smells, touch, temperature, and balance—and explore key topics like the distinction between sensation (detecting stimuli) and perception (interpreting data), the physical properties of stimuli, and the structure and function of sensory systems.

Sensation and Perception in Psychology

A field of psychology that is concerned with the acquisition and retention of information.

Learning and Memory in Psychology

- Health Psychology
- Buddhist Psychology

Interdisciplinary Areas in Psychology

Evolutionary psychology is a field that investigates the ultimate biological causes of behavior by focusing on how universal patterns of cognition and behavior have evolved over time. It operates on the principle that these genetically influenced patterns are adaptations to an organism's physical and social environment, shaped by their contribution to survival and reproductive success.

Emotion and Motivation Psychology is a field dedicated to understanding the interplay between our feelings and our actions. It examines various theories that explain why we engage in certain behaviors, exploring the drivers behind them. This includes investigating how fundamental physiological needs and our social experiences shape our motivations and subsequent actions.

Emotion and Motivation Psychology

Developmental psychology is the scientific field dedicated to studying development throughout an individual's entire life. While it includes the study of physical maturation, its scope is much broader than just the physical changes associated with aging. Developmental psychologists also investigate changes in cognitive skills, moral reasoning, social behavior, and various other psychological attributes over the lifespan.

Developmental Psychology (Lifespan Development)

Which of the following psychological disciplines primarily focuses on the study of how people learn and the best practices for teaching?

Which psychological discipline is primarily concerned with the study of mental processes such as perception, memory, and problem-solving?

Which psychological discipline focuses on the study of how psychological factors influence physical health and illness?

Which psychological discipline is primarily concerned with the study of how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the presence of others?

Within the broader field of psychology, several subfields are classified as applied areas. These disciplines focus on using psychological principles and research to address practical, real-world problems. Key applied areas include industrial-organizational psychology, health psychology, sport and exercise psychology, forensic psychology, and clinical psychology.

Applied Areas of Psychology

Social psychology is the scientific study of how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. A key focus is on how people conceptualize and interpret situations, and how these interpretations, along with other situational variables, interact to influence behavior within a social context. The field examines how people affect one another, emphasizing the power of the situation in shaping human actions, and explores all facets of personality and social interaction, particularly the influence of interpersonal and group relationships.

Social psychology

The clinical practice of psychology involves the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and related behavioral problems. This broad applied discipline encompasses professionals like clinical and counseling psychologists who help individuals and communities function better. A rigorous scientific approach is essential in clinical practice, as clinicians must rely on empirical research to accurately understand psychological problems and make evidence-based treatment decisions.

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