Ch. 8 Psychiatric Diagnostic Terms Flashcards
dysthymia
a mild affective disorder characterized by chronic depression
major depression, major depressive illness, clinical depression, major affective disorder, unipolar disorder
a disorder characterized by feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, and loss of interest
manic depression, bipolar disorder (BD)
an affective disorder characterized by mood swings of mania and depression
seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
an affective disorder characterized by episodes of depression primarily during the winter and fall, but remit in the spring
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
the most common anxiety disorder; characterized by chronic worrying about everyday problems, affecting the ability to relax and concentrate
panic disorder
a disorder of sudden, recurrent attacks of intense feelings, including physical symptoms that mimic a heart attack with a general feeling of loss of control and feeling of imminent death; often progresses to agoraphobia
phobia
exaggerated fear of a specific object or circumstance that causes anxiety and panic
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a condition resulting from an extremely traumatic experience that leads the sufferer with persistent thoughts and memories of the ordeal; symptoms include feelings of fear, detachment, exaggerated startle response, restlessness, nightmares, and avoidance of triggers
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
an anxiety disorder featuring unwanted, senseless obsessions accompanied by repeated compulsions
hypochondriasis
a preoccupation with thoughts of disease and concern that one is suffering from a serious condition that persists despite medical reassurance to the contrary
autism
a developmental disability resulting from a neurologic disorder affecting brain function, as evidenced by difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication and inability to relate tot anything beyond oneself (auto = self) in social interactions
dyslexia
a learning disability characterized by difficulty understanding written or spoken words that affects reading, spelling and self-expression
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
a dysfunction characterized by consistent hyperactivity, distractibility, and lack of impulse control
mental retardation
a condition of subaverage intelligence characterized by an IQ under 70
anorexia nervosa
an eating disorder caused by abnormal perception of one’s body weight, as evidenced by an overwhelming fear of becoming fat that results in a refusal to eat and a body weight well below normal
