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Psychology/Sociology - MCAT > Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

Psychological Disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

Parkinson’s Disease

A

caused by decreased amounts of dopamine reaching the substantia nigra that functions to inhibit involuntary movement
L-Dopa will increase dopamine concentrations

progressive neurodegenerative disease that involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia

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2
Q

What happens if your body has excess dopamine?

A

it can cause hallucinations or delusions

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3
Q

PTSD diagnosis

A

hyperarousal (exaggerated responses, insomnia)
intrusive symptoms (flashbacks, nightmares)
avoiding reminders of trauma
negative thoughts and/or moods

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4
Q

Schizophrenia negative symptoms

A

something that was once prominent and has now diminished

  • reduced speech
  • anhedonia: inability to experience pleasure
  • apathy: lack of motivation
  • flat affect: emotional flattening
  • social withdrawal
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5
Q

Schizophrenia positive symptoms

A

something that was not present before but has now showed up, not good

  • hallucinations (hearing voices)
  • delusions (false belief)
  • disorganized/incoherent speech
  • agitated behavior
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6
Q

Neuroleptics

A

typical treatment of Schizophrenia

helps positive effects, but can worsen negative effects

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7
Q

Atypical antipsychotics

A

treatment for Schizophrenia

improves negative effects

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8
Q

somatic symptom disorder

A

extreme concern regarding one or more physical symptoms

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9
Q

conversion disorder

A

neurological symptoms (blindness, paralysis) that cannot be explained by a medical condition

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10
Q

illness anxiety disorder

A

when you are preoccupied with having or acquiring a serious disease

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11
Q

factitious disorder

A

when you over exaggerate your symptoms without an obvious external gain

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12
Q

dissociative disorders

A

disruption in memory and identity

dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder
- amnesia can be generalized or localized

often feels disconnected from reality

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13
Q

generalized anxiety disorder

A

being overly concerned about a variety of topics

includes muscle tension difficulty concentrating or sleeping, feeling restless, fatigued, or irritable

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14
Q

Dopamine synthesis pathway

A

Tyrosine –> L-DOPA –> dopamine –> Norepinephrine –> Epinephrine

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15
Q

depressants

A

reduce nervous system activity
reduces inhibition and reasoning areas of the brain

ex: alcohol stimulates GABA (reduces anxiety) and stimulates dopamine which promotes euphoria

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16
Q

alcohol

A 
depressant
stimulates GABA (reduces anxiety) and stimulates dopamine which promotes euphoria

slows activity of frontal lobe, reducing judgement and lowering inhibitions

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17
Q

opiates

A

morphine and codeine

cause euphoria and decrease pain reaction

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18
Q

stimulants

A

cocaine and amphetamines
increase arousal through release and inhibition of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin

increase arousal, heart rate, blood pressure, and creates effects of anxiety, euphoria, and decreased appetite

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19
Q

hallucinations

A

LSD and ketamine

enhance sensory experiences

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20
Q

somatic disorder

A

bodily symptoms that can cause stress and impairment to the sufferer
usually lack identifiable physical cause

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21
Q

stress

A

threatening or demanding stimulus that disturbs equilibrium

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22
Q

daily hastle

A

common, everyday
minor, few people
ex: traffic jam

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23
Q

personal life event

A

major, few people
major life transition
ex: divorce

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24
Q

ambient event

A

environmental
minor, many people
ex: pollution

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25
catastrophe
large scale disaster major, many people ex: natural disaster
26
general adaptive syndrome
people originally have decreased resistance to stress (alarm stage) as the SNS prepares for fight or flight. Then they become resistant (resistance stage) where the body resists the stressor and tries to return to normal. Then the body will eventually become depleted (exhaustion stage) and will no longer be able to resist impact of stressors. This is when chronic diseases can develop
27
delusions
irrational beliefs that are maintained despite evidence of the contrary
28
biomedical approach
emphasize use of pharmacological therapy to correct imbalances looks at physiological disorders from the perspective of genetics, brain structure, and brain chemistry
29
biopsychosocial perspective
interactions between bio, psych, and social factors bio: genetic predisposition, hormones, NT, anatomy & physiology psych: personality characteristics (self efficacy, negative thought patterns, etc) and co-occurring mental illnesses social: social and cultural context in which an individual's lives plus SES, family dynamics, peer groups, and major life events affect outcome
30
monoamine hypothesis
biomedical approach to depression depletion of monamines (seratonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) in central nervous system directly cause depression symptoms
31
seratonin
monoamine | positive moods, feeling of satisfaction, and social dominance
32
norepinephrine
monoamine | alertness, attention, memory formation
33
dopamine
monoamine pleasure and reward drugs that secrete dopamine are more addictive because cause pleasure
34
symptoms of parkinson's disease
motor abnormalities - resting tremors, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, shuffling gait, lack of coordination and symptoms of depression
35
monoamine oxidase inhibitors
decrease breakdown of monoamines (serotonin specifically) by inhibiting the monoamine oxidase
36
monoamine oxidase
enzyme attached to mitochondria in axon terminals breaks down monoamines by oxidizing them so that they can be recycled and removed from synaptic cleft
37
serotonin reuptake inhibitors
block reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic terminal so that serotonin remains longer in the synaptic cleft (helps with depression)
38
Personality Disorders
inflexible and enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that differ markedly from social norms and cause functional impairment include paranoia, schizotypal, borderline, antisocial, schizoid, histronic, avoidant, narcissistic, obsessive compulsive, and dependent personality disorder
39
Mood Disorders
characterized by persistent disruptions in emotional state
40
anxiety disorders
characterized by excessive worry social dysfunction a result of excessive worry includes phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD
41
dissociative disorders
characterized by disruptions in memory and identity
42
Personality Disorders - odd/eccentric
paranoid schizophrenic schizotypical
43
Personality Disorders - dramatic/emotional/erratic
antisocial borderline narcissistic histronic
44
Histrionic personality disorder
excessive need to be noticed | often behave dramatically and inappropriately to get noticed
45
Personality Disorders - anxious/fearful
avoidant dependent obsessive-compulsive
46
What occurs due to chronic stress?
stress activates SNS and decreases PNS therefore will increase HR, increase epinephrine and cortisol level, and increase glucose release will also decrease blood flow to digestive and visceral organs this leads to fatigue, anxiety, increased cardiovascular disease, increased muscle tension, and decreased immune, reproductive, and digestive systems
47
barbiturates
positive allosteric modulator of GABA induce sleep or reduce anxiety side effects: reduced memory, judgement and concentration
48
benzodiazepines
PAM of GABA suppressant sleep aids or anti-anxiety open up GABA activated chloride channels in neurons used to prevent and treat seizures
49
amphetamines, meth, and cocaine
stimulants release dopamine to give you a feeling of euphoria but will deplete levels that made a large crash long term affects: may lose ability to maintain normal levels of dopamine
50
Reward pathway
when experience pleasure, brain releases NT dopamine which is produced in the VTA of the midbrain VTA sends dopamine to amygdala, NA, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus amygdala says that was enjoyable, hippocampus puts that to memory, nucleus accumbens says to take another bite of drug, and prefrontal cortex focuses attention to it
51
cannabinoids
marijuana | work on cannabinoid receptors
52
opioids
morphine, oxycodone, heroine work on opiate receptors, decrease uptake of dopamine which causes euphoria endogenous opiates are endorphins take away pain - analgesiacs methadone is less addictive, used to reduce cravings
53
MDMA
messes with seratonin and causes hallucinations
54
NDRIs
norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitors used for depression
55
dissociatives
causes user to dissociate and feel removed from or insensitive to their surroundings, even pain and temperature ex: PCP and Ketamine block NMDA receptors for release of glutamate
56
tolerance
when the body adapts to the substance and requires more and more to achieve an effect
57
withdrawal
has opposite effects as in intoxication decreases in CNS will lead to increased CNS and that will lead to tolerance and dependence
58
Alzheimer's disease
progressive neurodegenerative brain disease characterized by the presence of plaques composed of beta amyloid proteins and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau proteins these are toxic to the neurons and lead to cell death these build up over time so the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease increases with age includes forgetfulness, changes in mood and behavior, and difficulty speaking and swallowing
59
Multiple Sclerosis
neurodegenerative disease in which immune cells attack the myelin sheaths surrounding axons in the CNS
60
Huntington's Disease
autosomal dominant genetic neurodegenerative disease in which neuronal loss occurs in extensive regions of the brain including the basal ganglia. The neurons are genetically programmed to degenerate over time. includes memory loss and dementia as well as involuntary movements of the limbs
61
Dementia
chronic disorder of mental processes, particularly the ability to recall information can cause personality and cognitive abilities
62
Korsakoff's syndrome
chronic memory disorder that is caused by deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine) most commonly caused by heavy, constant alcohol abuse symptoms include memory loss, confusion, poor coordination, disrupted speech, and involuntary eye movements
63
symptoms of depression
``` feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness lack of interest or pleasure changes in appetite changes in sleep fatigue low self worth or guilt cognitive difficulties thoughts about death or suicidal ideation ```
64
Mania
symptom of bipolar disorder increased energy or agitation, rapid thoughts, feelings of grandiosity, reduced need for sleep, distractibility, impulsive or reckless behaviors
65
panic disorder
repeated, uncontrollable and unpredictable panic attacks (overwhelming surges of anxiety that peak within minutes)
66
specific phobia
excessive, irrational fear of a specific situation (ex: heights) or animal/object (spiders)
67
social anxiety disorder/social phobia
intense fear of scrutiny or rejection in social situations (ex: scared of public speaking or asking someone on a date)
68
Obsessive compulsive disorder
a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by obsessive, recurring thoughts, often accompanied by routines or rituals
69
Somatic symptom and related disorders
characterized by physical symptoms that are accompanied by negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that cannot otherwise be explained by substance use or any other psychological disorder includes hypochondriasis, pain disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, somatization disorder, and conversion disorder
70
Bipolar disorder
type of mood disorder, characterized by extreme mood swings, from depressive episodes (low energy, sadness, low motivation) to manic episodes (elevated mood, irritability, excessive amounts of energy)
71
Depressive disorder
type of mood disorder, characterized by feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and sadness
72
Schizophrenia
type of psychotic disorder, characterized by loss of touch with reality, including audio and visual hallucinations, psychosis, and delusions
73
Dopamine hypothesis of Schizophrenia
the condition stems from irregular, hyperactive dopaminergic signal transduction too much dopamine causes hallucinations and affects the D2 receptors there is a genetic predisposition
74
Depression hypothesis
people with depression exhibit abnormal levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin high levels of cortisol are also present genetic predisposition
75
Alzheimer's disease hypothesis
formation of plaques around brain cells cause them to die accompanied by formation of beta tangles, long strands of proteins that prevent brain cells from receiving proper nutrients genetic predisposition
76
Stem cell based therapy
used to regenerate neurons in the CNS brain cells - oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and neurons can be regenerated from neural stem cells this can repair damage caused by degenerative diseases (parkinsons, lou gehrigs disease)
77
manic episode symptoms
DIG FAST distractible insomnia grandiosity flight of ideas (racing thoughts) agitation speech (pressured) thoughtlessness (risky behavior)
78
hypomania
type of bipolar disorder typically does not significantly impair functioning, nor re there psychotic features although the individual may be more energetic and optimistic
79
cyclothymic disorder
type of bipolar disorder consists of combination of hypomanic episodes and periods of depression that are not severe enough to qualify as major depressive episodes

Psychology/Sociology - MCAT (12 decks)

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