chapter 12: psychopathology

Question 1

delusion

Answer 1

false belief that is strongly held in spite of contrary evidence

Question 2

schizophrenia

Answer 2

a severe psychopathological disorder characterized by negative symptoms such as emotional withdrawal and impoverished thought, and by positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions

Question 3

positive symptom

Answer 3

in psychiatry, an abnormal behavior state; examples include hallucinations, delusions, and excited motor behavior

Question 4

negative symptom

Answer 4

in psychiatry, an abnormality that reflects insufficient functioning; examples include emotional and social withdrawal, blunted affect, and slow and impoverished thought and speech

Question 5

monozygotic

Answer 5

referring to twins derived from a single fertilized egg (identical twins); share an identical set of genes

Question 6

dizygotic

Answer 6

referring to twins derived from separate eggs (fraternal twins); no more closely genetically related than other full siblings

Question 7

concordance

Answer 7

a characteristic that is seen in both individuals of a pair of twins

Question 8

hypofrontality hypothesis

Answer 8

the idea that schizophrenia may reflect underactivation of the frontal lobes

Question 9

lobotomy

Answer 9

the surgical separation of a portion of the frontal lobes from the rest of the brain, once used as a treatment for schizophrenia and many other ailments

Question 10

chlorpromazine

Answer 10

an antipsychotic drug that replaced lobotomy as a treatment for schizophrenia; trade name Thorazine

Question 11

antipsychotic or neuroleptic

Answer 11

any of a class of drugs that alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia, typically by blocking dopamine receptors

Question 12

dopamine hypothesis

Answer 12

the idea that schizophrenia results from either excessive levels of synaptic dopamine or excessive postsynaptic sensitivity to dopamine

Question 13

amphetamine psychosis

Answer 13

a delusional and psychotic state, closely resembling acute schizophrenia, that is brought on by repeated use of high doses of amphetamine

Question 14

dyskinesia

Answer 14

maladaptive motor symptoms that can result from traditional antipsychotic drugs, are permanent

Question 15

tardive dyskinesia

Answer 15

repetitive, involuntary movements, especially involving the face, mouth, lips, and tongue

Question 16

super-sensitivity psychosis

Answer 16

marked increase in positive symptoms of schizophrenia after discontinuation or lowered dosage of traditional antipsychotic drugs as a result of dopamine receptor super-sensitivity

Question 17

typical neuroleptic

Answer 17

an antischizophrenic drug that shows antagonist activity at dopamine D2 receptors

Question 18

atypical neuroleptic

Answer 18

an antipsychotic drug that has actions other than or in addition to the dopamine D2 receptor antagonism that characterizes the typical neuroleptics

Question 19

clozapine

Answer 19

an atypical neuroleptic, selectively blocks serotonin receptors

Question 20

phencyclidine (PCP)

Answer 20

an anesthetic drug that is also a psychedelic drug; PCP makes many people feel dissociated from themselves and their environment

Question 21

psychotomimetic

Answer 21

a drug that induces a state resembling schizophrenia

Question 22

ketamine

Answer 22

a dissociative anesthetic drug, similar to PCP, that acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist

Question 23

glutamate hypothesis

Answer 23

the idea that schizophrenia may be caused, in part, by understimulation of glutamate receptors

Question 24

depression

Answer 24

a psychiatric condition characterized by such symptoms as unhappy mood; loss of interests, energy, and appetite; and difficulty concentrating

Question 25

unipolar depression

Answer 25

depression that alternates with normal emotional states

Question 26

electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT)

Answer 26

a last-resort treatment for unmanageable depression in which a strong electrical current is passed through the brain, causing a seizure

Question 27

monoamine oxidase (MAO)

Answer 27

an enzyme that breaks down and thereby inactivates monoamine transmitters

Question 28

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)

Answer 28

a drug that blocks the reuptake of transmitter at serotonergic synapses; commonly used to treat depression

Question 29

deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Answer 29

mild electrical stimulation through an electrode that is surgically implanted deep in the brain

Question 30

cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Answer 30

psychotherapy aimed at correcting negative thinking and consciously changing behaviors as a way of changing feelings (more effective when combined with SSRI drugs)

Question 31

postpartum depression

Answer 31

a bout of depression that afflicts a woman either immediately before or after giving birth

Question 32

learned helplessness

Answer 32

a learning paradigm in which individuals are subjected to inescapable, unpleasant conditions

Question 33

bipolar disorder

Answer 33

a psychiatric disorder characterized by periods of depression that alternate with excessive, expansive moods

Question 34

lithium

Answer 34

an element that, administered to patients, often relieves the symptoms of bipolar disorder

Question 35

anxiety disorder

Answer 35

any of a class of psychological disorders that include recurrent panic states, generalized persistent anxiety disorders, and post traumatic stress disorder

Question 36

benzodiazepine

Answer 36

any of a class of anti anxiety drugs that are agonists of GABA receptors in the central nervous system; one example is diazepam (valium)

Question 37

anxiolytic

Answer 37

a substance that is used to combat anxiety; examples include alcohol, opiates, barbiturates, and the benzodiazepines

Question 38

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 38

a disorder in which memories of an unpleasant episode repeatedly plague the victim

Question 39

fear conditioning

Answer 39

a form of learning in which fear comes to be associated with a previously neutral stimulus

Question 40

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 40

an anxiety disorder in which the affected individual experiences recurrent unwanted thoughts and engages in repetitive behaviors without reason or the ability to stop

Question 41

co-morbid

Answer 41

referring to the tendency of certain diseases or disorders to occur together in individuals

Question 42

Tourette's syndrome

Answer 42

heightened sensitivity to tactical, auditory, and visual stimuli, have behavioral tics such as a twitch or vocalization (compulsions); caused by overstimulation of dopamine receptors