Abnormal Psychology

Question 1

mental illness

Answer 1

The American Psychiatric Association defines mental disorder as a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behaviour. It is sometimes difficult to apply that definition, because of disagreements over what constitutes a significant disturbance.

Question 2

What is the view of abnormality?

Answer 2

In the past, people have described abnormal behaviour in many ways, including spirit possession. The standard view today is that abnormal behaviour results from a combination of biological, psychological, and social influences.

Question 3

How does culture affect the perception of abnormality?

Answer 3

A culture provides examples not only of how to behave normally but also of how to behave abnormally.

Question 4

What is the categorical approach?

Answer 4

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) lists possible diagnoses and the criteria for identifying each of them.

However, most troubled people partly fit two or more diagnoses. Also, the genetic and environmental causes of various disorders overlap, and the treatment designed for one disorder may help with another. An alternative is to rate each person along several dimensions of distress.

Question 5

biopsychosocial model

Answer 5

it emphasises biological, psychological, and sociological aspects of abnormal behaviour

Question 6

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

Answer 6

a reference book psychiatrists and psychologists developed to standardise their definitions and diagnoses

Question 7

personality disorder

Answer 7

a maladaptive, inflexible way of dealing with the environment and other people, such as being unusually self-centred

Question 8

agoraphobia

Answer 8

an excessive fear of open or public places

Question 9

compulsion

Answer 9

it is a repetitive, almost irresistible action

Question 10

exposure therapy

Answer 10

a method of gradually exposing people to the object of their fear

Question 11

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAS)

Answer 11

people with it have frequent and exaggerated worries

Question 12

Hyperventilation

Answer 12

rapid deep breathing. Panic disorders are linked to having strong autonomic responses.

Question 13

obsession

Answer 13

a repetitive, unwelcome stream of though, such as worrying about something shameful

Question 14

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Answer 14

people with it have 2 kinds of problems: obsession and compulsion

Question 15

Panic Disorder (PD)

Answer 15

people with it have frequent periods of anxiety and occasional attacks of panic – rapid breathing, increased heart rate, chest pains, sweating, faintness, and trembling

Question 16

Phobia

Answer 16

a fear that intervenes with normal living

Question 17

social phobia

Answer 17

a severe avoidance of other people and doing anything in the public in fear of embarrassing oneself or attracting criticisms from others

Question 18

systematic desensitisation

Answer 18

a method of gradually exposing people to the object of their fear

Question 19

What happens with the persistence of avoidance behaviours?

Answer 19

A learned shock-avoidance response can persist long after the possibility of shock has been removed. As with shock-avoidance responses, phobias persist because people do not discover that their avoidance behaviours are unnecessary.

Question 20

common phobias

Answer 20

People are more likely to develop phobias of certain objects (e.g., snakes) than of others (e.g., cars). The most common objects of phobias have menaced humans throughout evolutionary history. They pose dangers that are difficult to predict or control, and we generally have few safe experiences with them.

Question 21

What are treatments for OCD?

Answer 21

The most effective treatment is exposure to the source of distress while preventing the ritualised response. However, this treatment is often ineffective, partly because many patients refuse or quit the treatment. A valuable supplement is a cognitive intervention to help people reinterpret their thoughts and images.

Question 22

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

Answer 22

it is a self-help group of people who are trying to abstain from alcohol use and help others do the same

Question 23

alcoholism

Answer 23

it is the habitual overuse of alcohol

Question 24

antabuse

Answer 24

it is a pill alcoholics take to become sick if they have a drink

Question 25

dependence/addiction

Answer 25

when people are unable to quit a self-destruction habit are said to have an addiction to something

Question 26

methadone

Answer 26

it is sometime offered as a substitute for opiates, and it is considered a safe addiction

Question 27

physical dependence

Answer 27

someone who uses a drug to reduce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms

Question 28

psychological dependence

Answer 28

it is a strong desire for something without withdrawal symptoms

Question 29

What are motivations behind addiction?

Answer 29

People with an addiction continue a habit even though they recognize that it does them more harm than good. Reasons for continued use include avoiding withdrawal symptoms and coping with distress. Also, addictive substances alter the brain's synapses to increase response to substance-related experiences and decrease response to other activities. In spite of all this, some people do manage to quit.

Question 30

contingency management

Answer 30

it is a behavioral therapy that uses rewards to encourage positive behavioral changes. it is sometimes effective

Question 31

What is the significance of the predisposition to alcoholism?

Answer 31

People who have less than average intoxication from moderate drinking are more likely than average to become heavy drinkers

Question 32

opiate abuse

Answer 32

Some opiate users manage to quit. Others substitute methadone or buprenorphine under medical supervision.

Question 33

antipsychotic drugs

Answer 33

a drug that can relieve schizophrenia

Question 34

atypical antipsychotic drugs

Answer 34

it relieves schizophrenia with less risk of tardive dyskinesia, although some risk still remains

Question 35

autism spectrum disorder

Answer 35

autism is a lifelong condition characterised by impaired social contact. At one time, psychiatrists distinguish autism from a milder condition, Asperger;s syndrome, but because the difference is just one of degree, the condition are combined under this term

Question 36

bipolar disorder

Answer 36

it is a condition in which someone alternates between mood extremes

Question 37

copy number variants

Answer 37

deletions and duplications of tiny parts of a chromosome

Question 38

delusion

Answer 38

a belief that someone holds strongly despite evidence against it

Question 39

delusion of grandeur

Answer 39

belief that you are unusually important

Question 40

delusion of persecution

Answer 40

belief that enemies are persecuting you

Question 41

delusion of reference

Answer 41

a tendency to take all sorts of messages personally

Question 42

Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia

Answer 42

the idea that the underlying cause of schizophrenia is excessive release of dopamine in certain brain areas

Question 43

electroconvulsive therapy

Answer 43

it is when a brief electrical shock is administered across the patient’s head to induce a convulsion similar to epilepsy

Question 44

hallucinations

Answer 44

they are perceptions that do not correspond to anything in the real world

Question 45

major depression

Answer 45

it is a more extreme condition lasting weeks at a time, during which the person experiences little interest, pleasure, or motivation

Question 46

mania

Answer 46

opposite of depression. People are sometimes but not necessarily cheerful, and they are constantly active, inhibited, and often irritable. They are sometimes dangerous to themselves or others

Question 47

monoamine oxidase inhibitors

Answer 47

it blocks the metabolic breakdown of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin by the enzyme monoamine oxidase

Question 48

negative symptoms

Answer 48

defined by the absence of a behaviour. Like the lack of emotional expression, motivation, social interactions

Question 49

neurodevelopmental hypothesis

Answer 49

according to this, schizophrenia originates with nervous system impairments that develop before birth or in early childhood, because either genetics or early environment, especially in prenatal environment

Question 50

positive symptoms

Answer 50

defined by the presence of some behaviour. Like hallucinations, delusions, thought disorder, and movement disorder

Question 51

schizophrenia

Answer 51

to be diagnosed with it, someone must exhibit prolonged deterioration of daily activities such as work, social relations, and self-care, and some combination of: hallucinations, delusions, disorganised speech and thought, movement disorder, and loss of normal emotional responses and social behaviours. The symptoms must include at least 1 of the first 3

Question 52

season-of-birth effect

Answer 52

a person born in the winter or early spring is slightly more likely to develop schizophrenia than a person born at other times

Question 53

seasonal affective disorder

Answer 53

it is when people repeatedly become depressed during a particular season of the year

Question 54

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Answer 54

they have a similar effect to tricyclic drugs, but block reuptake of only serotonin

Question 55

tardive dyskinesia

Answer 55

it is a condition characterised by tremors and involuntary movements

Question 56

tricyclic drugs

Answer 56

it interferes with the axon’s ability to reabsorb the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin after releasing them. It prolongs the effect of these neurotransmitters at the synapses

Question 57

What is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis?

Answer 57

Many researchers believe that schizophrenia originates with abnormal brain development before or around the time of birth because of either genetics or prenatal environment. Early abnormal development leaves a person vulnerable to further deterioration in adulthood.

Question 58

What are genetic influences on mental illness?

Answer 58

Much evidence indicates that it is possible to inherit a predisposition toward schizophrenia. A current hypothesis is that schizophrenia can result from changes in any of a large number of genes

Question 59

What is the effectiveness of the treatment for depression? and what are other possible treatments?

Answer 59

About one-third of patients recover from depression spontaneously within a few months. Of patients receiving psychotherapy, antidepressant drugs, or both, a little over half recover. Antidepressants are not significantly more helpful than placebos for people with mild to moderate depression. For the many people who do not respond to drugs or psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is another option. Exercise and seafood help to prevent depression.

Question 60

behaviour therapy

Answer 60

it begins with a clear, well-defined goal, such as eliminating test anxiety, and then attempts to achieve it through learning

Question 61

cognitive therapy

Answer 61

it seeks to improve psychological well-being by changing people’s interpretation of events

Question 62

Cognitive-behaviour therapy

Answer 62

where therapists set explicit behavioural goals, but also try to change people’s interpretation of situations

Question 63

Community psychologist

Answer 63

they try to help people change their environment, both to prevent disorders and to promote a positive sense of mental well-being analogous to the goals set by Adler

Question 64

deinstitutionalisation

Answer 64

the removal of patients from mental hospitals, to give them the least restrictive care possible

Question 65

dream analysis

Answer 65

when it is seeking to understand symbolism in reported dreams

Question 66

eclectic therapy

Answer 66

therapists use a combination of methods and approaches, and they often practise this in family therapy

Question 67

empirically supported treatments

Answer 67

therapies demonstrated to be helpful

Question 68

family systems therapy

Answer 68

the guiding assumption is that most people’s problems develop in a family setting and that the best way to deal with them is to improve family relationships and communication

Question 69

free association

Answer 69

when the client says everything that comes to mind, without censoring anything or even speaking in complete sentences

Question 70

group therapy

Answer 70

it is administered to several people at once

Question 71

intervention

Answer 71

it is identifying a disorder in its early stages and relieving it

Question 72

maintenance

Answer 72

it is taking steps to keep a disorder from becoming more serious

Question 73

meta-analysis

Answer 73

taking the results of many experiments, weighting each one in proportion to the number of participants, and determining the overall average effect

Question 74

M'Naghten Rule

Answer 74

to establish a defence of the ground of insanity, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of committing the act, the party accused was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing; or if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was wrong To be ruled insane under the rule, people must be so disordered that they do not understand what they are doing

Question 75

Morita therapy

Answer 75

It incorporates elements of Zen buddhism. Unlike most Western therapies, it does not focus on eliminating symptoms but help the client to accept that unpleasant emotions may come and go and are part of human existence. Its goal is to help clients let go of their preoccupation with symptoms and move on to achieve their goals in life

Question 76

Person-centred therapy

Answer 76

a nondirective or client-centred therapy, where the therapist listens to the client with total acceptance and unconditional positive regard

Question 77

prevention

Answer 77

it is avoiding a disorder from the start

Question 78

psychoanalysis

Answer 78

it tries to bring unconscious thoughts and emotions to consciousness. it is an insight-oriented therapy

Question 79

psychodynamic therapies

Answer 79

they attempt to understand conflicting impulses, including some that the individual does not consciously recognise

Question 80

psychotherapy

Answer 80

it is a treatment of psychological disorders by methods that include a personal relationship between a trained therapist and a client

Question 81

self-help group

Answer 81

it operates much like group therapy, except without a therapist. Each participant both gives and receives help.

Question 82

spontaneous remission

Answer 82

improvement without therapy

Question 83

Tarasoff case

Answer 83

in 1976, a California court ruled that a therapist who has reason to believe that a client is dangerous to someone must warn the endangered person or take other steps to prevent harm

Question 84

Transference

Answer 84

when clients transfer onto the therapist the behaviours and feelings they originally established toward their father, mother, other important person

Question 85

What is the effectiveness of psychotherapy?

Answer 85

The average person in therapy improves more than at least 80 percent of the equally troubled people not in therapy. In general, all mainstream therapies appear about equally effective, although cognitive or cognitive-behavioural therapy is somewhat better for reducing anxiety or other primary symptoms. Therapists today emphasise empirically supported therapies.

Question 86

What are similarities among therapies?

Answer 86

A wide variety of therapies share certain features: All rely on a caring relationship between therapist and client. All promote self-understanding. All improve clients' morale. And all require a commitment by clients to try to make changes in their lives.

Question 87

What is the insanity defence?

Answer 87

Some defendants accused of a crime are acquitted for reasons of insanity, which is a legal rather than a medical or psychological concept.