Abnormal Psych Flashcards
Criteria for defining mental illness
risk to self or others
impairment
deviating from social norms
distress
Panic disorder
recurrent attacks of overwhelming anxiety that usually happens at unexpected times
caused by overactive amygdala, low GABA, and misinterpreting normal body functions as something else
PTSD
psychological disturbance due to a major traumatic event; causes nightmares, anxiety, anger and fear
Caused by overactive amygdala and underactive frontal cortex
generalized anxiety disorder
chronic, high level of anxiety that is not tied to any specific threat
caused by low levels of GABA & serotonin and can be triggered by minor problems/mistakes
specific phobia
persistent and irrational fear of an object/situation that presents no real danger
we are biologically prepared to have phobias of things that are dangerous
agoraphobia
fear of going out to public places, large crowds, or leaving home
separation anxiety disorder
when someone gets excessively anxious when separated from someone
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
persistent/uncontrollable intrusions of unwanted obsessions and urges to engage in senseless things
performance of the compulsion reduces anxiety
Body dysmorphic disorder
extreme preoccupation w/ self perceived objects in their appearance leading to stress/impairment
hoarding
excessive number of items and storing them in a chaotic, unorganized manner
major depressive disorder
persistent feelings of sadness/despair and a loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure
summarized and compared with symptoms of mania
bipolar disorder
experience both manic and depressive episodes
totally unexpected/unpredictable
low levels of serotonin
Manic episode
increase in energy, self-esteem, flight of thought, goal-oriented behavior and productivity
causes people to do dangerous things they’ll regret later
high levels of norepinephrine
depressive episode
lower/depressed mood, loss of interest, irregular sleeping habits
learned helplessness, loss of routines, poor social skills
reduced hippocampus, enlarged amygdala
conversion disorder
physical/sensory problems which leads to functioning impairment
ex: fighter pilot goes blind but there’s no medical problem with the eye, but their mind makes it so that they cannot see; it allows them to stop engaging in the situation that makes them the most distressed
somatic symptoms disorder
extreme focus on physical symptoms that causes emotional distress/problems functioning
aka hypochondriac
illness anxiety disorder
worrying excessively that you will become very ill
misinterpret normal bodily functions as something serious
ex: thinking it’s a brain tumor when it’s really a headache
DID (dissociative identity disorder)
the co-existence in one person of 2 or more complete and different personalities, gender, race, age etc.
caused by extreme abuse
Dissociative Amnesia
sudden loss of memory for important personal info that is too extensive to be due to normal forgetting
form of repression
dissociative fugue
when people lose their memory for their entire lives along w/ a sense of identity
ex: when walter white went into a fugue state
major symptoms of schizophrenia
delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and deterioration of adaptive behavior
hallucinations
sensory perceptions that occur in the absence of a real, external stimulus or are gross distortions of perceptual input
cognitive distortions
when situations become exaggerated because one is depressed
delusions
false beliefs maintained even though they are out of touch w/ reality
catatonic behaviors
striking motor disturbances, ranging from muscular rigidity to random motor activity
antisocial personality disorder
reject social norms, lack of regard for people and laws, no remorse, don’t know right from wrong
BPD (borderline personality disorder)
unstable sense of identity, unstable emotions, and unstable relationships
impulsivity, fear of abandonment
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
having an unreasonable high sense of their own importance
seligman’s theory of learned helplessness
one group of dogs was shocked, then released
another group of dogs was also shocked, but never released
the dogs gave up because they were taught that no matter what they did they would still get shocked
can explain depression in humans
role of abuse and neglect in mental illness
DID, amnesia and fugue - wanting to escape reality so other personalities are formed
antisocial personality disorder - not knowing how to behave bc of neglect
what’s the earliest, most consistent finding in brains of schizophrenics?
enlarged ventricles
what affects thinking/problem solving in the brain of a schizophrenia
atrophy of frontal cortex
role of excess dopamine in people with schizophrenia
cognitive disfunction
hallucinations, delusions
depressed schema
systematic bias about themselves that is negative
rosenhan study
people faked symptoms of schizophrenia and were admitted to mental hospitals then acted normally once admitted.
they were given antipsychotic medications even after exhibiting signs of healthy minds
