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Psych Symptoms

Identify the symptoms AND specific possible biological, psychological and sociocultural etiologies (i.e. causes) of EACH psychological disorder listed below. You will have to use the textbook along with the PowerPoint to find the etiologies! Points will be deducted if the etiologies are not included.

1.     Bipolar Disorder

Symptoms include extreme mood swings that may include episodes of mania, depressive episodes, and/or a mixture of both, reduced sleep time, hallucinations, and levels of euphoria (King 468). Possible biological, psychological and sociocultural etiologies include genetic influences and differences in brain activity that alters brain structure (King 468-469).

2.     Anorexia Nervosa

The symptoms include notably low body weight as compared to what is regarded as normal for height, and age, unwarranted refusal to maintain weight at healthy levels, intense fear of gaining weight that fails to reduce with weight loss, and distorted body image (King 470). Possible biological, psychological and sociocultural etiologies include genetics and environmental factors (culture and history, media pressure, and peer influence) (PPT Chapter 12 Slide 36).

3.     Bulimia Nervosa

The symptoms include binge eating, taking steps to avoid weight gain such as purging and fasting and excessive exercise. Other symptoms include dental cavities, general discontent, food aversion, body weight changes, and sore throat (King 470-471). Possible biological, psychological and sociocultural etiologies include interplay of social and biological factors (including genes and social expectations) and environmental factors (culture and history, media pressure, and peer influence) (King 471)

4.     Binge Eating Disorder

Typical symptoms include recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food during which the person feels a lack of control over eating, no attempts to purge, and obesity and overweight issues, episodes of distress after eating, disgust and guilt (King 472). Possible biological, psychological and sociocultural etiologies include genetics, change sin brain activity, and sociocultural factors (King 472).

5.     Schizophrenia

Symptoms include positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, referential thinking, and disorders of movement including unusual mannerisms, facial expressions, and body movement), negative symptoms (social withdrawal, apparent lack of emotion such as flat affect, and behavioral deficits) and cognitive symptoms including difficulty in sustaining attention, problems memorizing information, inability to self-reflect, poor ability to interpret information and make sound decisions (King 474-475). Possible biological, psychological and sociocultural etiologies include biological factors (such as structural brain abnormalities, problems with neurotransmitter regulation, and heredity) and psychological factors such as depression and childhood experiences (King 477).

6.     Antisocial Personality Disorder

Symptoms include guiltlessness, law-breaking, exploitation of others, irresponsibility, deceit, impulsivity, reckless disregard for safety, lack of remorse, and irritability and aggressiveness (King 479). Possible causes include abnormal brain development, genes, and childhood abuses (King 479).

7.     Borderline Personality Disorder

Symptoms include unstable affect, unstable sense of self and identity, negative interpersonal relationships, and self-harm (King 480). Causes include biological factors such as genes and abnormal brain activity and childhood experiences such as neglect and sexual and physical abuse (King 480).

Suicide

8.     If someone is threatening suicide, what should you do?

Be a good listener and offer support/help, ask straightforward questions, take the threat seriously, encourage the individual to seek professional help (King 482).

9.     If someone is threatening suicide, what should you NOT do?

Ignore the warning signs, refuse to talk about suicide, react in ways that show horror, disapproval, or repulsion, offer false reassurances, abandon the person (King 482).

10.  What are the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that contribute to suicide risk?

Biological factors include genes, low neurotransmitter serotonin levels, and poor physical health. Psychological factors include traumatic experiences and disorders. Sociocultural factors may include economic hardship.

Works Cited

King, L. (2019). Experience psychology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.