chapterten6

1. Not normal; not typical, usual, regular, comforting. 2. Departing from normal in areas like intelligence and development. 3. Any change from the average, it is not necessarily harmful.
 * Abnormal:**

Psychologists find it hard to diagnose people with an anxiety disorder because they each (as does everyone else) have their own definition for abnormal, or [|abnormal behavior]. Psychologists use the following definitions:

http://www.leesfountainofyouth.com/images/sick_person.jpg (picture)

1. __Deviation From Normality__ **-** If what you, or most people, do is normal, the opposite is abnormal. ex: Doing an activity more than once (turning the lights off and on, brushing your teeth, washing your hands). 2. __Adjusment__ - Can the person get along in the world? - physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially**.** You would be considered abnormal if you failed to adjust. ex: Refusing to eat. 3. __Psychological Health__ **-** Implies that abnormality is like a physical sickness (flu, fever, etc.).

An estimated 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorder: men, women, and children, too.The number is high but the disorder does not affect everyone the same, some people do not even consider treatment (it is the most common psychiatric illness in adults and children), only about one third of the people suffering get treatment. There are five different types of anxiety disorders that people can be diagnosed with:
 * Anxiety Disorders**

A person worries excessivley for months, and may be very apprehensive. A person worries about situations which causes a person's actions to change. Normally, a person feels anxiety before a speech or an important event, but when people feel anxiety everyday for no particular reason, they probably have an anxiety disorder. One may worry about such things as health, family, career (money). The person may have trouble living life. [|Symptoms] include:
 * Generalized Anxiety Disorder**
 * trembling
 * muscular aches
 * insomnia
 * abdominal upsets (vomiting or ache)
 * dizziness, and
 * irritablitit

[|OCD] is a type of an anxiety disorder. Both adults and children are diagnosed with it. People with the disorder have obsessions and compulsions. The obsessions are recurrent thoughts or images. A person will try to ignore them with an action or some other thought. When a person tries to supress the obsessions, they have compulsions which will cause them to perform their "rituals". A ritual is a repetitive behavior that a person feels they must do to control anxiety. Some people with OCD feel driven to perform so many rituals that it takes over their life. Behavior therapy can help relieve or eliminate the disorder. Examples of rituals include: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/84755/true_life_living_with_ocd/ (Video Clip of OCD) http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/859/20165291.JPG (picture) http://erindailey.com/theredheadpapers/images/cameron.jpg (picture) Many celebrities have OCD, one of which is Cameron Diaz, she avoids touching doorknobs and washes her hands excessively.
 * Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder**
 * Turning lights off and on everytime they enter a room.
 * Touching objects a number of times until it feels "right."
 * Opening a door twice before you can go through it
 * Washing hands uintil they are red.

[|Somatoform disorders] are physical symptoms that seem as if that they are part of a general medical condition, but there is no medical condition or disorder. This is also known as hysteria. Psychological conflicts can become physical problems or complaints. They are among the most difficult and complex disorders to treat. Types of somatoform diseases are:
 * Somatoform Disorders**
 * Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder
 * Conversion Disorder
 * Pain Disorder
 * Hypochondriasis
 * Body Dysmorphic Disorder
 * Somatoform Disorder (not otherwise specified).

[|Hypochondriasis] is an extreme fear of having a serious illness, even after a doctor tellls the person they are healthy. People with this disorder know that their fears are unrealistic but knowing this does not reduce their fear. In order to be diagnosed with Hypochondriasis, the disease must take over your life so if you are just worried about having a cold that is not hypochondriasis. A person will usually fear one serious illness, but a lot of possible conditions will be included. The person is likely to seek a second opinion, but distrust the physician. Symptoms include:
 * Hypochondriasis**
 * Preoccupations with fears of serious physical injury.
 * Obssessive quality.
 * Talk about their "symptoms."
 * Researching information on feared disease.
 * "Doctor-shopping" - going from one doctor to the next for consultations and second opinions.
 * Avoidance of topic.

The main factor of a [|conversion disorder] is a person's senses or voluntary movements, that suggests another disease. A person typically has a very stressful thing happen to them and they will just wake up one day and not be able to move certain body parts or speak. Conversion disorder is also known as hysterical neurosis. To be diagnosed with hysteria, a person must be able to fit into these categories.
 * Conversion Disorder**
 * The patient has one or more symptoms affecting the senses or voluntary movement.
 * Symptoms getting worse are followed by conflicts or stressful situations in the person's life.
 * Symptom is not faked or produced intentionally.
 * Symptom cannot be explained by medical reason, the persons behavior, culture, or substance intake.
 * Symptom interferes with the person's life.
 * The symptom is not limited to pain or sexual dysfunction, and cannot be better characterized by another disease.

The cause of Hysteria for someone can be from a stressful situation that leads the person to develop symptoms. Even physical, emotional and sexual abuse can be a cause of the disorder. Symptoms may include:
 * [|Psuedoparalysis] - Tthe patient loses the ability to use half of their body or a limb.
 * Psuedosensory Symptoms - Patients complain of numbness in areas of the body.
 * Psuedoseizures
 * Psuedocoma (hard to diagnose).
 * Psychogenic Movement Disorders - Can mimic other diseases such as tremors and Parkinsonism.
 * Psuedoblindness
 * Hysterical Aphonia - The loss of ability to produce sounds.

= =


 * Citations**

1. "Brief Overview of Anxiety Disorders." __Anxiety Disorder Association of America__. 17 Jan. 2008 .

2. "Conversion Disorder." Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. 2007. 17 Jan. 2008 <[|http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Conversion-disorder.html>.]

3. "Hypochondriasis." Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. 2007. 17 Jan. 2008 <"Hypochondriasis." Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. 2007. 17 Jan. 2008 http://www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hypochondriasis.html.

4. __Mental Health__. 21 Dec. 2006. Mayo Clinic Staff. 16 Jan. 2008 <[|http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/DS00189>.]

5. Sheslow, David. __Obsessive Compulsive Disorder__. 16 Jan. 2008 <[|http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/ocd.html>.]


 * Felicia R. and Bill D.**