Psychological Disorders Flashcards
(96 cards)
1
Q
Psychological Disorders
A
•Refers to a condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
2
Q
Psychopathology
A
•The study of psychological disorders, including their symptoms, etiology (i.e., their causes), and treatment
3
Q
Atypical
A
•Describes behaviors or feelings that deviate from the norm
4
Q
Jerome Wakefield
A
•Suggests that mental disorders are most aptly conceived as “harmful dysfunctions” involving two distinct and separable components:
- occurs when an internal mechanism breaks down and can no longer perform its normal function
- must be harmful in that it leads to negative consequences for the individual or for others, as judged by the standards of the individual’s culture
5
Q
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Definition of Psychological Disorder
A
- There significant disturbances in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
- The disturbances reflect some kind of biological, psychological, or developmental dysfunction
- The disturbances lead to significant distress or disability in one’s life
- The disturbances do not reflect expected or culturally approved responses to certain events
6
Q
Diagnosis
A
•Appropriately identifying and labeling a set of defined symptoms
7
Q
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
A
•The taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiatric Association
8
Q
Comorbidity
A
•Refers to the co-occurrence of two disorders in the same individual
9
Q
International Classification of Diseases (ICD)
A
- Developed in Europe
- Used for clinical purposes; examine the general health of populations and to monitor the prevalence of diseases and other health problems internationally
10
Q
Supernatural Perspectives of Psychological Disorders
A
- For centuries, psychological disorders were viewed from a supernatural perspective – attributed to a force beyond scientific understanding
- Those afflicted were thought to be practitioners of black magic or possessed by spirits
11
Q
Biological Perspectives of Psychological Disorders
A
- Biological perspective views psychological disorders as linked to biological phenomena, such as genetic factors, chemical imbalances, and brain abnormalities
- Evidence from many sources indicated that most psychological disorders have a genetic component; in fact, there is little dispute that some disorders are largely due to genetic factors
12
Q
Diathesis-stress Model
A
- Integrates biological and psychological factors to predict the likelihood of a disorder
- Suggests that people with an underlying predisposition for a disorder are more likely than others to develop a disorder when faced with adverse environmental or psychological events
13
Q
Anxiety Disorders
A
•Characterized by excessive and persistent fear and anxiety, and by related disturbances in behavior
14
Q
Specific Phobia
A
•Individuals experience excessive , and persistent fear or anxiety about a specific object or situations
15
Q
Acrophobia
A
•Fear of heights
16
Q
Aerophobia
A
•Fear of flying
17
Q
Arachnophobia
A
•Fear of spiders
18
Q
Claustrophobia
A
•Fear of enclosed spaces
19
Q
Hematophobia
A
•Fear of blood
20
Q
Ophidiophobia
A
•Fear of snakes
21
Q
Taphophobia
A
•Fear of being buried alive
22
Q
Trypanophobia
A
•Fear of injections
23
Q
Xenophobia
A
•Fear of strangers
24
Q
Agoraphobia
A
- Listed in the DSM-5 as a separate anxiety disorder
- Characterized by intense fear, anxiety, and avoidance of situations in which might be difficult to escape or receive help
25
Rachman's First Learning Pathways of Phobias
* Classical conditioning
* A form of learning in which a previously neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that reflectively elicits an unconditioned response (UCR), eliciting the same response through its association with the unconditioned stimulus. The response is called conditioned response (CR)
26
Rachman's Second Learning Pathways of Phobias
•Vicarious learning, such as modelling
27
Rachman's Third Learning Pathways of Phobias
•Verbal transmission or information
28
Social Anxiety Disorder
•Characterized by extreme and persistent fear or anxiety and avoidance of social situations in which the person could potentially be evaluated negatively by others
29
Safety Behaviors
•Mental or behavioral acts that reduce anxiety in social situations by reducing the chance of negative social outcomes
30
What does safety behaviors include?
* Avoiding eye contact
* Rehearsing sentences before speaking
* Talking only briefly
* Not talking about oneself
31
Behavioral Inhibition
•A personality type that shows a tendency toward distress and nervousness in new situations
32
Panic Disorder
•Refers to sudden and repeated panic attacks – episodes of intense fear and discomfort that reach a peak within a few minutes
33
Panic Attack
•Defined as a period of extreme fear or discomfort that develops abruptly and reaches a peak within 10 minutes
34
Symptoms of Panic Attack
* Accelerated heart rate
* Sweating
* Trembling
* Choking sensations
* Hot flashes or chills
* Dizziness
* Fear of losing control
35
Locus Coeruleus
* Located in the brainstem
| * The brain's major source of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that triggers the body's fight-or-flight response
36
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
•A relatively continuous state of excessive, uncontrollable, and pointless worry and apprehension
37
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
•Individual experience thoughts and urges that are intrusive and unwanted (obsessions) and/or the need to engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions)
38
Compulsions
•Repetitive and ritualistic acts that are typically carried out primarily as a means to minimize the distress that obsessions trigger or to reduce the likelihood of a feared event
39
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
* An individual being preoccupied with a perceived flaw in her physical appearance that is either nonexistent or barely noticeable to other people
* Engage in repetitive and ritualistic behavioral and mental acts
40
Hoarding Disorder
•Individuals cannot part with personal possessions, regardless of how valueless or useless these possessions are
41
Orbitofrontal Cortex
* An area of the frontal lobe involved in learning and decision-making
* Series of brain regions that, collectively, is called the OCD circuit; this circuit consists of several interconnected regions that influence the perceived emotional value of stimuli and the selection of both behavioral and cognitive responses
42
How does Orbitofrontal Cortex function in individuals with OCD?
* Orbitofrontal cortex becomes especially hyperactive when they are provoked with tasks
* Other regions of the OCD circuit show heightened activity during symptom provocation which suggests that abnormalities in these regions
43
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
•Triggered by a terrifying event – either experiencing it or witnessing it
44
Symptoms of PTSD
* Intrusive and distressing memories of the event
* Flashback (lasts from a few seconds to several days)
* Avoidance of stimuli connected to the event
* Persistently negative emotional states
* Feelings of detachment from others
* Irritability
* Proneness towards outbursts
* Exaggerated startle responses
*must occur for at least one month
45
Risk Factors for PTSD
* Trauma experience – involve harm by others carry greater risk than other traumas
* Lack of immediate social support
Risk factors that increase risk of PTSD
•Low socioeconomic status
* Low intelligence
* Personal history of mental disorders
* History of child adversity
* Personality characteristics (neuroticism and somatization)
46
Support for Sufferers of PTSD
•Social support – comfort, advice, and assistance
47
Mood Disorders
•Characterized by severe disturbances in mood and emotions – most often depression, but also mania and elation
48
Depressive Disorders
•A group of disorders in which depression is the main feature
49
Bipolar and Related Disorders
•Group of disorders in which mania is the defining feature
50
Mania
* Refers to a state of extreme elation and agitation
* When people experience mania, they may become extremely talkative, behave recklessly, or attempt to take on many tasks simultaneously
51
Major Depressive Disorder
* Depressed mood most of the day, nearly everyday
* Loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities
* Feeling overwhelmingly sad most of each day
52
Results of Major Depressive Disorder
* Individuals live a profoundly miserable existence that often results in unavailability for work or education
* Abandonment of promising careers
* Requires hospitalization
53
Risk Factors for Major Depressive Disorder
* Unemployment (including homemakers)
* Earning less than $20,000 per year
* Living in urban areas
* Being separated, divorced, or widowed
* Comorbid disorders
54
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
•Applies to situation in which a person experiences the symptoms of major depressive disorder only during a particular time of year
55
Peripartum Onset (postpartum depression)
•Applies to women who experience major depression during pregnancy or in the four weeks following the birth of their child
56
Symptoms of Peripartum Onset
* Feeling anxious
* Agitated
* Guilty
* May not want to hold or care for their newborn, even in cases in which the pregnancy was desired and intended
57
Persistent Depressive Disorder
* Individuals experience depressed moods most of the day nearly everyday for at least two years as well as two of the other symptoms of major depressive disorder
* Do not meet all the criteria for major depression however episodes of full-blown major depressive disorder can occur
58
Bipolar Disorder
•Individuals often experiences mood states that vacillate between depression and mania – person's mood is said to alternate from one emotional extreme to the other
59
Manic Episode
•Characterized as a "distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood; abnormally and persistently increased activity or energy lasting at least one week" that lasts most of the time each day
60
What happens during a Manic Episode?
* Individuals may talk loudly and rapidly
* Experience a mood that is almost euphoric and become excessively talkative
* Excessively irritable and complain or make hostile comments
* May talk loudly or rapidly
* Exhibits flight of ideas, abruptly switching from one topic to another
* Easily distracted
* Exhibit grandiosity, in which they experience inflated but unjustified self-esteem and self-confidence
61
Depressive Schemas
* Contain themes of loss, failure, rejection, worthlessness, and inadequacy
* May develop early in childhood in response to adverse experiences, then remain dormant until they are activated by stressful or negative life events
* Depressive schemas prompt dysfunctional and pessimistic thoughts about the self, the world, and the future
62
Hopelessness Theory
•Postulates that a particular style of negative thinking leads to a sense of hopelessness, which then leads to depression
63
Rumination
•Refers to the repetitive and passive focus on the fact that one is depressed and dwelling on depressed symptoms, rather that distracting one's self from the symptoms or attempting to address them in an active, problem-solving manner
64
Suicide
•Defined by the CDC as "death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as the result of the behavior"
65
Risk Factor for Suicide
* Substance abuse issues
* Alcohol dependence
* A sense of entrapment or feeling unable to escape one's miserable feelings or external circumstances
66
Schizophrenia
•A devastating psychological disorder that is characterized by major disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and behavior
67
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
* Hallucination – a perceptual experience that occurs in the absence of external stimulation
* Delusions –beliefs that are contrary to reality and are firmly held even in the face of contradictory evidence
* Paranoid delusions – involve the (false) belief that other people or agencies are plotting to harm the person
* Grandiose delusions – beliefs that one holds special power, unique knowledge, or is extremely important
* Somatic Delusions – beliefs that something highly abnormal is happening to one's body
* Disorganized thinking – refers to disjointed and incoherent thought processes
* Disorganized or abnormal motor behavior – refers to unusual behaviors and movements: becoming unusually active, exhibiting silly child-like behaviors
* Catatonic behaviors – show decreased reactivity
* Negative symptoms – those that reflect noticeable decreases and absences in certain behaviors, emotions, or drives
68
Causes of Schizophrenia
* Genes
* Neurotransmitters – the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia proposed that an overabundance of dopamine or too many dopamine receptors are responsible for the onset and maintenance of schizophrenia
* Brain anatomy – Brain imaging studies reveal that people with schizophrenia have enlarged ventricles, the cavities withing the brain that contain cerebral spinal fluid
* Events during pregnancy
* Marijuana
69
Schizophrenia: Early warning signs
•Minor symptoms of psychosis such as unusual thought content, paranoia, odd communication, delusions, and decline in social functioning
70
Dissociative Disorders
* Characterized by an individual becoming split off, or dissociated, from her core sense of self
* Memory and identity become disturbed; these disturbances have a psychological rather than physical cause
71
Dissociative Amnesia
•Inability to recall important personal information, usually following an extremely stressful or traumatic experience
72
Dissociative Fugue
* Individuals suddenly wander away from their home, experience confusion about their identity, and sometimes even adopt a new identity
* Most fugue episodes last only a few hours or days, but some can last longer
73
Depersonalization Disorder
* Defined as feelings of "unreality or detachment from, or unfamiliarity with, one's whole self or from aspects of the self"
* Individuals might believe their thoughts and feelings are not their own; they may feel robotic as though they lack control over their movements and speech; may experience a distorted sense of time and, in extreme cases, they may sense "out-of-body" experience in which they see themselves from the vantage point of another person
74
Derealization Disorder
* Conceptualized as a sense of "unreality or detachment from, or unfamiliarity with the world, be it individuals, inanimate objects, or all surroundings"
* Individuals might feel as though he is in a fog or a dream, or that the surroundings world is somehow artificial and unreal
75
Dissociative Identity Disorder
* Individuals exhibit two or more separate personalities or identities, each well-defined and distinct from one another
* Experience memory gaps for the time during which another identity is in charge
76
Personality Disorders
•Individuals exhibit a personality style that differs markedly from the expectations of their culture, is pervasive and inflexible, begins in adolescence or early adulthood, and causes distress or impairment
77
Cluster A Disorders
* Paranoid personality
* Schizoid personality disorder
* Schizotypal personality
*Individuals with these disorders display a personality style that is odd or eccentric
78
Paranoid Personality Disorder
* Harbors a pervasive and unjustifiable suspiciousness and mistrust of others
* Reluctant to confide in or become close to others
* Reads hidden demeaning or threatening meaning into benign remarks or events
* Takes offense easily and bears grudges; not due to schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders
79
Schizoid Personality Disorder
* Lacks interest and desire to form relationships with others
* Aloof and shows emotional coldness and detachment
* Indifferent to approval or criticism of others
* Lacks close friends or confidants
* Not due to schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, not an autism spectrum disorder
80
Cluster B Disorders
* Antisocial personality disorder
* Histrionic personality disorder
* Narcissistic personality disorder
* Borderline personality disorder
*Individuals with these disorders are usually impulsive, overly dramatic, highly emotional and erratic
81
Antisocial Personality Disorder
* Continuously violates the rights of others
* History of antisocial tendencies prior to age 15
* Often lies, fights, and has problems with the law
* Impulsive and fails to think ahead
* Can be deceitful and manipulative in order to gain profit or pleasure
* Irresponsible and often fails to hold down a job or pay financial debts
* Lacks feelings for others and remorse over misdeeds
82
Histrionic Personality Disorder
* Excessively over-dramatic, emotional and theatrical
* Feels uncomfortable when not in the center of others' attention
* Behaviors is often inappropriately seductive or provocative
* Speech is highly emotional but often vague and diffuse
* Emotions are shallow and often shift rapidly
* May alienate friends with demands for constant attention
83
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
* Overinflated and unjustified sense of self-importance and preoccupied with fantasies of success
* Believes he is entitled to special treatment from others
* Shows arrogant attitudes and behaviors
* Takes advantage of others
* Lacks empathy
84
Borderline Personality Disorder
* Characterized chiefly by instability in interpersonal relationships
* Unstable in self-image, mood, and behavior
* Unable to tolerate being alone and experiences chronic feelings of emptiness
* Unstable and intense relationships with others
* Behavior is impulsive, unpredictable, and sometimes self-damaging
* Shows inappropriate and intense anger
* Makes suicidal gestures
85
Cluster C Disorders
* Avoidant personality disorder
* Dependent personality disorder
* Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (not the same as OCD)
*Individuals with these disorders often appear to be nervous and fearful
86
Avoidant Personality Disorder
* Socially inhibited and oversensitive to negative evaluation
* Avoids occupations that involve interpersonal contact because of fears of criticism or rejection
* Avoids relationships with others unless guaranteed to be accepted unconditionally
* Feels inadequate and views self as socially inept and unappealing
* Unwilling to take risks or engage in new activities if they may prove embarrassing
87
Dependent Personality Disorder
* Allows others to take over and run her life
* Submissive, clingy, and fears separation
* Unable to make decisions without advice and reassurances from others
* Lacks self-confidence and unable to do things on her own
* Feel uncomfortable or helpless when alone
88
Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder
* Pervasive need for perfectionism that interferes with the ability to complete tasks
* Preoccupied with details, rules, order, and schedules
* Excessively devoted to work at the expense of leisure and friendships
* Rigid, inflexible, and stubborn
* Insists things to be done his way
* Miserly with money
89
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
•Involve developmental problems in personal, social, academic, and intellectual functioning
90
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
•Child shows constant pattern of inattention and/or hyperactive and impulsive behavior that interferes with normal functioning
91
Signs of inattention
* Great difficulty with and avoidance of tasks that require sustained attention
* Failure to follow instructions (often resulting in failure to complete school work and other duties)
* Disorganization (difficulty keeping things in order, poor time management, sloppy and messy work)
* Lack of attention to detail
* Becoming easily distracted
* Forgetfulness
92
Signs of hyperactivity
* Characterized by excessive movement, and includes fidgeting or squirming
* Blurting out responses before another person's question or statement has been completed
* Interrupting and intruding on others
93
Life problems from ADHD
* Had worse educational attainment
* Had lower socioeconomic status
* Held less prestigious occupational positions
* More likely to be unemployed
* Scored worse on a measure of occupational functioning
* Scored worse on a measure of social functioning
* More likely to have non-alcohol-related substance abuse problems
94
Facotrs of ADHD
* Less dopamine activity in key regions of the brain, especially those associated with motivation and reward
* Brain imaging studies have shown that children with ADHD exhibit abnormalities in their frontal lobes
* Appear to have smaller frontal lobe volume and they show less frontal lobe activation when performing mental tasks
95
Autism Spectrum Disorder
* Deficits in social interaction
* Deficits in communication
* Repetitive patterns of behavior or interests
96
Asperger's Disorder
* Generally recognized as a less severe form of autistic disorder
* Described as having average or high intelligence and a strong vocabulary, but exhibiting impairments in social interaction and social communication
