Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders Flashcards
(44 cards)
mental disorder
significant disturbance in a person’s behavior, emotions, or cognition that causes distress or impairment in important areas of life
medical model
the idea that mental health issues are caused by physical problems in the brain, genetics, or other biological systems
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
a commonly reference book used to provide a standardized system to classify and diagnose mental disorders
comorbidity
when a patient has more than one mental disorder in addition to their primary diagnosis
biopsychosocial perspective
a model that considers the complex interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors in health and illness; biochemical alterations
Psychological factors, thoughts and emotions, and cultural factors
diathesis-stress model
suggests that everyone has some level of biological vulnerability for a mental disorder, and when faced with stressful life events, people with a diathesis are more likely to develop a disorder than those without
Research Domain Criteria Project (RDoC)
new framework for studying mental disorders that is based on biology rather than symptoms
anxiety disorder
a group of mental health conditions that cause people to experience excessive, persistent, and distressing fear and anxiety
phobic disorders
an anxiety disorder that involves an intense and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity;
specific phobia
an intense and irrational fear of a particular object or situation that poses little or no actual danger; spiders
social phobia
an intense and persistent fear of social situations where a person may be scrutinized by others; fears of being embarrassed or humiliated in public
preparedness theory
humans are biologically predisposed to learn to fear things that threatened the survival of our species in the past; phobias like fear of snakes/heights, are more common and easier to induce than other types of fears
panic disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated, unexpected episodes of intense fear and physical symptoms
agoraphobia
anxiety that occurs when one is in a public or crowded place from which a potential escape is difficult
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
a mental health disorder that involves excessive, persistent, and unrealistic worry about everyday things; money, relationships
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
disorder that involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts, or urges that are difficult to control (obsession) followed by repetitive behaviours in response to the obsessions (compulsion)
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
disorder developed after experiencing a traumatic event that threatens life or physical integrity and safety; combat
mood disorders
a disturbance that involves extreme mood fluctuations that negatively impact a person’s life
major depressive disorder (unipolar depression)
a mental health condition characterized by a persistent low mood and other symptoms that interfere with daily life
persistent depressive disorder
a mild to moderate chronic depression that involves a sad or dark mood most of the day, on most days, for two years or more
double depression
an informal term for a combination of persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and major depressive disorder (MDD)
seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
a type of depression that’s characterized by a seasonal pattern of depressive episodes
helplessness theory
It’s a mental state that occurs when someone repeatedly experiences a stressful situation and believes they can’t control or change it; internal, stable, global
bipolar disorder
a mental illness that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels; manic to MDD
