Psychological Disorders Info Book

Psychological Disorders
Info Book

Emily Carroll
Psychology
1st Hour

Autism
What is autism?
Autism refers to a variety of characteristics that relate to challenges with one’s social skills,
repetitive behavior, and speech and nonverbal communication.

What causes autism?
There is no one specific cause for autism; however, it has been depicted that abnormality in the
brain and it’s structure may be the cause. Also, researchers are further examining to determine if
heretics, genetics, and environmental factors play a role in the development of the disease.

Symptoms/Diagnosis
Symptoms of autism can be seen in infancy; however, most of
the time, the symptoms become more apparent in he/she’s early childhood.

Symptoms include…
● Appear to be unaware when people talk but become aware to
other sounds
● Avoid eye contact
● Have difficulty understanding other people’s feelings and
talking about their own
● Have unusual reactions to the way things smell, act, sound,
and look
● Have trouble expressing their needs through typical words
and emotions
● Have trouble adapting to new situations
According to the DSM-5, children affected by the disorder are born with it.
One’s symptoms may appear as early as 18 months or take longer, like 2 to 3
years old.
The DSM-5 considers one to have autism if he/she…
1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity
2. Deficits in nonverbal communication behaviors
3. Deficits in developing relationships

Demographics on autism
1. Autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children
2. More than 3.5 million americans live with autism
3. Autism services cost americans $232-$262 billion annually
Specific Treatment Options

● Turning to a medical professional, educator, or psychologist
● Early diagnosis can provide the platform for a appropriate educational and behavior program
● There are no medications to stop ASD; however, there are medications that can help them better
function (Ex. may help managing high energy levels, the inability to focus, depression, etc.)

Anorexia Nervosa
What is anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight loss; difficulty maintaining
an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image.

What causes anorexia nervosa?
Anorexia nervosa may be caused by genetics, but more commonly, the disorder is stimulated by
environmental factors. Examples of these environmental factors may include pressure to be ‘thin’
demonstrated in media, professionals and careers that promote
weight loss, family and childhood trauma, and peer pressure from
their peers to be ‘thin.’

Symptoms/Signs
Symptoms include…
● Dramatic weight loss
○ Dress in layers to cover up the weight loss
● Is preoccupied with calories, weight, food, and
dieting
● Makes frequent comments about feeling ‘fat’
● Denies feeling hungry
● Develops food rituals (Ex. eating foods in certain
orders)
● Feeling cold all of the time
● Sleeping problems
● Muscle weakness
● Dry skin
According to the DSM-5, to be diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, the following criteria must be met…
1. Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements leading to a significantly low body weight in
the content of age, sex, trajectory, and physical health
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight
3. Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of
body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low weight
Even if you do not fit all of these characteristics, the eating disorder may still be present within you.

Demographics on anorexia nervosa
1. Anorexia is the third most common chronic disease, behind asthma and diabetes.
2. Between 0.3-0.4% of young women and around 0.1% of young men will experience some form
of an eating disorder

Specific Treatment Options
● Intensive outpatient/outpatient- patient is moderately stable and does not need daily monitoring
● Inpatient care- patient is medically unstable
○ Vital signs of the disorder, rapidly worsening symptoms, suicidal thoughts
● Psychotherapy
○ Acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive and remediation therapy, cognitive
behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, etc.

Case Studies
Autism- Karen’s Story: Being an autistic parent
Growing up, Karen had many obsessions that from an
outsider's perspective, were quite weird. One of which was
buses. These were her first signs of any disorder at all.
Through her years of elementary school, she continued to be
bullied by her fellow classmates due to her many obsessive
behavioral actions. At age 11, Karen began to feel like an
outsider and realized that she was different than other kids
her age. Because of this, she acted out; one day she even ran
away from home. Due to this lashing behavior, Karen was
placed into a children’s home at 14 years old. Here, she
began to dislike herself and started having suicidal thoughts.
Soon after, in this rough phase, Karen found out she was
pregnant at 16 years old. Flashing forward a few years,
Karen was not going to let her disorder get in the way of
parenting her kid (soon to be kids after having a few more). Today, she and her husband
have been together for twenty five years and have five kids in total. Now after taking action
and seeking for help with treatment, Karen does not see her disorder as something that
defines her; she views her case of autism in a positive manner as it has led her to a life she
loves living today.

Anorexia Nervosa- Lady Gaga
Well known, popstar, Lady Gaga, admits that
she has struggled with anorexia and bulimia ever since
fifteen years old. For her, she had common cycles of
weight loss and gain, and recently, she posted them to
the public. Through her time of fame and glory, she
became extremely focused on her body image since
she was always either in front of a camera or a large
audience. Due to her hangups with her weight, Lady
Gaga became depressed after being exhausted of
always worrying about her body image. Now, Gaga
has her own ‘Born This Way Foundation’ that provides
resources to young people for help, mainly with body
image but also drug and alcohol abuse. The
organization works to help teenagers in realizing that they are not alone and to help
encourage compassion in our world. She hopes to get the message across to all that they
should reach out and talk to someone if they are having any issue with any form of an
eating disorder.

Works Cited
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
http://www.autism-society.org/what-is/symptoms/
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
https://www.autismspeaks.org/dsm-5-criteria
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/anorexia
https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/anorexia
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/adult-life/stories/karensstory.aspx
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/lady-gaga-reveals-past-eating-disorder-depression/story
?id=22394704

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