Abnormal Psychology as a Branch of Psychology

CONTENTS 1. Introduction………………………………………………… 2 2. Anxiety Disorders…………………………………………. 5 3.1. Generalized Anxiety Disorders………………….. 6 2.1.1 Panic Disorder…………………………… 6 2.2. Phobias…………………………………………… 7 2.3. Obsessive – Compulsive Disorder……………… 8 2.4. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)…………. 8 3. Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders……………………………. 9 4. Treatment…………………………………………………….. 10 4.1. Psychotherapy……………………………………. 11 4.2. Pharmacological treatments……………………. 12 5. Causes of Anxiety Disorders........................................... 13 5.1. Biological.................................................... 13 5.2. Psychodynamic......................................... 14 5.1. Behavioral.................................................. 15 5.1. Cognitive.................................................... 16 6. Conclusion...................................................................... 16 7. References..................................................................... 17

Psychology can be defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental process. Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion or thought, which may not be understood as being a mental disorder. Abnormality psychology defined as the study of any behavior that deviates from culturally accepted norms (Mosby’s Pocket Dictionary, 2002).
From Gerric, R. J., & Zimbardo,

References: Gerric, R.J., & Zimbardo, P.G., (2005). Psyhological disorders. Psychology and life (pp 471 - 507). United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc. Gleitman, H., Fridlund, A. J., & Reisberg, D., (2004). Psychopathology. Psychology (pp 640 - 683). United States of America: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Lefton, L. A., & Brannon, L., (2003). Psychological disorders. Psychology (pp 526 - 565). United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc. Smith, E. E., Hoeksema, S. N., Fredrickson, B. L., & Loftus, G. R., (2003). Psychological disorders. Introduction to psychology (pp 526 - 567). United States of America: Thomson Learning, Inc. Teenshealth. (1995-2010). Anxiety Disorders. The Nemours Foundation. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from World Wide Web: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/anxiety.html WebMD. (2005-2010). Anxiety & panic disorder guide. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/mental-health-anxiety-disorders Wikipedia- Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved March 5, 2010 from World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_disorder