Understanding and Types of Psychological Disorders

Question 1

biomedical approach to psychological disorders

Answer 1

Biomedical therapy emphasizes interventions that rally around symptom reduction of psychological disorders. In other words, this approach assumes that any disorder has roots in biomedical disturbances, and thus the solution should also be of a biomedical nature. This view is thought of as narrower than other approaches because it fails to take into account many of the other sources of disorders, such as lifestyle and socioeconomic status. For example, heart disease clearly has roots within the mechanisms of the cardiac muscle, but the causes of these malfunctions have as much to do with biomedical causes (such as genetics) as they do with lifestyle causes (such as a diet rich in salty, fatty foods; smoking; and alcohol use)

Question 2

biopsychosocial approach

Answer 2

this method assumes that there are biological, psychological, and social components to an individual’s disorder. The biological component of a disorder is something in the body, like having a particular genetic syndrome. The psychological component of a disorder stems from the individual’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviors.

direct therapy - individual, medication, meetings
indirect therapy - increase social support in family

Question 3

prevelance of mental disorders overall and the highest disorders

Answer 3

18.3 percent - 44.7 million
specific phobia, social anxiety, MDD, PTSD, BP, Generalized anxiety disorder, panic, BPD, OCD, Agoraphobia, anorexia, schizophrenia

Question 4

psychotic disorder

Answer 4

one or more of the following symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought, disorganized behavior, catatonia, and negative symptoms. Like most psychological categories, psychotic disorders are on a spectrum. To delineate the psychotic disorders as described in the DSM-5, psychotic symptoms must be understood.

Question 5

Psychotic symptoms are divided into positive and negative types.
What are positive and negative examples

Answer 5

positive - behaviors, thoughts, feelings added to normal behavior not present in normal population

(psychotic dimension - delusions, hallucinations,
*disorganized dimension - thought, disorganized or catatonic behavior)

negative symptoms - involve absence of normal behavior like disturbance of affect and avolition

Question 6

What are delusions and examples of them?

Answer 6

Delusions are false beliefs discordant with reality and not shared by others in the individual’s culture. These delusions are maintained often in spite of strong evidence to the contrary.

Delusions of reference involve the belief that common elements in the environment are directed toward the individual. For example, people with delusions of reference may believe that characters in a TV show are talking to them directly.

Delusions of persecution involve the belief that the person is being deliberately interfered with, discriminated against, plotted against, or threatened

Delusions of grandeur, also common in bipolar I disorder, involve the belief that the person is remarkable in some significant way, such as being an inventor, historical figure, or religious icon

Question 7

what is thought broadcasting, thought withdrawl, thought insertion?

Answer 7

thought broadcasting, which is the belief that one’s thoughts are broadcast directly from one’s head to the external world

thought withdrawal, the belief that thoughts are being removed from one’s head

thought insertion, the belief that thoughts are being placed in one’s head.

Question 8

hallucinations

Answer 8

Hallucinations are perceptions that are not due to external stimuli but which nevertheless seem real to the person perceiving them. The most common form of hallucination is auditory, involving voices that are perceived as coming from inside or outside the patient’s head. Visual and tactile hallucinations are less common, but may be seen in drug use or withdrawal.

Question 9

disorganized thought

Answer 9

Disorganized thought is characterized by loosening of associations. This may be exhibited as speech in which ideas shift from one subject to another in such a way that a listener would be unable to follow the train of thought. A patient’s speech may be so disorganized that it seems to have no structure—as though it were just words thrown together incomprehensibly. This is sometimes called word salad. In fact, a person with schizophrenia may even invent new words, called neologisms.

Question 10

word salad is seen in what disorders

Answer 10

schizophrenia, and wernickes receptive aphasia

Question 11

neologisms

Answer 11

inventing words
common in schizophrenia

Question 12

disorganized behavior

Answer 12

efers to an inability to carry out activities of daily living, such as paying bills, maintaining hygiene, and keeping appointments

Question 13

catatonia

Answer 13

catatonia refers to certain motor behaviors characteristic of some people with schizophrenia. The patient’s spontaneous movement and activity may be greatly reduced or the patient may maintain a rigid posture, refusing to be moved. At the other extreme, catatonic behavior may include useless and bizarre movements not caused by any external stimuli, echolalia (repeating another’s words), or echopraxia (imitating another’s actions).

Question 14

echolalia and echopraxia

Answer 14

echolalia - repeating another persons words

echopraxia - imitating another persons actions

Question 15

affect

Answer 15

.Affect refers to the experience and display of emotion, so disturbance of affect is any disruption to these abilities.
**
Affective symptoms may include blunting, in which there is a severe reduction in the intensity of affect expression; emotional flattening (flat affect),** in which there are virtually no signs of emotional expression; or inappropriate affect, in which the affect is clearly discordant with the content of the individual’s speech. For example, a patient with inappropriate affect may begin to laugh hysterically while describing a parent’s death

Question 16

avolition

Answer 16

marked by decreased engagement in purposeful, goal-directed actions.

Question 17

what does schizophrenia mean?

Answer 17

Schizophrenia is the prototypical psychotic disorder in this category of disorders. Schizophrenia is characterized by a break between an individual and reality. In fact, the term schizophrenia literally means “split mind.” Eugen Bleuler coined the term in reference to the splitting of one’s mind from reality. To be given the diagnosis of schizophrenia, an individual must show continuous signs of the disturbance for at least six months, and this six-month period must include at least one month of positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech).

Question 18

downward drift hypothesis

Answer 18

schizophrenia causes a decline in socioeconomic status, leading to worsening symptoms, which sets up a negative spiral for the patient toward poverty and psychosis. This is why rates of schizophrenia are much, much higher among homeless and indigent people.

Question 19

phases of schizophrenia

Answer 19

prodromal - before diagnosis- deterioration, social withdrawl, role functioning impariment, peculiar behavior, inappropriate affect, unusual expierences

active phase - pronounced physcotic symptoms are displayed. If onset is slow the correct diagnosis is hard and prognosis is low. If onset is intense and sudden, diagnosis is fast and prognosis is better. (diagnosis usually occurs here)

residual phase / recovery phase - after an active episode that has mental clarity resulting in concern or depression as the individual becomes aware of previous behavior

Question 20

psychotic disorders other than schizophrenia

Answer 20

they are less severe

schizotypical personality disorder - personality then psychotic symptoms

delusion disorder - only delusions at least a day, less than a month

brief psychotic disorder - positive psychotic symptoms for at least a day, less than a month

schizophreniform disorder - same diagnostic criteria as schizophrenia except only required for a month

schizoaffective disroder - major mood episodes (MDD, manic) with psychotic symptoms

Question 21

what are depressive disorders and the 9 symptom acronym sadness + SIG E. CAPS

Answer 21

Depressive disorders, in contrast, are conditions characterized by feelings of sadness that are severe enough, in both magnitude and duration, to meet specific diagnostic criteria.

Sadness: **Depressed mood, feelings of sadness and emptiness
Sleep: Insomnia or hypersomnia
Interest: Loss of interest and pleasure in activities that previously sparked joy, termed anhedonia
Guilt: A feeling of inappropriate guilt or worthlessness
Energy: Lower levels of energy throughout the day
Concentration: Decrease in ability to concentrate (self described, or observed by others)
Appetite: Pronounced change in appetite (increase or decrease) resulting in a significant change (5%+) in weight.
Psychomotor symptoms: Psychomotor retardation (slowed thoughts and physical movements) and psychomotor agitation (restlessness resulting in undesired movement)
Suicidal thoughts: Recurrent suicidal thoughts

Question 22

what does SIG E. CAPS mean?

Answer 22

Sadness +

Sleep
Interest
Guilt
Energy
Concentration
Appetite
Psychomotor symptoms
Suicidal thoughts

Question 23

what is major depressive disorder (MDD)

Answer 23

The key diagnostic feature of major depressive disorder (MDD) is the presence of major depressive episodes. A major depressive episode is defined as a 2-week (or longer) period in which 5 of the 9 defined depressive symptoms are encountered, which must include either depressed mood or anhedonia (inability to feel and anticipate pleasure). In addition, the symptoms must be severe enough to impair one’s daily social- or work-related activities.

Question 24

persistent depressive disorder (PDD) or dysthymia

Answer 24

persistent depressive disorder (PDD), also known as dysthymia, is given when an individual experiences a period, lasting at least 2 years, in which they experience a depressed mood on the majority of days. With the primary diagnostic feature of PDD being time, a patient can receive both the PDD and MDD diagnosis if they meet both the duration and severity requirements of both disorders.

not a weaker MDD and often occurs with MDD

Question 25

disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

Answer 25

disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, which is typically diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 10, and has the key diagnostic feature of persistent and recurrent emotional irritability in multiple environments (school, home, etc.).

children have more dramatic emotional responses than adults

Question 26

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Answer 26

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is characterized by mood changes, often depressed mood, occurring a few days before menses and resolving after menses onset

menses - menstration flow

Question 27

postpartum depression

Answer 27

postpartum depression the rapid change in hormone levels just after giving birth is the cause of the depressive symptoms.

Answer 28

in seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the dark winter months are believed to be the source of depressive symptoms and thus the disorder is best categorized as major depressive disorder with seasonal onset

In the case of seasonal affective disorder, depressive symptoms are present only in the winter months. This disorder may be related to abnormal melatonin metabolism; it is often treated with bright light therapy, where the patient is exposed to a bright light for a specified amount of time each day, as demonstrated with a plant i

Question 29

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) mechanism

Answer 29

These block the reuptake of serotonin by the presynaptic neuron, resulting in higher levels of serotonin in the synapse and relief of symptoms.

Question 30

examples of anxiety disorders

Answer 30

generalized anxiety
seperation
social
panic disorder
selective mutism
agoraphobia
phobias

Question 31

positive and negative behaviors of schizophrenia

Answer 31

absence of affect - emotion
avolution - decreased engagement

Question 32

what are bipolar disorders?

Answer 32

mania or hypomania

Mania and hypomania differ with respect to duration, intensity, and functional impairment:

In mania, an elevated or irritable mood lasts at least one week.

In hypomania, symptoms last for at least 4 days.

Intensity: In mania, symptoms are severe, and in hypomania, they are mild to moderate.

Question 33

cyclothymic disorders

Answer 33

periods of manic and depressive symptoms not severe enough to be a episode but persist at least two years

Question 34

dissociative disorders

Answer 34

dissociative amnesia - unable to recall past expierences without underlying neurological disorder

dissociative identity - 2 or more personalities controlling behavior

depersonalization or derealization disorders - feelings of detachment from mind, body, environment

Question 35

what are personality disorders

Answer 35

odd or eccentric behaviors, cause distress and tend to be majorly disruptive

impaired functioning in AT LEAST 2
cognition
emotions
interpersonal relations
impulse control

Question 36

types of personality disorders

Answer 36

paranoid
schizoid
antisocial
borderline
histrionic
narcisstic
avoidant
dependant
obsessive compulsive

Question 37

histrionic personality disorders

Answer 37

Histrionic personality disorder (HPD) is a mental health condition marked by unstable emotions, a distorted self-image and an overwhelming desire to be noticed. People with HPD often behave dramatically or inappropriately to get attention

constantly seeking attention.
being uncomfortable in situations where they are not the centre of attention.
displaying inappropriate seductive or sexually provocative behaviour.
being flirtatious, seductive or charming.
being manipulative.

Question 38

somataform disorders

Answer 38

when a person expierences bodily symptoms unaccounted for in medical or neurological diagnoses or of dispropriate concern

conversion - unexplained motor movement
hypochondria
illness anxiety

Question 39

PTSD is a somatoform disorder

Answer 39

Question 40

feeding and eating disorders

Answer 40

anorexia
bulimia
avoidant restrictive food disorder

Question 41

sleep wake disorders

Answer 41

insomnia
narcolepsy
sleep apnea

Question 42

biopyschosocial approach

Answer 42

culture and beliefs, access to social support, education, poverty, coping, physical health, neurochemistry, predisposition

biological
psychological
social

Question 43

biological basis of nervous system disorders

Answer 43

genetic, family, tramau, adolescent drug use

Question 44

biological basis of depression

Answer 44

low dopamine, serotonin
high gluccocorticoids

Question 45

psychotherapy

Answer 45

recognize behavior and address it

Question 46

somatoform disorder

Answer 46

somatic symptomsm causing stress or impairment

may or may not be linked to medical condition

Question 47

conversion disorder

Answer 47

temporary blindness, paralysis symptoms due to high stress or trauma

Question 48

illnes anxiety disorder vs hypochondria

Answer 48

illnes anxiety disorder
consumed with thoughts about having or developing a serious medical condition

exessively check for symptoms

hypochondria
morbid concern for state of health and unfounded beliefs of ill health, one type of illness at a time
when presented with bodily symptoms is a somatoform disorder