Abnormal psychology/ disorders Flashcards
DSM-5
Based on atheoretical descriptions of symptoms of various disorders; organized into 18 classifications of disorders
Neurodevelopmental disorders
those linked to the development of the nervous system (e.g. AD/HD, Autism spectrum, Tourette’s)
ADHD
inattentive, easily distracted, can’t maintain focus on task, daydreams, difficulty following instructions. hyperactive, fidgets, squirms, dashes around, always in motion, talks nonstop;
characterized by developmentally atypical inattention and/or impulsivity and hyperactivity. Short attention span, difficulty staying on task or organizing tasks, unable to follow instructions or requests.. hyperactivity in running, fidgeting, and restlessness. Impulsivity in inability to delay gratification, impatience, and frequently interrupting others.
Autism Spectrum
a range of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairment of social skill and communication skills as well as repetitive behaviors. includes autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS); children with autism may not cuddle, make eye contact, and may display little or no facial expressions, impairment in language skills, both receptive and expressive, also tend to be oversensitive to sensory stimuli.
Tourette’s disorder
characterized by multiple motor tics (e.g. eye-blinking, skipping, deep knee bends) or one or more vocal tics (e.g. grunts, barks, sniffs, snorts, coughs, utterance of obscenities). Tics are sudden, recurrent, and stereotyped. Duration of disorder is life long, but periods of remission may occur.
Schizophrenia
relatively recent term (1911 by Bleuler). characterized by gross distortions of reality and disturbances in the content and form of thought, perception, and affect. Could have delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought, inappropriate affect, and catatonic behavior
Symptoms of schizophrenia
divided into positive and negative types. Positive: behaviors, thoughts, or affects added to normal behavior (e.g. delusions and hallucinations, disorganized speech, and disorganized or catatonic behavior). These are either on the psychotic dimension or the disorganized dimension. Negative symptoms are those that involve the absence of normal or desired behavior (e.e.g flat affect, blunted emotional expression)
delusions (and types)
false beliefs, discordant with reality, that are maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary , e.g. delusions of reference, persecution, or grandeur. Delusions of reference may involve an individuals belief that others are talking about them, that common elements in the environment are direction at them.Delusions of persecution involve the belief that the person is being deliberately interfered with, discriminated against, plotted against, or threatened. Delusions of grandeur involve the believe that they are a remarkable person, like an inventor, historical figure, etc. Or involve thought broadcasting, which is belief that one’s thoughts are broadcast directly from one’s head to the external world, and thought insertion, that thoughts are inserted into one’s head
Hallucinations
perceptions that are not due to external stimuli but have a compelling sense of reality.
disorganized thought
characterized by the loosening of associations (e.g. speech in which ideas shift from one subject to another unrelated subject in a way that a listener wouldn’t be able to follow the train of thought, or word salad).
catatonic motor behavior
various extreme behaviors characterized by reduced movement/activity or maintaining a rigid posture, refusing to be moved. Sometimes, catatonic behavior may include useless and bizarre movements not caused by any external stimuli
Epidemiology
study of the distribution of disorders in a population; prevalence (proportion of active cases of a disorder), incidence (occurrence of new cases of a disorder).
Norepinephrine
anxiety disorders
Serotonin and dopamine
Depression and schizophrenia
GABA
anxiety
Anxiety
Apprehension about a future threat, involves physiological arousal (fight or flight) and increases preparedness.
Anxiety disorders in DSM-5
Most common psychiatric disorders: specific phobias, social phobias, panic disorder (with and without agoraphobia), generalized anxiety disorder
Anxiety risk factors
Genetic (twin studies suggest heritability for phobias, GAD, PTSD and panic disorder); Neurobiological (overactive fear circuit, neurotransmitters serotonin, GABA, norepinephrine); Personality (behavioral inhibition, temperament, neuroticism); Cognitive (perceived control, attention to threat); Social (negative life events that often precede disorder onset)
Anxiety common treatment
Emphasize exposure- face the situation or object that triggers anxiety; medications (anxiolytics, benzodiazepenes (e.g. valium, xanax), antidepressants (e.g. SSRIs))
Phobic disorders
phobia- persistent and disproportionate fear of some specific object or situation that presents little or no actual danger; Marked by anxiety, avoidance, persistence (6 mo. or more), distress/ impairment. 16% of women and 7% of men; Causal factors: traumatic conditioning of fear, cognitive biases, evolutionary origins, genetic and temperamental factors.
Panic Disorder + agoraphobia
characterized by the occurrence of unexpected panic attacks, marked by brevity and intensity, worry and avoidance of situations in which a panic attack may occur; Marked by presence of recurrent PAs followed by at least one month of persistent worry of having further attacks or significant behavioral change related to the attacks; with agoraphobia- avoidance of situations in which escape would be difficult or embarrassing (e.g. being outside the home alone, in a plane, etc.)
Social Anxiety Disorders
Disabling fears of one or more discrete social situations in which a person fears that they may be exposed to the scrutiny or potential negative evaluation of others
Generalized anxiety disorder
involves chronic, excessive worrying (other symptoms: restlessness, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, easily fatigued); possible biological factors (neuroticism-common genetic predisposition for GAD and MDD), neurotransmitters GABA, serotonin and norephinephrine, HPA axis.
OCD and Related Disorders
OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Hoarding Disorder, Trichotillomania, Excoriation (Skin-Picking)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Traditionally conceptualized as an anxiety disorder, characterized by anxiety/fear and attempts at controlling and escaping from anxiety/fear. Recurrent obsession and compulsions: obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts or images that are irrational or uncontrollable and compulsions are repetitive behavior or mental actions designed to neutralized obsessions, provide relief and prevent feared event. Obsessions tend to be ego-dystonic, themes are cross-culturally consistent. Effects both genders equally. Serotonin strongly implicated, maybe brain abnormalities in caudate nucleus and orbitofrontal-subcortical hyperactivity.
Hoarding Disorder
Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, fear of losing something important or need to keep all items; unlike OCD, thought is not intrusive.
Trichotillomania
Recurrent pulling out hair, efforts to stop/control fail, theoretically an anxiety disorder (controls, abates feelings of anxiety; but motivations appear to vary)
Excoriation (skin picking)
Recurrent picking or scratching at skin or scabs, behavior is quite routine and perhaps without intrusive thought.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Preoccupation with and extreme distress over imagined or exaggerated defect in appearance. Constant examination of self in mirror (or avoids mirror entirely), some people become housebound or have plastic surgery.
Trauma and stress-related disorders
New category in DSM-5: Reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder, PTSD, acute stress disorder, adjustment disorders
PTSD
Repeated reexperiencing/ intrusions, avoidance, negative cognitions and mood (e.g. inability to remember important aspects of trauma, persistent negative beliefs about ones self or others or the world, distorted cognitions about cause or consequence of trauma that lead to blame, negative emotional state, etc.), arousal and reactivity (hypervigilence, startled response, problems with concentration, etc.)
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)
Similar symptoms to PTSD, have more emphasis on dissociation. Duration varies (short term reactions, symptoms can occur between 3 days and 1 month after trauma). Often a precursor to PTSD (66%).
Etiology of PTSD
Nature of trauma, neurobiological (smaller hippocampal volume, increased receptor sensitivity to cortisol), behavioral, psychological (perception of control, avoidance coping, dissociation, memory suppression), nature of and proximity to stressor, psychosocial factors (appraisal of stressor, personality, cognitive ability), sociocultural factors (social support, stigma, readjustment), biological (HPA axis, locus coeruleus, norepinephrine-sympathetic-system)
Depressive Disorders + Bipolar and Related Disorders
Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) + Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia
MDE
Dysphoria, sadness, anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure), other symptoms.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
Depressed mood for most of the day , for more days than not, for at least two years; similar symptoms to depression
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
very severe form of PMS, about 3-5% of women would meet criteria for this,
