Abnormal Psychology: Neurological Disorders and Brain Injuries - Prof. Lori L. Coburn, Study notes of Abnormal Psychology

Download Abnormal Psychology: Neurological Disorders and Brain Injuries - Prof. Lori L. Coburn and more Study notes Abnormal Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Listen to the audio lecture while viewing these slides Psychology 311 Abnormal Psychology 1 Dementia 2 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Overview • Is a gradual loss of intellectual abilities • Interferes with social or occupational functioning • Usually has gradual onset 3 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Senile Dementia • Usually occurs in individuals 65 or older • Get progressive atrophy of brain tissue • Get abnormal brain waves • Primarily distinguished by memory and cognitive impairment • Effects more females than males 2:1 • 56% of all people 65 or older living in institutions are diagnosed with dementia 4 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Includes • Memory loss • Loss of Self Control • Confusion • Problems with personal hygiene • Language problems • Motor problems • Personality Changes • Lives in the past • Anterograde or Retrograde Amnesia 5 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Symptoms • Get worse later in the day • Due to fatigue, • Decrease in NT with use • Other reasons • Confabulation • Is a key symptom • Occurs when you loose part of your memory • Fill in the gaps • Often is inaccurate but usually is very detailed 6 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Other Symptoms • Paranoid Thinking • Agitation • Depressive symptoms • Irritability • Restlessness • Others 2 7 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Specific Diseases 8 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Alzheimer’s Disease • Identified by Alois Alzheimer in 1907 • Most common form of Senile Dementia • More than ½ the cases • Brain tissue deteriorates • Death – 10-12 years • Statistics vary • 23,0000 die each year • 100,000 die each year • Places huge demands on health care resources • 60% of all nursing home patients 9 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Biology • May have a genetic component but evidence is mixed • Chromosome 21 • Not sure if Alzheimer’s Disease is the cause of neural degeneration or the result of neural degeneration. • Biochemically • Patients have less Ach in the brain • No known brain trigger • Can use brain scans to confirm diagnosis by ruling out other causes • Confirmation is only at autopsy • Neurofibular tangles • Senile Plaques 10 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Issues • Caregivers most common complaints about Alzheimer’s Patients • Depression • Hostility, belligerence, aggression to staff • Confused about people, places, time • Wandering off, restless • Anxiety, suspicious • Most caregivers experience extreme stress • Have a general lack of control over what happens next 11 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Treatment • No real treatment • Give Ach inhibitors • Increases Ach at synapse sites • Have been trying at earlier ages when initial symptoms begin • Appears to delay onset 12 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Pick’s Disease • Much less common than Alzheimer’s • Develops between 60-70 years old • Symptoms are similar to Alzheimer's • Can only tell at autopsy • Has specific types of brain atrophy • May have a genetic factor • Effects more males than females 5 25 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Korsakoff’s Syndrome • Results from vitamin B and nutritional deficiency • Usually seen in chronic alcoholics • Is a irreversible disorder • Get recent and past memory loss • Get perceptual deficits • Longer the vitamin deficiency, the less response to vitamin therapy 26 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Treatment • Start on B vitamins ASAP • May use injection to get started • Oral administration may not have an effect due to problems with absorption in the intestines. • Try to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption 27 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Epilepsy • Is not a disease • Is a symptom of recurrent changes in state of consciousness • Electrical state in the brain changes • Causes an electrical storm in the brain • Result – seizure • Several types of seizures 28 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Grand mal (Great Illness) • Lasts 2-5 minutes • Usually proceeded with an Aura • Smell, Taste, Flash of light • Often begins with a cry • Get a loss of consciousness • Extreme muscle spasms, fall to floor • Get contraction and relaxation of muscles • May experience head injuries • May bite mouth or tongue 29 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Petit Mal • Is more common in children • Do not have convulsions • May or may not have a loss of consciousness • Person experiences blank stare • May last up to 1 minute • May occur many times a day 30 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Incidence • Highest in early years of life • Remains steady through middle age • Peaks in elderly 6 31 Psyc 311 – Abnormal Psychology Treatment • Antiepileptic Drugs • Often a Phenobarbital derivative • Surgery • Usually done with focal point seizures • Problem – often return due to scar tissue • Also use desensitization and relaxation training • Change thoughts