Chapter 12 Flashcards
Abnormal Psychology
the application of psychological science to understanding and treating mental disorders
Prevalence
the frequency of occurrence of a given condition in a population at a given time
Psychological Disorder
an ongoing dysfunctional pattern of thoughts, emotion, and behavior that causes significant distress,and that is considered deviant in that persons culture or society.
Have both biological and environmental influences.
bio-psycho-social model of illness
a way of understanding disorder that assume that disorder is caused by biological, psychological, and social factors.
biological component
influences on disorder that comes from the functioning of the individuals body; genetic characteristics are important.
psychological component
the influences that come from the individual, such as patterns of negative thinking and stress response.
social component
the influence on the disorder due to social and cultural factors such as socioeconomic status, homelessness, abuse, and discrimination.
Comorbidity
occurs when people who suffer from one disorder also suffer at the same time from other disorders.
stigma
a disgrace of defect that indicates that a person belongs to a culturally devalued social group.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM)
a document that provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders.
Organizes psychological disorder into fiver dimensions (known as axes).
Axis I
Is a clinical syndrome, such ad a mood, anxiety, or learning disorder present?
Axis II
Is a personality disorder or mental retardation present?
Axis III
Is a general medical condition, such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, present?
Axis IV
Are social or environmental problems such as homelessness, divorce, school problems, or other stressors, present?
Axis V
What is the global assessment of this functioning (ranging from “persistent danger of hurting oneself or others” to “superior functioning in a wide range of activities”)?
attention-deficit/hyperactivity diorder (ADHD)
a developmental behavior disorder characterized by problems with focus, difficulty maintaining attention, and inability to concentrate, in which symptoms start before 7 years of age.
autistic disorder
a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior, and in which symptoms begin before 7 years of age.
asperger’s disorder
a developmental disorder that affects a child ability to socialize and communicate effectively with other and in which symptoms begin before 7 years go age.
anxiety
the nervousness or agitation that we sometimes experience, often about something that is going to happen.(linked to areas of brain with emotion, blood pressure, heart rate, decision making, and action monitoring)
anxiety disorders
psychological disturbances marked by irrational fears, often of everyday objects and situations.
General anxiety disorder (GAD)
a psychological disorder diagnosed in situations in which a person has been excessively worrying about money, health, work, family life, or relationship for at least 6 months, even though he or she knows that the concerns are exaggerated, and when the anxiety causes significant distress and dysfunction.
panic disorder
a psychological disorder characterized by sudden attacks of anxiety and terror that have led to significant behavioral changes in the person’s life.
phobia
a specific fear of a certain object, situation, or activity.
social phobia
extreme shyness around people or discomfort in social situations.
agoraphobia
anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or in which help may not be available.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
a psychological disorder that is diagnosed when an individual continuously experiences distressing or frightening thoughts, and engages in repetitive thoughts or behavior in an attempt to calm these thoughts.
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
people with ptsd experience high level of anxiety along with reexperiencing the trauma, and a strong desire to avoid any reminders of the event. (those suffering from ptsd have smaller hippocampus)
dissociative disorder
a condition that involves disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, and identity (relatively rare condition and are most frequently observed in adolescents and young adults.
dissociative amnesia
a psychological disorder that involves extensive, but selective, memory loss, but in which there is no physiological explanation for the forgetting.
dissociative fugue
a psychological disorder in which an individual loses complete memory of his or her identity and may even assume a new one, often far from home.
dissociative identity disorder
a psychological disorder in which two or more distinct and individual personalities exist in the same person, and there is an extreme memory disruption regarding personal information about the other personalities.
host personality
the personality in control of the body most of the time
alter personalities
tend to differ from each other in terms of age, race, gender, language, makers, and even sexual orientation. (women are more frequently diagnosed with this)
mood
the positive or negative feelings that are in the background of our everyday experience.
mood disorder
psychological disorder in which the persons mood negatively influences his or her physical, perceptual, social, and cognitive processes. (tend to experience more intense negative moods)
depression
a common symptom of mood disorder is negative mood
dysthymia
a condition characterized by mild, but chronic, depressive symptoms that last for at least 2 years.
major depressive disorder
mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities.
bipolar disorder
a psychological disorder characterized by swings in mood from overly high to sad and hopeless, and back again, with periods of near-normal mood in between
cycle of depression
negative emotions create negative behavior, which lead others to respond negatively to the individual, creating even more depression.
schizophrenia
a serious psychological disorder marked by delusions, hallucinations, loss of contact with reality, inappropriate affects, disorganized speech, social withdrawal, and deterioration of adaptive behavior.
positive symptoms
the presence of abnormal behavior or experience that are not observed in normal people (hallucination, delusions, derailment, disorganized behavior, inappropriate affect, movement disorders)
negative symptoms
refer to the loss or deterioration of thoughts and behavior that are typical of normal functioning. (social withdrawal, limited speech, poor hygiene, loss of motivation, distorted sense of time, lack of pleasure in everyday life, and lack of goal oriented activity)
cognitive symptoms
change in cognitive processes that accompany schizophrenia. (poor executive control, trouble focusing, working memory problems, poor problem-solving abilities)
hallucinations
imaginary sensations that occur in the absence of a real stimulus or which are gross distortions of a real stimulus.
delusions
false beliefs not commonly shared by others within one’s culture, and maintained even though they are obviously out of touch with reality.
delusions of grandeur
believe that they are important, famous, or powerful.
delusions of persecution
believe that a person or group seeks to harm them.
catatonia
state in which a person does not move and is unresponsive to others.
Personality disorder
A disorder characterized by inflexible patterns of thinking, feeling, or relating to others that cause problems in personal, social, and work situations.
Schizotypal
Peculiar or eccentric manner of speaking it dressing. “Magical thinking” such as belief in ESP or telepathy. May react oddly in conversation, not respond, or talk to self. ( possibly a mild form of schizophrenia)
Schizoid
Extreme introversion and withdrawal from relationships. Prefers to be alone, little interest in others. Fearful if closeness, with poor social skills, often seen as a “loner”
Borderline personality disorder
A psychological disorder characterized by a prolonged disturbance of personality accompanied by mood swings, unstable personal relationships, indenture problems, threat to self-destructive behavior, fears of abandonment, and impulsivity.
Antisocial personality disorder
A pervasive pattern of violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood. 3x more likely to diagnose in men. Often referred to as “sociopaths” or “psychopaths.”
Somatization disorder
A psychological disorder in which a person experiences numerous long lasting but see long unrelated physical ailments that have no identifiable physical cause
Conversion disorder
a psychological disorder in which patients experience specific neurological symptoms such as numbness, blindness, or paralysis, but where no neurological explanation is observed or possible.
hypochondriasis (hypochondria)
psychological disorder that us focused on preoccupation, accompanied by excessive worry about having a serious illness.
sexual dysfunction
a psychological disorder that occurs when the physical sexual response cycle is inadequate for reproduction or for sexual enjoyment.
Gender identity disorder (GID or transsexualism)
when the individual displays a repeated and strong desire to be the other sex, a persistent discomfort with ones sex, and a belief that one was born the wrong sex, accompanied by significantly dysfunction and distress.
Paraphilia
a sexual deviation where sexual arousal is obtained from a consistent pattern of inappropriate response to objects r people, and in which the behavior associated with the feelings are distressing and dysfunctional.
Histrionic personality disorder
constant attention seeking. Grandiose language, proactive dress, exaggerated illness, all to gain attention. Believes that everyone loves him. Emotional, lively, overt dramatic, enthusiastic, and excessively flirtatious.
dependent personality disorder
Submissive, dependent, requiring excessive approval, reassurance, and advice. Clings to people and fears losing them. Lacking self-confidence. Uncomfortable when alone. May be devastated by end of close relationship or suicidal if with breakup is threatened.
