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PSYCH 102 > 14 - Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

14 - Psychological Disorders Flashcards

1
Q

Psychopathology

A
  • the scientific study of mental disorders
  • sickness or disorder of the mind
  • psychological disorder
  • reflects dysfunction of the body, particularly of the brain
  • environment and biology interact to produce psychological disorders
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2
Q

Etiology

A
  • factors that contribute to the development of a disorder
  • how psychologists understand disorders
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3
Q

society

What are the 4 considerations of abnormal behaviour?

(4)

A
  1. do they act in a way that deviates from cultural norms?
  2. is their behaviour maladaptive? does it interfere with a person’s ability to respond appropriately in some situations?
  3. is their behaviour self-destructive, does it cause them distress, or threaten others?
  4. does the behaviour cause discomfort and concern to others? (impairing social relationships)
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4
Q

What are the main purposes of the DSM-5?

A
  • description of disorders based on similarity of symptoms
  • provide a shared language and classification
  • allow care providers to bill health insurance companies (many times they need a DSM diagnosis first)
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5
Q

What are some problems with the DSM-5?

A
  • categorical approach = someone either has a psychological disorder or they don’t (doesn’t take different levels of severity into account)
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6
Q

dimensional approach

A
  • considers psychological disorders on a continuum
  • people vary in degree
  • a spectrum
  • domains of functioning instead of observable symptoms (ex. cognitive systems, social processes, arousal and regulatory systems, etc.)
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7
Q

Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)

A
  • a method that defines basic domains of functioning (such as attention, social communication, anxiety) and considers them across multiple levels of analysis, from genes to brain systems to behaviour
  • guide research rather than classify disorders for treatment
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8
Q

Comorbidity

A
  • people don’t often fit neatly into a category
  • psychological disorders commonly overlap (ex. persisitent depressive disorder usually has a strong overlab with substance abuse and vice versa)
  • which do you treat?
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9
Q

Assessment

What is the primary goal?

A
  • in psychology, examination of a person’s cognitive, behavioural, or emotional functioning to diagnose possible psychological disorders
  • make a diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can be provided
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10
Q

Evidence-based assessment

A
  • assessment based on research into evaluation of psychopathology, selection of tests, and neuropsychological methods
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11
Q

Diathesis-stress model

A
  • a way of thinking about the interaction between environment and person in the onset of psychopathology
  • diagnostic model proposing that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event
  • diathesis: underlying vulnerability
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12
Q

Family systems model

A
  • a diagnostic model that considers problems within an individual as indicating problems within the family
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13
Q

Sociocultural model

A
  • a diagnostic model that views psychopathology as the result of the interaction between individuals and their cultures
  • ex. (dramatic) one person has schizophrenia the other is a quaker
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14
Q

Cognitive-behavioural approach

A
  • a diagnostic model that views psychopathology as the result of learned, maladaptive thoughts and beliefs
  • many types of abnormal behaviour are learned
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15
Q

2 major types of psychopathology

Internalizing disorders

A
  • characterized by negative emotions
  • divided into broad categories that reflect emotions of distress and fear
  • more common in women
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16
Q

2 major types of psychopathology

Externalizing disorders

A
  • characterized by impulsive behaviour
  • more common in men
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17
Q

Anxiety disorders

A
  • psychological disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety in the absence of true danger
  • continually arousing the autonomic nervous system
  • involve fear or nervousness that is excessive, irrational, and maladaptive
  • part of fight or flight response
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18
Q

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

A
  • state of constant anxiety not associated with any specific object or event
  • ex. Reginald is feeling very worried and has been for months, but he can’t figure out why. It seems like he’s anxious about everything
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19
Q

Social anxiety disorder

A
  • fear of being negatively evaluated by others
  • the more social fears someone has, the more likely they are to develop other disorders (ex. substance abuse, depression, etc.)
  • comorbid with many other things
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20
Q

Agoraphobia

A
  • intense fear of having a panic attack in public
  • try to avoid certain situations
  • fear they won’t have a way to get out/escape
  • causes panic attacks
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21
Q

Panic disorder

A
  • sudden attacks of overwhelming terror
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22
Q

Phobia

A
  • fear of a specific object or situation
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23
Q

Panic attacks (3 reactions)

A
  • emotional reaction: intense fear, apprehension, and terror
  • physical reaction: racing heart, trembling, dizziness
  • cognitive reaction: think they’re having a heart attack, going crazy, losing control
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24
Q

What are some factors that the behavioural manifestations of anxiety disorders share?

A
  1. biased thinking - anxious individuals tend to perceive neutral situations as threatening and they focus on that
  2. learning - developing fears from observing others that have those fears
  3. biological basis
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25
Q

Q: How does the cause of anxiety differ in specific phobias and in GAD?

A
  • specific phobias have a specific object or event that causes fear
  • GAD is worry with no specific threat
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26
Q

What is a common feature of all depressive disorders?

A
  • presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood
  • bodily symptoms
  • cognitive problems that interfere with everyday life
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27
Q

Major depressive disorder

critera of diagnosis

A
  • a disorder characterized by severe negative moods or lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities
  • to be diagnosed they have to experience a major depressive episode for at least two weeks along with other symptoms (appetite, sleep, etc.)
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28
Q

Persistent depressive disorder

A
  • a form of depression that is not severe enough to be diagnosed as major depressive disorder but lasts longer (can last 2-20 years)
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29
Q

Aaron Beck

Cognitive Triad

causes of depression

A
  • people suffering from depression perceive themselves, situaions, and the future negatively
  • they influence one another and contribute to the disorder
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30
Q

Learned helplessness

A
  • a cognitive model of depression in which people feel unable to control events in their lives
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31
Q

Manic episodes

A
  • last at least one week
  • abnormally and persistently elevated mood
  • increased activity
  • diminished need for sleep
  • grandiose ideas
  • racing thoughts
  • extreme distractibility
  • often lead to excessive involvement in activities that make someone happy but may not be positive in the long run (behaviour they may regret later)
  • may have severe thought disturbances and hallucinations
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32
Q

Bipolar 1 disorder

A
  • more manic episodes than depression
  • frequent depressive episodes as well (but they wouldnt be severe enough for the DSM5)
  • manic episodes cause significant impairment in daily living and may result in hospitalization
  • doesn’t require a major depressive episode for diagnosis
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33
Q

Bioplar 2 disorder

hypomania

A
  • alternating periods of extremely depressed and mildly elevated moods
  • experience hypomania: heightened creativity and productivity. Somewhat disruptive but not enough for hospitalization
  • at least one major depressive episode required for diagnosis
34
Q

What is the strongest and most consistent risk factor for bipolar disorders?

A
  • family history of bipolar disorders
35
Q

Q: What characteristic usually differentiates people who do and do not act on suicidal ideation?

A
  • an aquired cpacity of willingness to harm themselves
36
Q

Psychosis

A
  • a break from reality in which a person has difficulty distinguishing real perceptions from imaginary ones
  • split or disconnection from reality
37
Q

Schizophrenia

A
  • “splitting of the mind”
  • characterized by alterations in thoughts, perceptions, or in consciousness, resulting in psychosis
  • must experience symptoms for at least 6 months to be diagnosed
38
Q

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

A
  • presence of maladaptive behaviour
  • features that are present in schizophrenia but not in typical behaviour
  • ex: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behaviour
39
Q

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

A
  • absence of normal behaviour
  • symptoms of schizophrenia that are marked by deficits in functioning
  • characteristics missing in schizophrenia that are typically part of daily functioning
  • ex: diminished emotional response, lack of motivation, slowed speech and movement, apathy
  • resistant to medications unlike positive symptoms
40
Q

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Delusions

A
  • false beliefs based on incorrect inferences about reality
  • persist in their beliefs even though there is evidence that it isn’t real
41
Q

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Hallucinations

A
  • false sensory perceptions that are experienced without an external source
  • vivid, clear, seem real
  • commonly auditory but can also be visual, olfactory, or somatosensory
  • may be caused by the difficulty distinguishing inner speech with external stimuli
42
Q

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Disorganized speech

A
  • incoherent speech patterns that involve frequently changing topics and saying strange or inappropriate things
  • “word salad”
43
Q

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Disorganized behaviour

A
  • acting in strange or unusual ways, including strange movement of limbs, bizarre speech, and inappropriate self-care, such as failing to dress properly or bathe
44
Q

5 factors that predict the onset of psychotic disorders

A

1) a family history of schizophrenia
2) greater social impairment
3) higher levels of suspicion/paranoia
4) a history of substance abuse
5) greater frequency of unusual thoughts

45
Q

Q: How does schizophrenia fit the diathesis-stress model of psychopathy?

A

People who both have a diathesis and who experience environmental stress are most likely to develop schizophrenia

46
Q

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

A
  • a disorder characterized by frequent intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions
  • people are aware that their obsessions and compulsions are irrational but they are unable to stop them
47
Q

Obsessions

A
  • recurrent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts, ideas or mental images that increase anxiety
  • worry, doubting, aggressive thoughts
48
Q

Compulsions

A
  • particular acts that people with OCD feel driven to perform over and over to reduce anxiety
  • counting (way to distract themselves from obsessive thoughts), hand washing, silently repeating words
49
Q

What are some causes of OCD?

A

Conditioning: anxiety is paired with a specific event (classical conditioning), the person engages in behaviour that reduces the anxiety and is reinforced (operant conditioning)

Genetics: runs in families

Environment: random virus

50
Q

Anorexia Nervosa

A
  • excessive fear of getting fat
  • severely restricting food and energy intake
  • controls how they view themselves and the world
51
Q

Bulimia Nervosa

A
  • alternate between dieting, binge eating, and purging (puking)
  • may abuse laxitives or over exercise
  • caught in a cycle
52
Q

Binge-eating disorder

A
  • engage in binge eating at least once a week
  • causes significant distress
  • may feel guilt or embarassment
53
Q

Addiction

A
  • substance use that persists despite its negative consequences
54
Q

Prognosis

A
  • the probable outcome
  • typical success of treatments
55
Q

What effects do genes have on the brain that may contribute to biological explanations of psychological disorders?

A
  • affects neurotransmitter levels
  • affects brain structure and connectivity
56
Q

Environmental effects on biology that may contribute to psychological disorders

A
  • teratogens
  • toxins, stress, malnutrition
  • epigenetic reactions (a certain gene was turned on)
57
Q

Causes of depression (biological)

A
  • strong genetic link
  • neurotransmitter imbalances - dopamine, serotonin
58
Q

Cyclothymic disorder

A
  • cyclic disorder that causes brief episodes of hypomania and depression
59
Q

what brain regions are involved in addiction

A

prefrontal cortex, amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus, insula

60
Q

What are the stages of addiction?

A
  • euphoria from trying it for the first time - looks forward to using it on some occassions
  • builds a tolerance - needs more to feel the effects - stops being as pleasurable
  • desire to use it more often to cure the negative feelings of withdrawal
61
Q

Q: What is the current understanding of the influences of genes on alcohol addiction?

A

No single gene is responsible for alcohol addiction, but certain inherited characteristics, such as sensitivity to reward and and impulsivity, can increase vulnerability to addiction

62
Q

Trauma

A
  • a prolonged psychological and physiological response to a distressing event, often one that profoundly violates the person’s beliefs about the world
  • defined by the subjective response to an event and not the event itself
63
Q

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A
  • a disorder that involves frequent nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks related to an earlier trauma
64
Q

Dissociative disorders

A
  • disorders that involve disruptions of identity, of memory, or of conscious awareness
  • may be a functional response to an extremely distressing or traumatic event
65
Q

Dissociative amnesia

A
  • a person forgets that an event happened or loses awareness of a substantial block of time
66
Q

Dissociative fugue

A
  • extreme dissociative amnesia
  • loss of identity
  • usually involves moving somewhere new and assuming a new identity but not remembering any of it
67
Q

Dissociative identity disorder DID (multiple personality disorder)

A
  • diagnosis occurs when a person has difficulty accounting for large chunks of the day
68
Q

Borderline Personality Disorder

A
  • a personality disorder characterized by disturbances in identity, in affect, and in impulse control
  • often associated with interpersonal trauma in childhood
  • instability in several domains: sense of self, interpersonal relationships, goals, emotions, and behaviours
  • cannot tolerate being alone and have an intense fear of abandonment
  • emotionally unstable/manipulative
  • impulsive
  • suicidal or self harming tendencies
  • suddenly ending relationships
69
Q

Personality disorders

Cluster A: odd or eccentric behaviour

A
  • paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal
  • often reclusive and suspicious
  • difficulty forming personal relationships because of their strange behaviour and aloofness
  • some similarities to schizophrenia but symptoms are less severe
70
Q

Personality disorders

Cluster B: dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviour

A
  • histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, antisocial
71
Q

Personality disorders

Cluster C: anxious or fearful behaviour

A
  • ## avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive
72
Q

What is the difference between OCD and obsessive compulsive personality disorder

A

OCD: self-reinforcing cycle of compulsive behaviours that reduce anciety

OC personality disorder: broader pattern of behaviours
- all-encompassing rigidity, orderliness, perfectionism

73
Q

Antisocial personality disorder

A
  • a personality disorder in which people engage in socially undesirable behaviours, are hedonistic and impulsive, and lack empathy
  • lack of concern for others
  • used to be considered a psychopath
74
Q

Autism spectrum disorder

A
  • a developmental disorder characterized by impaired communication, restricted interests, and deficits in social interaction
  • restrictive or repetitive behaviours, interests, or activities
75
Q

Q: What are the atypical characteristics of brain development in autism spectrum disorder?

A
  • unusually rapid brain growth
  • abnormal connections between brain regions
76
Q

ADHD

A
  • a disorder characterized by restlessness, inattentiveness, and impulsivity
77
Q

Catatonia

A
  • a movement disorder in which an individual does not move and rigidly remains in a pose for a lengthy period
  • idea that it’s based on dopamine
78
Q

Schizovirus hypothesis

A
  • a prenatal virus works with genetic predisposition
  • schizophrenics are more likely to be born in the winter months (flu season)
79
Q

What causes eating disorders?

A
  • stress and psychological vulnerability
  • feel like it’s the only thing they have control over in their life
  • perfectionism
  • depression
  • peer/social/media influence
80
Q

Personality disorders

A
  • unusual patterns of behaviour
  • maladaptive, distressing to oneself or others, and resistant to change
  • long term which is why it’s considered part of their personality
  • often can be traced back to childhood

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