Chapter 12: The Troubled Mind [Exam 4] Flashcards
Psychological Disoerder
A clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress or with a significantly increased risk of suffering death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom.
Abnormal Behavior
Behavior that is not typical, usual, or regular.
It implied a statistical definition of abnormality.
A purely statistical approach to abnormal behavior has major drawbacks…
- Implies a cultural specificity.
2. Fails to capture the distress that often accompanies a psychological disorder.
Comorbidity
The presence of two or more psychological disorders in the same individual.
Two components of anxiety…
- Strong negative emotions.
2. Physical tension due to the anticipation of danger (this is what separates anxiety from fear).
Anxiety Disorder
A disorder featuring anxiety that is not proportional to a person’s circumstances.
Represent an exaggeration of what is normally a useful response.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
A disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and worry that is not correlated with particular objects or situations.
A personal experiences a great deal of worry, but the worry is focused on life in general.
Panic Attack
The experience of intense fear and autonomic arousal in the absence of a real threat.
Panic Disorder
A disorder characterized by repeated panic attacks and fear of future attacks.
Symptoms of panic attacks…
- Lasts 10 minutes.
- Feelings of intense fear or discomfort.
- Physical and cognitive.
- Arousal of the sympathetic nervous system: pounding heart, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, and dizziness.
- Person believes that he or she is dying and/or going crazy.
A panic attack occurs in the result of…
- A person with biological predisposition to panic - orexin systems of the brain.
- Exposed to social stressors.
- Interprets physical symptoms of arousal ad threatening or embarrassing.
- Has cognitions leading to panic that are modulated by cultural experiences.
Phobia
Unrealistic fear of an object or situation.
The person knows exactly what object or situation triggers their fear and anxiety.
Avoidance of the fear stimulus is the typical coping method - inconvenient.
Agoraphobia
Fear of open spaces, being outside the home alone, or being in a crowd.
Social Phobia
AKA Social Anxiety.
Fear of being scrutinized and criticized by others.
Typically begins during adolescence.
“Spotlight effect”
More prevalent in collectivistic cultures with their emphasis on shame and the opinions of other people.
Specific Phobias
Fear of objects or situations other than those associated with agoraphobia and social phobia.
