Abnormal Psychology

Question 1

ADD/ADHD

Answer 1

Atypical inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity; may have short attention span & difficulty staying on task/organizing tasks
Unable to follow instructions or stick to activities for extended period of time
Group situations are difficult
Fidgeting/restlessness (hyperactivity)
Inability to delay gratification, frequently interrupt (impulsivity)
Occurs by age 3, however, often not diagnosed until school-age
More prevalent in males; symptoms usually attenuate during adolescence

Question 2

ASD

Answer 2

lack of responsiveness to others (low social functioning); low communication skills, repetitive behaviors
Often inflexibly routined; may display aversion to eye contact and physical contact
Language skills may be impaired; oversensitivity to sensory stimuli

Question 3

Tourette’s disorder

Answer 3

characterized by motor and verbal tics; tics are sudden, recurrent, and stereotyped
Periods of remission may occur

Question 4

Schizophrenia history

Answer 4

term coined by Bleuler in 1911; was previously called dementia praecox

Question 5

Schizophrenia

Answer 5

“split mind”; meaning mind is split from reality
Symptoms include:
delusions, hallucination, disorganized thought, inappropriate affect, catatonic behavior

Question 6

Positive symptoms (Schizophrenia)

Answer 6

behaviors, thoughts, or affects in addition to normal behavior 
Psychotic dimension (delusions/hallucinations) and disorganized dimension (disorganized speech and behavior)

Question 7

Negative symptoms (Schizophrenia)

Answer 7

absence of normal behavior (ex. flat affect)

Question 8

Delusions

Answer 8

Beliefs discordant with reality
Delusions of reference: others talking about him/her; elements of environment are directed at him/her
Persecution: person is being directly, deliberately interfered with, discriminated against, plotted against, or threatened
Grandeur: belief that he/she is a remarkable person
Thought broadcasting and thought inserting

Question 9

Hallucination

Answer 9

Perceptions not due to sensation of real stimuli

Usually auditory

Question 10

Disorganized thought

Answer 10

Loosened associations; may result in word salad or neologisms (invented words)

Question 11

Disturbance of affect

Answer 11

Blunted affect (expression is reduced)
Flat affect (no apparent expression)
Inappropriate affect (discordant with their speech/ideation)
Antipsychotics typically affect affect making it difficult to assess this symptom of patients under treatment

Question 12

Catatonic motor behavior

Answer 12

Rigidity OR bizarre useless movements

Question 13

Prodromal phase

Answer 13

Clear evidence of deterioration, social withdrawal, impaired role functioning, peculiar behavior, and inappropriate affect preceding diagnosis of schizophrenia
Followed by “active phase” of symptomatic behavior

Question 14

Process v. Reactive Schizophrenia

Answer 14

Process: slow development of schizophrenia, poor recovery
Reactive: intense, sudden onset of symptoms, better prognosis for recovery

Question 15

Schizophrenia subtypes (DSM-IV)

Answer 15

Catatonic, paranoid, disorganized (disorganized thought and flat or inappropriate affect), undifferentiated (no primary symptom), residual (positive symptoms have faded, neg symptoms may remain)
No longer divided into subtypes

Question 16

Multiaxial assessment

Answer 16

DSM-IV system
Axis 1: clinical disorders
Axis 2: PDs and ID
Axis 3: medical conditions
Axis 4: environmental stressors
Axis 5: GAF (global assessment of functioning, out of 100

Question 17

DSM & “neurosis”

Answer 17

Not listed as category of mental disorders since neurosis is a theoretical term derived only from psychoanalytic theory

Question 18

Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia

Answer 18

Suggests that pos symptoms arise due to excess DA activity

Supported by effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs (which reduce DA activity)

Question 19

Double-blind hypothesis of schizophrenia

Answer 19

Child is given conflicting messages by pcg
Child becomes disorganized and perceptions are unreliable
Not widely supported but research does suggest that strength of family communication is related to some forms of schizophrenia

Question 20

Bipolar disorder

Answer 20

Manic episodes: elevated mood, insomnia, impaired judgement, risky behavior; alternates with depressive periods in Bipolar I
In bipolar II, manic periods replaced with hypomania (no psychotic features, but still elevated mood)

Question 21

Dysthymic disorder (DSM-IV)

Answer 21

Longer period of time than depression and fewer symptoms necessary to diagnose. No longer a diagnosis

Question 22

Cyclothymic disorder

Answer 22

Less extreme poles and longer lasting for diagnosis (as compared to bipolar)

Question 23

Monoamine theory of depression

Answer 23

Or catacholamine theory of depression
Under-activity of MAs (NE & serotonin)
Not really that simple

Question 24

Somatoform disorders

Answer 24

Presence of physical symptoms that are not explained by a medical condition; not faking

Question 25

Conversion disorder

Answer 25

Somatoform disorder; unexplained symptoms affecting voluntary motor or sensory functions (ex. Blindness with no damage to visual system) used to be called "hysteria"

Question 26

Hypochondriasis

Answer 26

Somatoform disorder; person fears they have a serious disease

Question 27

Dissociative amnesia

Answer 27

Inability to recall past experience; amnesia not due to neurological disorder but to dissociation to avoid stressors

Question 28

Dissociative fugue

Answer 28

Sudden, unexpected move away from home/life | May even assume new identity

Question 29

Dissociative identity disorder

Answer 29

Two or more alters directing behavior; therapy focuses on integrating alters into one personality

Question 30

Depersonalization disorder

Answer 30

Person feels detached from their cognitions and/or behaviors; person is an outside observer but has intact sense of reality

Question 31

Anorexia nervousa

Answer 31

Distorted body image; usually accompanied by amenorrhea

Question 32

Bulimia nervosa

Answer 32

Binge eating and purging (or excessive exercise/fasting) | Not necessarily underweight

Question 33

PDs

Answer 33

Impaired functioning of at least two: cognition, emotion, interpersonal functioning, impulse control Causing distress

Question 34

Schizoid PD

Answer 34

pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and blunted affect

Question 35

narcissistic PD

Answer 35

Grandiose self-importance, preoccupation with fantasies of success, need for constant admiration/attention, entitlement; fragile self-esteem, May result in rage, inferiority, shame, humiliation, emptiness when individual is not viewed favorably by another

Question 36

BPD

Answer 36

instability in mood, behavior, self-image; interpersonal relationships are intense/unstable, uncertainty of self-image, sexual identity, long-term goals, or value; fear of abandonment Can result in suicide and self-mutilation

Question 37

ASPD

Answer 37

disregard for/violation of rights of others; illegal acts, deceitfulness, aggression, lack of remorse Serial killers and other career criminals may have this disorder

Question 38

diathesis-stress model

Answer 38

framework used to examine cause of mental diagnoses (diathesis: predisposition for a specific disorder) Stressors may then lead to the development of the disorder

Question 39

primary prevention

Answer 39

efforts to identify and then eradicate conditions that foster mental illness

Question 40

Rosenhan (1973)

Answer 40

psychiatric hospital study, pseudopatients ("empty," "hollow," "thud")

Question 41

Thomas Szasz

Answer 41

critic of labeling people "mentally ill" Most disorders treated by clinicians are not illnesses but traits or behaviors that differ form cultural norm Famous book: The Myth of Mental Illness