Psychological Disorders

Identify the symptoms associated with depression and mania.

Describe the characteristics of children with hyperactivity.

What are the consequences of alcohol substance addiction?

Can a distorted body image lead to eating disorders? Classify the various forms of it.

"Physicians make diagnosis looking at a person's physical symptoms". How are psychological disorders diagnosed?

Distinguish between obsessions and compulsions.

Can a long-standing pattern of deviant behaviour be considered abnormal? Elaborate.

While speaking in public the patient changes topics frequently, is this a positive or a negative symptom of schizophrenia? Describe the other symptoms of schizophrenia.

What do you understand by the term 'dissociation'? Discuss its various forms.

What are phobias? If someone had an intense fear of snakes, could this simple phobia be a result of faulty learning? Analyse how this phobia could have developed.

Anxiety has been called the "butterflies in the stomach feeling". At what stage does anxiety become a disorder? Discuss its types.

All of us have changes in mood or mood swings all day. Keep a small diary or notebook with you and jot down your emotional experiences over 3–4 days. As you go through the day (for instance, when you wake up, go to school/college, meet your friends, return home), you will observe that there are many highs and lows, ups and downs in your moods. Note down when you felt happy or unhappy, felt joy or sadness, felt anger, irritation and other commonly experienced emotions. Also note down the situations which elicited these various emotions. After collecting this information, you will have a better understanding of your own moods and how they fluctuate through the day.

Studies have shown that current standards of physical attractiveness have contributed to eating disorders. Thinness is valued in fashion models, actors, and dancers. To study this, observe the people around you. Select at least 10 people (they may include your family, friends and other acquaintances), and rate them in terms of Large, Average and Thin. Then pick up any fashion or film magazine. Look at the pictures of models, winners of beauty competitions, and film stars. Write a paragraph or two describing the magazine's message to its readers about the normal or acceptable male or female body. Does this view match what you see as normal body types in the general population?

Make a list of movies, TV shows, or plays you have seen where a particular psychological disorder has been highlighted. Match the symptoms shown to the ones you have read. Prepare a report.