psychological disorders- exam 3 Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is a psychological disorder
A significant disruption in thinking, feeling, or behavior that causes distress or interferes with daily life.
What does DSM-5 stand for, and why is it important?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Edition) – it’s used to classify mental disorders based on observable symptoms for consistency and clinical usefulness.
For each disorder:
Lists prominent symptoms in concrete behavioral
terms.
Prevalence rates (how common).
Predisposing factors.
Usual age of onset.
Expected outcomes.
what was the purpose of the Rosenhan study?
To test whether mental health professionals could distinguish healthy individuals from those with mental illness.
what did Rosenhan’s study find?
8 healthy participants claimed to hear voices (“empty,” “hollow,” “thud”) to gain admission to psychiatric hospitals. All were admitted, mostly diagnosed with schizophrenia. Despite acting normally inside, staff interpreted their behavior as symptomatic. Highlights labeling bias in mental health diagnoses.
What is generalized anxiety disorder?
A condition marked by persistent, excessive worry for 6+ months with no specific feared object. Symptoms: fatigue, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating.
What are phobias?
Simple phobias: Fear of specific objects/events (e.g., spiders).
Social phobias: Fear of public scrutiny or embarrassment.
What is panic disorder?
Sudden, intense episodes of fear without cause, often with symptoms like heart palpitations, sweating, or dizziness.
What are common causes of phobias?
Freud: Displacement of deeper fears.
Classical Conditioning: Associating fear with specific stimuli.
Evolutionary Preparedness: Tendency to fear dangers like snakes.
What is PTSD?
A disorder characterized by intrusive memories, nightmares, hypervigilance, and social withdrawal after trauma.
What is OCD?
A disorder with obsessions (persistent thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors) aimed at reducing anxiety.
What are dissociative disorders?
Conditions involving disruptions in memory, identity, or consciousness.
Define dissociative amnesia and fugue state.
Amnesia: Loss of personal memory.
Fugue state: Loss of identity, with wandering or starting a new life.
What is a Fugue state?
A form of dissociative amnesia where a person forgets their identity and may even travel or start a new life without memory of their past.
What is DID?
A condition where a person develops two or more distinct identities, often linked to severe childhood trauma.
What is major depression?
A severe mood disorder with prolonged sadness, lack of interest, fatigue, and suicidal thoughts.
Depressive Explanatory Style (Beck) - What is the depressive explanatory style?
Beck found that depressed individuals often attribute negative events to:
Internal causes (“It’s my fault”).
Stable factors (“It will never change”).
Global effects (“This ruins everything”).
This style increases vulnerability to depression
What is the vicious cycle of depression?
Depressed mood → Social withdrawal → Reinforces negative beliefs → Deepens depression. Social rejection can worsen symptoms
What are dysthymia and seasonal affective disorder?
Dysthymia: Chronic, low-level depression lasting 2+ years.
SAD: Depression tied to seasonal light changes, typically in fall/winter.
What is bipolar disorder?
A disorder with alternating periods of mania (euphoria) and depression.
Bipolar I: Severe manic episodes.
Bipolar II: Milder hypomania.
Equally common in both sexes.
What is learned helplessness?
A belief in the inability to control outcomes, leading to apathy and depression (Seligman study on dogs)\
What are positive vs. negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
Positive: Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thoughts.
Negative: Flat affect, social withdrawal, lack of speech.
What are the types of schizophrenia?
Paranoid: Delusions of persecution/grandeur.
Catatonic: Alternating immobility and agitation.
Disorganized: Incoherence, inappropriate behavior.
What causes schizophrenia?
Genetics, dopamine dysregulation, brain abnormalities (e.g., enlarged ventricles), and stress.
Define borderline and antisocial personality disorders.
Borderline: Emotional instability, fear of abandonment, impulsive behaviors.
Antisocial: Chronic disregard for others’ rights, deceit, lack of empathy.
