AP Psych Unit 8 Flashcards
DSM-V
The APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition; a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders
A behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual
Reflects an underlying psychobiological dysfunction
The consequences of which are clinically significant distress (e.g., a painful symptom) or disability (i.e., impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) Must not be merely an expected response to [common stressors and losses (ex. the loss of a loved one) or a culturally sanctioned response to a particular event (ex. trance states in religious rituals)] Primarily a result of social deviance or conflicts with society
The DSM-5 classifies disorders by categories
- Depressive Disorders—extreme sadness and loss of interest
- Bipolar Disorders—depression and mania
- Anxiety Disorders—fear and worry
- Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders—obsessions and compulsions
- Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
- Dissociative Disorders—amnesia
- Somatic Disorders - physical
- Eating Disorders
Psychological Disorder
a syndrome marked by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior
Dysfunctional
Interfering with the ability to conduct daily activities in a constructive way
Distressful
The person and others feel pain and discomfort associated with his or her emotions, thoughts, or behaviors
Deviant
goes against the norm of behavior (may be abnormal in one culture, but normal in another)
Dangerous
cause harm to self or others
Ancient Treatments of psychological disorders
include trephination, exorcism, being caged like animals, beaten, burned, castrated, mutilated, and transfused with animal’s blood.
Medical Model
the concept that diseases, or psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and cured
Biopsychosocial Approach to Disorders
biological, socio-cultural, and psychological factors combine and interact to produce psychological disorders
Biological influences:
evolution, genes, brain structure, and chemistry
Psychological influences
stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memory
Socio-cultural influences
roles, expectations, definitions of normality and disorder
Insanity Plea
Legal (not psychiatric) determination of whether someone was aware enough of their own actions to be held responsible for their behavior. Mentally ill patients in certain circumstances can plead legally insane
McNaughton Rule
rule determining insanity, which asks whether the defendant knew what he or she was doing or whether the defendant knew what he or she was doing was wrong
Forensic Psychology
intersections between psychological practice and research and the judicial system
Confidentiality
professionals will not divulge the information they obtain from a client
Etiology
is the cause(s) of a psychological disorder
Behavioral
Strength - Uses theories of conditioning which have been proven to help in rewiring behavior.
Weakness - Has little to no focus on biological aspects.
Biological
Strength - Experiments are objective, providing concrete data.
Weakness - Has little to no focus on environment,
upbringing, etc.
Cognitive
Strength - Used to successfully rewire thoughts in clinical settings
Weakness - Extremely logical and rarely accounts for emotional responses
Evolutionary
Strength - Can compare humans throughout different evolutionary stages
Weakness - More selectively used on animals than humans
Humanistic
Strength - Methods are adaptable to various types of people.
Weakness - Little objectivity is used.
Psychodynamic
Strength - Uses concepts from both nature and nurture arguments.
Weakness - Theories cannot be proven.
Sociocultural
Strength - Observations are most commonly made in real-world situations
Weakness - Variables are challenging to control
Positives of diagnostic labels
Treatment for the disorders and research
Negatives of diagnostic labels
Self-fulfilling prophecies and causing others around them to treat and perceive them based on stereotypical beliefs
Stigma
the societal disapproval and judgment of a person with mental illness because they do not fit their community’s social norms
The Rosenhan Study
-7 people were diagnosed with schizophrenia and 1 with bipolar disorder, which shows that they didn’t know how to differentiate normal behavior from symptoms of mental illnesses.
-Rosenhan shows the diagnostic system was unreliable. They were more likely to diagnose a healthy person as sick than they were to diagnose a sick person as healthy.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Groups of disabilities in the functioning of the brain that emerge at birth or during very early childhood & aect the individual’s behavior, memory, concentration and/or ability to learn
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
characterized by atypical behaviors, speech, interests, thought patterns, & interpersonal interactions. People with ASD have a difficult time interpreting social cues and may prefer routine over spontaneity
Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Disorder marked by the inability to focus attention, or overactive and impulsive behavior, or both
Intellectual disability (ID)
Is characterized by below-average intelligence or mental ability and a lack of skills necessary for
day-to-day living. Low IQ score of 70 or below. Have limitations in learning, solving problems, communicating, and lack many skills
needed for everyday life.
Neurocognitive Disorders
Group of disorders in which the primary problem is in cognitive function, impairments in cognitive abilities such as memory, problem solving, and perception
Alzheimer’s Disease
A fatal generative disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Symptoms include short-term memory loss, headaches, diculty walking and driving, and an inability to focus
Delirium
A rapidly developing, acute disturbance in attention, and orientation that makes it very difficult to concentrate and think in a clear and organized manner
Schizophrenia
Psychotic disorder in which personal, social, and occupational functioning deteriorates as a result of unusual perceptions, odd thoughts, disturbed emotions, and motor abnormality. Schizophrenia is an example of psychosis, in which a person
loses complete contact with reality and experiences false sensations
Psychosis
A syndrome of neurocognitive symptoms that impairs cognitive capacity leading to deficits of perception, functioning, and social relatedness
Positive Symptoms
involve behavioral access or peculiarities like hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought and nonsensical speech, and bizarre behaviors
Negative Symptoms
involve absence of health behaviors like flat aect, social withdrawal, alogia, cataonia, and avolition
Hallucination
Perceiving a sensory stimuli that no one else is able to perceive, vividly real to the person experiencing it, content is usually negative (hearing voices, tasting, seeing, feeling, or smelling things that are not there)
Delusion
fixed false beliefs that are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence
Delusions of reference
Believing that hidden messages are being sent to you via newspaper, TV, radio, or magazines
Delusion of persecution
When you’re convinced that someone is mistreating, conspiring against, or planning to harm you or your loved one.
Disorganized Speech/Thinking:
might quickly jump from one unrelated topic to another, engage in incoherent “word salad,” repeat things another person says back to them, or appear to be speaking with nonexistent entities
Catatonia
A pattern of extreme psychomotor symptoms which may include catatonic stupor, rigidity, or posturing
Flat Affect
motionless state (unchanging facial expression, decreased spontaneous movements, a lack of expressive gestures, poor eye contact, lack of vocal inflections, and slowed speech)
Avolition
Apathy and an inability to start or complete a course of action
Alogia
involves a disruption in the thought process that leads to a lack of speech and issues with verbal fluency
Brain Abnormalities with Schizophrenia
● Genetic link - if your identical twin has schizophrenia you have a 50% chance of getting it
● High level of dopamine associated with schizophrenia
● Poor coordination of neural firing in the frontal lobes impairs judgment and self-control.
● The thalamus fires during hallucinations as if real sensations were being received
Diathesis-Stress Model
People inherit a predisposition or diathesis that increases their risk of schizophrenia; exposure to stress may put one at higher risk of developing schizophrenia
Mood disorders
are characterized by unusual and disruptive changes in mood, manifesting in depression, mania, or both
● Suicide and self-harm high with mood disorders
Major Depressive Disorder
Involves intense depressed mood, reduced interest or pleasure in activities, loss of energy, and
problems in making decisions for a minimum of 2 weeks (symptoms include loss of appetite, sleeping problems, low energy and self-esteem, loss of focus, and hopelessness)
Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder (SAD)
A mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the same time every year.
Seasonal affective disorder occurs in climates where there is less sunlight at certain times of the year. Symptoms include fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal
Bipolar Disorder
Mood swings alternating between periods of major depression and mania. Rapid cycling is usually short periods of mania followed almost immediately by deep pression, usually for longer duration
Mania
euphoric, giddy, easily irritated, with: exaggerated optimism, hyper-sociality and sexuality, delight in everything, impulsivity and overactivity, racing thoughts; the mind won’t settle down, and little desire for sleep
Brain Abnormalities with Depression and Bipolar disorder
● Diminished brain activity with depression, while increased brain activity with mania
● Smaller frontal lobes in depression and fewer axons in bipolar disorder
● more norepinephrine (arousing) in mania, less in depression
● reduced serotonin in depression
Social-Cognitive Perspective of Mood Disorders
Low self-esteem
Rumination
overthinking about our problems and their causes,
learned helplessness, and depressive explanatory style
Explanatory Styles with Rumination
● “It’s going to last forever” is what someone with a stable explanatory style may say.
● “It’s going to affect everything I do” is what someone with a global explanatory style may say.
● “It’s all my fault” is what someone with an internal explanatory style may say
Anxiety Disorders
Psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
● Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder in the United States
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Experience excessive anxiety under most circumstances and worry about practically anything
● Symptoms include uncontrollable and ongoing anxiety and worry, The symptoms include at least three of the following: edginess, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems
Panic Disorder
Experience of terror and physical symptoms (chest pains, choking) in unpredictable situations. Attacks of intense anxiety along with severe chest pain, tightness of muscles, choking, sweating, other acute symptoms during
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Characterized by pattern of persistent, unwanted thoughts and behaviors
Obsessions
Persistent thoughts, ideas, images, or impulses that invade consciousness (concern with dirt, germs, and toxins -something bad happening 24/7 -symmetry, order, exactness)
Compulsions
Repetitive and rigid behaviors or thoughts that people must perform to prevent or reduce anxiety (excessive hand-washing and bathing -repeating rituals -checking doors, locks, and homework multiple times
Phobic Disorder
Occurs when a phobia - an irrational fear of an object or situation - becomes so disruptive that it interferes with
normal functioning. Most people have some form of phobia, but it does not interfere with their lives to a large degree. There can be
phobias of animals, heights, bugs, storms, enclosed space, or the outdoors.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Intense fear of social situations, leading to avoidance of such. Fear of being visibly nervous in front of others. Extreme anticipatory anxiety about social interactions and performance situations, such as speaking to a group. Fear of eating in public
Agoraphobia
Afraid to be in public situations from which escape might be difficult or help unavailable if panic-like or embarrassing symptoms were to occur
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy
anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience. Victims re-experience the traumatic event in nightmares about the event, or flashbacks in which they relieve the event
Posttraumatic growth
Positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises
Development of Anxiety Disorders
● Behavioral perspective is through
classical conditioning (Little Albert Study) and
operant conditioning (example: once
phobias develop, reinforcement makes it hard to get rid of them. If we continue to run away from our fears, we are
reinforcing our fears. It becomes a cycle that is hard to get out of.
● Social-Cognitive is through observational learning - we learn our anxiety through watching others
● Cognitive perspective explains anxiety by focusing on worried thoughts, as well as interpretations, appraisals, beliefs,
predictions, and ruminations.
● Evolutionary psychologists believe that ancestors prone to fear of certain things (heigh, spiders, etc) were less likely to die
before reproducing.
● Biological - People with anxiety have problems with a gene associated with levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved
in regulating sleep and mood. People with anxiety also have a gene that triggers high levels of glutamate, an excitatory
neurotransmitter involved in the brain’s alarm centers
Dissociative Disorder
Defined as a disruption causing inconsistencies in consciousness. A person may have memory loss or a complete change in identity.
● Caused by a traumatic or stressful event (a way to deal with the stress of the event)
Dissociative Identity Disorder
A rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating
personalities. Formerly called multiple personality disorder
Dissociative Amnesia
Loss of memory for a traumatic event or period of time that is too painful for an individual to remember
Dissociative Fugue
Dissociative fugue (formerly called psychogenic fugue) is a psychological state in which a person loses awareness of their identity or other important autobiographical information and also engages in some form of unexpected TRAVELING
Somatic Symptom Disorder
A psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a somatic (bodily) form without apparent physical cause.
Conversion Disorder
A disorder in which a person experiences very specific genuine physical symptoms for which no physiological basis can be found (example: unexplained paralysis and blindness)
Illness Anxiety Disorder
A disorder in which a person interprets normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease.
Anorexia Nervosa
An eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly (15 percent or more) underweight
Body dysmorphia
increasing cognitive misperception of being overweight despite evidence to the contrary
Bulimia Nervosa
An eating disorder in which a person alternates binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) with purging (by vomiting or laxative use) or fasting.
Binge-eating disorder
Significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging or fasting that marks bulimia nervosa
Personality Disorders
Psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social
functioning.
● Cluster A - the “odd, eccentric” cluster
● Cluster B - the “dramatic, emotional, erratic” cluster
● Cluster C- (the “anxious, fearful” cluster
Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) Cluster A
Irrational fear, inability to trust others, often thinks in worst case scenario situations
Schizoid Personality Disorder Cluster A
Detachment from emotions and relationships, little to no interest in any social interaction
Schizotypal Personality Disorder Cluster A
Eccentric and/or erratic thought, behavioral, and speech patterns, delusions may be present
Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) Cluster B
Lack of empathy, patterns of manipulation for selfish benefits, little to no remorse; exhibiting a lack of conscience for doing something wrong
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Cluster B
Extreme emotional swings and perceptions of the world, black and white thinking, impulsive behavior
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) Cluster B
Dramatic and impulsive behaviors, obsessive need to be the center of attention, people-pleasing
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) Cluster B
Grandiose delusions, manipulation, perfectionism, defensive and upset if criticized
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) Cluster C
Low self-esteem, avoidance of social interactions, afraid of rejection and criticism
Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) Cluster C
Abandonment issues, anxiety when alone, afraid of rejection and criticism
Obsessive-compulsive Personality
Disorder (OCPD) Cluster C
Obsessions and compulsions regarding perfectionism, unable to notice any problems present
Psychotherapy
Treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological diculties or achieve personal growth
● Correcting thought patterns that are psychologically damaging, conditioning proper emotional responses to various
situation, teaching proportionate and healthy responses, and coping with various conditions and symptoms
Biomedical Therapy
prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology
Eclectic Therapy
an approach to psychotherapy, that depending on the client’s problems, uses techniques from various forms of therapy
Psychologist
can’t prescribe meds, supports people through psychotherapy
Psychiatrist
can prescribe meds, identify disorders, generally works inside hospitals
Aaron Beck
is known for youth inventory, anxiety inventory, Beck Scales-depression inventory, the hopelessness scale, and cognitive
therapy. He sought to change a patient’s beliefs about themselves and their lives
Albert Ellis
is known for Rational-Emotive Therapy and he believed that problems come from irrational thinking.
Sigmund Freud
is known for his subfield of psychoanalysis and research in consciousness, defense mechanisms, repression, and
negotiation through id/ego/superego. He tries to bring unconscious thoughts into awareness during therapy, point out resistance in the mind, and transfer your feelings
Mary Cover Jones
came up with an exposure therapy called systematic desensitization. She is a behavioral psychologist and aimed to treat phobias by exposing the stimuli in a present context. She introduced the idea of systematic desensitization
Carl Rogers
Is a humanistic psychologist and he believed in client-centered therapy The therapist would use an unconditional positive regard and provide an accepting, genuine, and an empathic environment for the patient to express their feelings and overcome disorders
B.F. Skinner
is known for operant conditioning, reinforcement schedules, and the Skinner box. He believed in behavior modification
therapy which uses learning principles to eliminate unwanted thoughts and fears.
Psychodynamic Therapy
views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and that seeks to enhance self-insight
Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud’s therapeutic technique. Believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences - and the therapist’s interpretations of them - released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self insight
Resistance
In psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material
Interpretation
In psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight
Transference
in psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships
Insight Therapies
a variety of therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses
Humanistic Therapy
Aim to boost self-fulfillment by helping people grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance
Person-Centered Therapy (Carl Rogers)
a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting, empathic environment to facilitate clients’ growth. Nondirective therapy, the therapist listens, without judging or interpreting, and seeks to refrain from directing the client toward certain insights
Active Listening
empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and
clarifies.
Unconditional Positive Regard
A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude
Behavior Therapy
Therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of
unwanted behaviors
Counterconditioning
behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning
to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors
Exposure Therapies
behavioral techniques that treat anxieties by exposing people
to the things they fear or avoid
Systematic Desensitization
a type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant,
relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. Commonly used
to treat phobias (see chart to the right)
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
and anxiety treatment that progressively exposes
people to electronic simulations of their greatest fears, such as airplane flying,
spiders, or public speaking
Aversion Conditioning
a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior
Token Economy
an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treats
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
a popular integrative therapy that combines
cognitive therapy with behavior therapy. Based on the idea that how we think
(cognition), how we feel (emotion) and how we act (behavior) all interact together
(picture to the left)
Sociocultural psychology
Contextualizes personal development within societal
expectations and norms. The psychology of an individual is heavily shaped by
those factors, as well as interactions between other people and cultures
Behavioral
any disorders that lead to abnormalities in behavioral patterns or patients with a history of trauma.
Cognitive
disorders where cognition behind thoughts and behaviors is affected or people who cannot rationally
problem solve.
Humanistic
interpersonal problems, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, or personality disorders.
Psychodynamic
people with a history of unresolved trauma
Sociocultural
a broad range of disorders throughout a variety of different cultures
Therapeutic Alliance
a bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together constructively to
overcome the client’s problem
Resilience
the personal strength that helps most people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma
● Preventive mental health programs are based on the idea that many psychological disorders can be prevented by changing
oppressive, esteem-destroying environments into more benevolent, nurturing environments that foster growth,
self-confidence, and resilience
● Instead of viewing behaviors as psychological disorders, they could be interpreted as understandable responses to a
disturbing and stressful society. They could change society in order to prevent the problem rather than waiting for the
problem to arise and then treating it
Psychopharmacology
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior
Biomedical Therapy
Based on the premise that the symptoms of many psychological disorders involve biological factors, involves medication and/or medical procedures to treat psychological disorders
● Psychotropic drug used in conjunction with psychotherapy is more effective in treating psychological disorders than a drug alone
Antipsychotic Drugs
drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe thought disorder (Prolixin)
Tardive Dyskinesia
common side effect of antipsychotic drugs that involves involuntary movement in the lower face
Antianxiety Drugs
drugs used to control anxiety and agitation (Xanax)
Antidepressant Drugs
drugs used to treat depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD (Prozac)
● Most antidepressants are SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, which are selective norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitors.
Mood-Stabilizing Drugs
Designed to treat the combination of manic episodes and depression characteristic of bipolar disorder
because they reduce dramatic mood swings (Lithium)
Stimulants
Stimulate the central nervous system, stop the absorption of dopamine and norepinephrine and allow the brain toexperience more stimulation (Adderall)
Antipsychotic
Drugs
Antagonists: They block
dopamine receptor sites.
Antianxiety
Drugs
Xanax, Ativan, D-cycloserine. Depress nervous system
activity; some facilitate
the extinction of learned
fears.
Antidepressant
drugs
Fluoxetine (Prozac), Zoloft, Paxil. Agonists: They increase
the availability of neuro-
transmitters such as
norepinephrine or
serotonin, and block the
reabsorption and
removal of serotonin
from synapses.
Mood
Stabilizer
Lithium, Depakote. Acts as a mood
stabilizer; we do not
fully understand why
Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT
cognitive-behavioral therapy in which clients are directly challenged in their irrational
beliefs and helped to restructure their thinking into more rational belief statements
Group Therapy
In a small group, usually around 6 to 12, persons with similar problems come together under the direction or
facilitation of a trained therapist or counselor to discuss their psychological issues
Self-Help Groups
Facilitator organizes meetings, but there is an absence of a trained psychotherapist directing the process of the group
Couples/Family Therapy
Trained professionals can direct spouses and family members to openly discuss their individual
perspectives on the same issue
