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Psychology 121 > 5. Chapter 15- Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

5. Chapter 15- Psychological Disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 3 definitions of mental disorders?

A
  1. Mental disorder as a violation of cultural standards- society sets up standards for people to follow, those who break them are considered disturbed
  2. Mental fielder as emotional distress- suffering from depression, anxiety, etc.
  3. Mental disorder as behaviour that is self destructive or harmful to others- negative consequences of a person behaviour, man drinks so much he can’t keep a job, child sets fires, etc
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2
Q

Why is insanity not the same as having a mental disorder?

A

In the law insanity is whether a person is aware of the consequences of his or her actions and can control their behaviour
Insanity is a legal term only; a person can have a mental illness and be considered sane by the court

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3
Q

What is a mental disorder?

A

Any behaviour or emotional state that causes an Individual Great suffering, is self-destructive, seriously impairs the persons ability to work or get along with others or endangers others or the community

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4
Q

What is the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)?
What are the 6 disorders in it?

A 
The standard reference manual used to diagnose mental disorders 
Known as bible of psychiatry
It’s aim is the provide clear diagnostic categories so that clinicians and researchers can agree on which disorders they’re talking about and then can study and treat disorders
1. Neurodevelopmental disorders
2. Emotional disorders
3. Somatic disorders
4. Externalizing disorders
5. Neurocognitive disorders
6. Personality disorders
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5
Q

What are the 4 problems with DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders)?

A
  1. The danger of over diagnosis- overusing the diagnosis on people
  2. The power of diagnostic labels- being given a diagnosis reassures people who are seeking an explanation for their emotional symptoms or problems (whew! So that’s what I have!)
  3. The confusion of serious mental disorders with normal problems- the DSM includes everyday problems (trouble writing clearly)
  4. The illusion of objectivity and universality- many decisions about what include as a disorder are not based on empirical evidence but in group consensus
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6
Q

What are projective tests?

A

Psychological tests used to infer a person’s motives, conflicts, and u conscious dynamics on the basis of the person’s interpretations of ambiguous stimuli (pictures, sentences, or stories)

Unconscious thoughts are projected onto the test

Low validity since they often fail to measure what they are supposed to measure

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7
Q

What are objective tests (inventories)?

A

Standardized objective questionnaires requiring written responses; they typically include scales on which people are asked to rate themselves

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8
Q

What is anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder?

A

Anxiety- long lasting feelings of apprehension and doom
Panic attacks- short-lived but intense feelings of anxiety
Phobias- excessive fears of specific things or situations
Exaggerated, unrealistic fear of a specific situation
Obsessive-compulsive disorder- repeated thoughts and rituals are used to ward off anxiety
Person feels trapped in repetitive, persistent thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive, ritualized behaviours (compulsions) designed to reduce anxiety

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9
Q

What is generalized anxiety disorder (OCD)?

A

A continuous state of anxiety marked by feelings of worry and dread, apprehension, difficulties in concentration, and signs of motor tension

Continuous, uncontrollable anxiety or worry

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10
Q

What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

A

Anxiety disorder in which a person who has experienced a traumatic or life threatening event has symptoms such as psychic numbing, reliving of the trauma, and increased physiological arousal

Need smaller hippocampus and trauma event to trigger PTSD

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11
Q

What is panic disorder?

A

Anxiety disorder in which a person experienced recurring panic attacks, periods of intense fear, and feelings of impending doom of death, accompanied by physiological symptoms such as rapid heart rate and dizziness

Move on but live life in restrictive ways, avoiding future attacks

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12
Q

What is agoraphobia?

A

A set of phobias, often set off by a panic attack, involving the basic fear of being away from a safe place of person

Being trapped in a crowded public place fear

“Fear of fear”
Woman driving on highway had a panic attack from her husband committing suicide two weeks earlier, avoids highway now to avoid panic attacks even tho suicide set it off

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13
Q

What is biology in the brain behind OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)?

A

The prefrontal cortex is depleted of serotonin, which creates cognitive rigidity (an inability to let go of certain thoughts) and behavioural rigidity (inability to alter compulsive behaviour after getting negative feedback)

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14
Q

What is major depression?

A

A mood disorder involving disturbances in emotion (excessive sadness), behaviour (loss of interest in ones usual activities), cognition (thoughts of hopelessness), and body function (fatigue and loss of appetite)

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15
Q

What is bipolar disorder?

A

A mood disorder in which episodes of both depression and mania (excessive euphoria) occur
Equally in both sexes

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16
Q

What are vulnerability-stress models?

A

Approaches that emphasize how individual vulnerabilities interact with external stresses or circumstances to produce mental disorders

17
Q

What are the 4 contributing factors to depression?

A
  1. Genetic factors- depression is moderately heritable, psychologists found a gene (5-HTT) that in its long form protects people from depression and in its short form makes them more vulnerable to it
  2. Life experiences and circumstances- violence is big influence on depression,
  3. Losses of important relationships- history of broken attachments and relationships can trigger depression in vulnerable individuals
  4. Cognitive habits- depressed people believe their situation is permanent, they believe it will never get better, expecting not to get better, they wont get better
18
Q

What is paranoid personality disorder?
What is narcissistic personality disorder?
What is borderline personality disorder?
What is psychopathy

A

Paranoid- a disorder characterized by unreasonable, excessive suspiciousness and mistrust, and irrational feelings of being persecuted by others
Narcissistic- a disorder characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance and self absorption
Borderline- disorder characterized by intense but unstable relationships, a fear of abandonment by others, an unrealistic self-image, and emotional vulnerability
Psychopathy- a personality disorder characterized by a lack of remorse, empathy, anxiety, and other social emotions; the use of deceit and manipulation; and impulsive thrill seeking

19
Q

What is antisocial personality disorder (APD)?

A

The replaced name for psychopath
A personality disorder characterized by a lifelong pattern of irresponsible, antisocial behaviour such as lawbreaking, violence, and other impulsive, reckless acts

Not all people with APD are psychopaths since people with APD vary widely with their feelings of remorse and guilt

20
Q

What a re the 4 factors involved in personality disorders?

A
  1. Abnormalities in the central nervous system- psychopaths are slow to develop responses to danger or threat of punishment (electrical conductance in the skin changes in normal people)
  2. Impaired frontal-lobe functioning- impulsivity (inability to control responses to frustrations and provocation), less gray matter in frontal lobes compared to other people, these could come from brain damage
  3. Genetic influences- several genes in play
  4. Environmental events- play a role
21
Q

What is the biological model of addiction?

A

It holds that addiction, whether alcohol or any other substance, is due primarily to a person biochemistry, metabolism, and genetic predisposition
Abusing drugs changes the Brian to become addicted

22
Q

What is the learning model of addiction?

What are 4 points that support it?

A

Examines the roles of the environment, learning, and culture in encouraging or discouraging drug abuse and addiction

  1. Addiction patterns vary according to cultural practices and the social environment- alcoholism is more likely to occur in society’s that forbid drinking in children but condone drunkenness in adults
  2. Policies of total abstinence tend to increase rates of addiction rather than reduce them
  3. Not all addicts have withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking a drug
  4. Addiction does not depend on properties of the drug alone but also on the reasons for taking it- drinking to relax, conform with the group they are with, or to be sociable are less likely to become addicted compared to someone who’s drinking to cover up their depression
23
Q

What are the 4 factors that give people a higher risk of drug abuse or alcoholism?

A
  1. They have a physiological vulnerability to a drug or have been using a drug long enough for it to damage or change their brain
  2. They believe that they have no control over the drug
  3. They live in a culture or a peer group that promotes and rewards binge drinking and discourages moderate drug use
  4. They have come to rely on the drug as a way of avoiding problems, suppressing anger or fear, or coping with stress
24
Q

What is dissociative identity disorder?

A

A controversial disorder marked by the apparent appearance within one person of two or more distinct personalities, each with its own name and traits; formerly known as multiple personality disorder (MPD)
Some psychiatrists believe in it, some don’t (some say interviewers are creating personalities through suggestion and sometimes intimidation)

25
Q

What is the sociocognitive explanation for dissociative identity disorder?

A

Says it is an extreme form of the ability we all have to present different aspects of our personalities to others

Teaches us to think critically about disorders that become trendy (consider other explanations)

26
Q

What is schizophrenia?

A

A psychotic disorder marked by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized and incoherent speech, inappropriate behaviour, and cognitive impairments
Personality loses its unity
Dont have split or multiple personalities
Words are split from meaning, actions from motives, perceptions from reality

27
Q

What’s is psychosis?

A

An extreme mental disturbance involving distorted perceptions and irrational behaviour; it may have psychological or organic causes

28
Q

What are the 5 symptoms of schizophrenia?

A
  1. Bizarre delusions- ex: may believe songs are extraterrestrials disguised as pets
  2. Hallucinations, false sensory experiences that feel intensely real- hearing voices (some commit suicide to escape them)
  3. Disorganized, incoherent speech- example page 592
  4. Grossly disorganized and inappropriate behaviour- childlike silliness to violent agitation
  5. Impaired cognitive abilities- do much worse than normal people in almost every cognitive domain
29
Q

What a re the 5 contributing factors to schizophrenia?

A
  1. Genetic predispositions- twins have higher chance of developing of one twin gets it
  2. Structural brain abnormalities- decrease volume in temporal lobe or hippocampus, reduced neural connections in prefrontal cortex, enlargement of the ventricles (spaces on brain with cerebrospinal fluid)
  3. Neurotransmitter abnormalities- serotonin, glutamate, dopamine
  4. Prenatal problems or birth complications- damage to fetal brain significantly increases likelihood of schizophrenia later in life
  5. Adolescent abnormalities in brain development- rapid tissue loss in brains of people with schizophrenia in adolescent

Psychology 121 (6 decks)

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