Unit 12 - Psychological Disorders and Treatment Flashcards
(41 cards)
1
Q
point prevalence vs lifetime prevalence
A
point: percentage of people in a given population who have a given psychological disorder at a particular point in time
lifetime: percentage of people in a certain population who will have a given psychological disorder at any point in their lives
2
Q
psychological disorder
A
“clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities. An expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss, such as the death of a loved one, is not a psychological disorder. Socially deviant behavior (e.g., political, religious, or sexual) and conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are not psychological disorders unless the deviance or conflict results from a dysfunction in the individual, as described above.”
3
Q
ADHD
A
- disorder that involves impulsivity, hyperactivity (e.g., fidgeting, inability to sit still), and difficulty shifting attentional focus
- Is there too much emphasis on individual interventions instead of structural societal changes?§More opportunities for play, accommodation for range of temperaments & behaviours
- Why does it matter?
- Labels carry stigma, can contribute to social exclusion, stereotyping, discrimination, shift in self-concept & potential for self-fulfilling prophecies
- Once a label is applied, all subsequent behaviour is interpreted through that lens
- Pharmacological treatments may pose risk of side-effects
- ADHD treated with stimulant methylphenidate, which can be addictive and pose long-term side effects
4
Q
clinical assessment
A
- procedure for gathering the information to evaluate an individual’s psychological functioning and to determine whether a clinical diagnosis is warranted
- clinical interview: interview in which a clinician asks the patient to describe his or her problems and concerns
- Self-report measures: standardized clinical assessment consisting of fixed set of questions that a patient answers
- projective tests: A form of clinical assessment in which a person responds to unstructured or ambiguous stimuli; it is thought that responses reveal unconscious wishes and conflicts
5
Q
diathesis-stress model
A
- A model of clinical disorders suggesting that certain factors provide a susceptibility for a disorder that will manifest as symptoms only in certain circumstances (under certain levels of stress)
- Diatheses and stressors vary in their origin and form
6
Q
comorbidity
A
- occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual at a given point in time
7
Q
concordance rate
A
- probability that a person with a particular familial relationship to a patient has the same disorder as patient
- Concordance rate 5X higher for identical twins (100% shared DNA) than for fraternal twins or ordinary siblings (50% shared DNA
8
Q
specific phobia
A
- a pronounced fear of or anxiety about a particular object or situation (e.g., spiders, snakes, heights, blood, flying)
- classical conditioning: traumatic situation where they acquired the fear
- observational learning: may develop phobias through observation and imitation, and preparedness
9
Q
social anxiety disorder
A
- an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme fear of being watched, evaluated, and judged by others
10
Q
panic disorder
A
- anxiety disorder characterized by repeated panic attacks & debilitating fear of future attacks
11
Q
agoraphobia and panic disorder
A
- fear of being in situations in which help might not be available or escape might be difficult or embarrassing
- E.g., fear of being outside of home or other designated “safe” places, using public transportation, standing in line or in a crowd
- Common outcome of panic disorder
12
Q
generalized anxiety disorder
A
- anxiety disorder characterized by continuous, pervasive, and difficult-to-control anxiety that is not correlated with particular objects or situations
- Decreased inhibition of amygdala reactivity by prefrontal cortex (Bishop, 2009)
- Hypervigilance for threat observed in many individuals who experienced unpredictable, traumatic experiences in early life
- Other research shows that hypervigilance for threat predates onset of GAD
- Cognitive perspective: worrying as a coping strategy for anxiety
13
Q
obsessive compulsive disorder, obsession, compulsion
A
- ocd: an anxiety disorder that manifests itself through obsessions and compulsion
- obsession: a recurrent unwanted or disturbing though
- compulsion: a ritualistic action performed to control an obsession
14
Q
post-traumatic stress disorder ptsd
A
- psychological disorder triggered by an event that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence
- Potential predisposing factors:§Smaller hippocampal volume
- Cause or effect (or both)?
- Variation in emotion regulation ability
- Lack of social support
15
Q
major depressive disorder
A
- mood disorder characterized by prolonged feelings of sadness, worthlessness, emptiness, and anhedonia
Cognitive factors:
- Rumination= continuously focusing on emotional pain without active problem-solving
- Explanatory style= cognitive style that determines how individuals explain adverse events
- Internal:blaming oneself (“it’s my fault”)
- Global: generalizing problem to all aspects of life (“everything is ruined”)
- Stable: believing problem is unchangeable (“it will always be like this”)
- Social & environmental factors:
- Stressful experiences interact with individual predisposition factors (diathesis-stress model)
- Biological factors:
- Serotonin long-considered key player in mood regulation, but precise role is debated
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) effective for treating depression(effective for anxiety as well)
- BUT: delayed effects—what is the mechanism?
- Cortisol-induced inhibition of growth processes, brain shrinkage
- Reward deficit—dopamine, opioids
-Some antidepressants target dopamine neurotransmission
- Heighted inflammation
16
Q
anhedonia
A
- diminished interest or pleasure in nearly all of the activities that usually provide pleasure
17
Q
bipolar disorder
A
- mood-related disorder characterized by both manic (excited and energetic) episodes and depressive episodes
18
Q
schizophrenia
A
- psychological disorder characterized by a loss of contact with reality and pronounced disturbance in thinking, perceptions, emotion, and action
- Enlarged ventricles due to reduced brain volume
- Reduced volume especially in frontal and temporal lobes
- Loss of gray matter in prefrontal regions that support working memory
- Some brain differences may precede schizophrenia, serving as a diathesis
- genetics: Concordance rates are three times higher for monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins
- Determining which genes are involved has been difficult and nonconclusive
19
Q
positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia
A
- positive: behaviours that are not present in healthy people
- negative: absence of behaviors usually seen in healthy people
20
Q
hallucinations vs delusions
A
- hull: sensory experiences, such as sights and sounds, that happen in the absence of any true sensory input
- delulu: false, unrealistic beliefs that are rigidly maintained despite overwhelming contradictory evidence
21
Q
dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia
A
- schizophrenia arises from an abnormally high level of activity in brain circuits that are sensitive to the neurotransmitter dopamine
- Supporting evidence:
- Amphetamines (which promote dopamine neurotransmission) may provoke schizophrenic symptoms
- Typical antipsychotics(which block dopamine neurotransmission) alleviate positive symptoms(but not negative symptoms)
- More recent research has shown that general dopamine excess is not the sole cause of schizophrenia, but that dopamine imbalance is involved
- Other neurotransmitters play role—e.g., newer antipsychotic medications target serotonin as well
22
Q
personality disorders
A
- Personality disorders are a class of mental health conditions characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior, cognition, and inner experience, exhibited across many contexts and deviating from those accepted by the culture
23
Q
antisocial personality disorder
A
- Individuals with this personality disorder:
- Violate or disregard the rights of others, show lack of empathy and remorse
- Lie or manipulate
- Are often impulsive and reckless
Diagnosed in adults, but symptoms must be present since earlier in life (must show longstanding pattern of disregard for others)
24
Q
dissociative identity disorder
A
- psychological disorder characterized by presence of multiple distinct personality states within the same person
25
psychoanalytic elements of free association, resistance, interpretation, and transference
- psychoanalysis: method of therapy, developed by Sigmund Freud, for uncovering unconscious conflicts, often rooted in childhood, that contribute to clinical symptoms
- free association: saying whatever comes to mind
- resistance: avoiding certain ideas
- interpretation: explaining how certain thoughts and feelings arise
- interpretation: explaining how certain thoughts and feelings arise
- analysis of transference: clients' tendencies to respond to the analyst in ways that recreate their responses to the major figures in their life
26
modern psychodynamic therapy vs Freud
Scope:
- Psychoanalysis: strong emphasis on the unconscious mind, focusing on deep-rooted repressed conflicts, often rooted in childhood
- Psychodynamic approach: Considers the unconscious important but gives more weight to conscious thoughts and emotions; emphasizes current relationships, self-concept, and coping with present challenges
- Approach:
- Psychoanalysis: intensive, long-term
- Psychodynamic approach: less intensive, more time limited
27
humanistic approach to therapy
- Emphasis on people’s inherent potential for self-fulfillment & personal growth
- Regarded psychoanalysis and psychodynamic approaches as too concerned with basic urges, tension reduction, and the past oInstead, focused on the search for meaning, self-actualization in the here-and-now
- Client-centered therapy= the therapist’s genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding are crucial to therapeutic success
- Seeks to help clients bridge the gap between their self-concept and ideal self by accepting themselves as they are
28
classical and operant conditioning - behavioral therapists
Classical conditioning involves forming associations between stimuli to influence behavior. Therapists often work to break maladaptive associations or form positive ones.
Operant conditioning involves using consequences (rewards or punishments) to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior.
29
exposure therapy
Behavioural techniques designed to remove the anxiety connected to a feared stimulus through repeated exposure
30
systematic desensitization
Progressive exposure to feared stimulus combined with periods relaxation
31
token economies
- A behavioral therapy technique based on operant conditioning in which patients’ positive behaviors are reinforced with tokens that they can exchange for desirable items
- Reinforcement can be gradually adjusted (shaping)
32
modeling
Behaviouraltherapy technique based on observational learning,in which patients learn new skills or change their behavior by watching and imitating another person (e.g., the therapist)
33
cognitive therapy
- all or nothing thinking
- overgeneralization
- disqualifying the positive
- emotional reasoning
34
negative cognitive triad
depressed people have negative beliefs about
- themselves (I am unlovable),
- the world (It’s a cruel world out there), and
- the future (Things are only going to get worse)
- viewing oneself as inadequate, unworthy, or incapable
- Viewing the world as hostile, unfair, or overwhelming
- Believing the future is bleak and that things won’t improve
35
cognitive restructuring
- Therapist confronts clients with their maladaptive beliefs and offers more constructive ways of thinking
36
cognitive-behavioural therapy CBT
Hybrid form of therapy focused on changing both maladaptive thoughts & behaviours
- Present-focused
- Concerned with identifying and solving problems that clients wish to address
- Sessions are highly structured, with assigned homework.
- Goals are transparent, set collaboratively, progress is openly discuss
37
third-wave therapies - acceptance and commitment therapy
- Do not attempt to directly modify thoughts or behaviours themselves, but rather modify the hold thoughts have on us
- E.g.,Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Aims to help clients to achieve greater awareness and acceptance of thoughts and feelings
- Emphasizes that they can commit to pursuing valued goals despite unwanted thoughts and feelings
38
limitations to evaluating the effectiveness of therapies
- Potential differences in people who responded to the survey and those who did not
- People may feel the need to justify spending their time and money on therapy by reporting benefits (what does this remind you of?)
39
regression to the mean
- Extreme scores tend to move closer to the mean over time
- Complicates interpretation of changes in clients’ symptoms
40
common factors thought to underlie therapy effectiveness
- The apparently comparable effects of different forms of therapy may be explained by the common factors they share:
- Establishing a strong relationship with the patient (therapeutic alliance)
- Offering new ways of thinking
- Instilling hope
41
therapeutic alliance
- the bond (rapport) between client and therapist, characterized by emotional connection, trust, collaborative approach
- May be the most important ingredient in effective psychotherapy, even when medication is the primary treatment
