Psychological Disorders 567Practice Quiz How much do you remember?
Pick the best answer.
- Jorge finds himself feeling depressed most of the day. He
is constantly tired yet he sleeps very little. He has feelings
of worthlessness that have come on suddenly and seemingly have
no basis in reality. What might Jorge be diagnosed with?
a. seasonal affective disorder
b. acute depressive disorder
c. major depressive disorder
d. bipolar disorder- Studies have suggested the increased rates of major depressive
disorder in women may have a basis in __
a. gender roles, social factors, and emotional processing.
b. hormonal differences.
c. biological differences.
d. heredity.
3. What disorder seems to hold an association with bipolar disorder?
a. dysthymia
b. cyclothymia
c. phobic disorder
d. ADHD- Biological explanations of disordered mood have focused on the
effects of several different brain chemicals, and medications used
to treat these disorders are designed to work on these various
neurotransmitter systems. Which of the following is not one of the
chemicals that has been implicated in mood disorders?
a. serotonin
b. dopamine
c. norepinephrine
d. melatonin
Eating Disorders and Sexual Dysfunction
Thus far we have talked about disorders that have primarily focused on mood, anxiety,
stress, and trauma. We will now shift to disorders of a slightly different type and will first
examine eating disorders and then sexual dysfunction.
Eating Disorders
14.11 Identify the symptoms and risk factors associated with anorexia nervosa,
bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
There are a variety of disorders that relate to the intake of food, or in some cases non-
nutritive substances, or in the elimination of bodily waste. These are found in the DSM-5
under “Feeding and Eating Disorders.”
TYPES OF EATING DISORDERS We will specifically examine three eating disorders:
anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
ANOREXIA NERVOSA Anorexia nervosa, often called anorexia, is a condition in which a
person (typically young and female) reduces eating to the point that their body weight is
significantly low, or less than minimally expected. For adults, this is likely a body mass
index (BMI; weight in kilograms/height in meters^2 ) less than 18.5 (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013). Hormone secretion becomes abnormal, especially in the thyroid and
adrenal glands. The heart muscles become weak and heart rhythms may alter. Other
physical effects of anorexia may include diarrhea, loss of muscle tissue, loss of sleep, low
blood pressure, and lack of menstruation in females.
Some individuals with anorexia will eat in front of others (whereas individuals
with bulimia tend to binge eat as secretly as possible) but then force themselves to throw
up or take large doses of laxatives. They are often obsessed with exercising and with
food—cooking elaborate meals for others while eating nothing themselves. They have
extremely distorted body images, seeing fat where others see only skin and bones.
BULIMIA NERVOSA Bulimia nervosa, often called bulimia, is a condition in which a
person develops a cycle of “binging,” or overeating enormous amounts of food at one
sitting, and then using inappropriate methods for avoiding weight gain ( American
Psychiatric Association, 2013). Most individuals with bulimia engage in “purging”
behaviors, such as deliberately vomiting after the binge or misuse of laxatives, but
some may not, using other inappropriate methods to avoid weight gain such as fasting
the day or two after the binge or engaging in excessive exercise (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013). There are some similarities to anorexia: The victims are usually
anorexia nervosa (anorexia)
a condition in which a person reduces
eating to the point that their body
weight is significantly low, or less than
minimally expected. In adults, this is
likely associated with a BMI 18.5.bulimia nervosa (bulimia)
a condition in which a person develops
a cycle of “binging,” or overeating
enormous amounts of food at one
sitting, and then using unhealthy
methods to avoid weight gain.