Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

What is a syndrome?

Answer 1

A cluster of physical or mental symptoms that are typical of a particular condition or psychological disorder and that tend to occur simultaneously.

Question 2

What is a symptom?

Answer 2

A physical or mental feature that may be regarded as an indication of a particular condition or psychological disorder.

Question 3

What is point prevalence?

Answer 3

The percentage of people in a given population who have a given psychological disorder at any particular point in time.

Question 4

What is lifetime prevalence?

Answer 4

The percentage of people in a certain population who will have a given psychological disorder at any point in their lives.

Question 5

What is a clinical assessment?

Answer 5

A procedure for gathering the information that is needed to evaluate an individual’s psychological functioning and to determine whether a clinical diagnosis is warranted.

Question 6

What is a clinical interview?

Answer 6

An interview in which a clinician asks the patient to describe their problems and concerns.

Question 7

What is a projective test?

Answer 7

A form of clinical assessment in which a person responds to unstructured or ambiguous stimuli; it is thought that responses reveal unconscious wishes and conflicts.

Question 8

What is neuroticism?

Answer 8

A personality dimension associated with heightened levels of negative affect.

Question 9

What is anxiety?

Answer 9

A feeling of intense worry, nervousness, or unease.

Question 10

What is a social anxiety disorder?

Answer 10

An anxiety disorder characterized by extreme fear of being watched, evaluated, or judged by others.

Question 11

What is a panic disorder?

Answer 11

An anxiety disorder characterized by the occurrence of unexpected panic attacks.

Question 12

What is agoraphobia?

Answer 12

A fear of being in situations in which help might not be available or escape might be difficult or embarrassing.

Question 13

What is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?

Answer 13

An anxiety disorder characterized by continuous, pervasive, and difficult-to-control anxiety.

Question 14

What is obsessive-compulsive disorder (ODC)?

Answer 14

An anxiety disorder that manifests itself through obsessions (unwanted and disturbing thoughts) and/or compulsions (ritualistic actions performed to control the obsessions).

Question 15

What are trauma- and stressor-related disorders?

Answer 15

Psychological disorders that are triggered by an event that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation.

Question 16

What is an acute stress disorder?

Answer 16

A trauma- or stressor-related disorder that lasts less than one month.

Question 17

What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Answer 17

A trauma- or stressor-related disorder that lasts one month or more.

Question 18

What is comorbidity?

Answer 18

The occurrence of two or more disorders in a single individual at any given point in time.

Question 19

What is the concordance rate?

Answer 19

The probability that a person with a particular familial relationship to a patient has the same disorder as the patient.

Question 20

What are mood-related disorders?

Answer 20

Disorders that involve prominent disturbances in a person’s positive and negative feeling states.

Question 21

What is major depressive disorder or depression?

Answer 21

A mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, emptiness, and anhedonia (diminished interest or pleasure in activities that usually provide pleasure).

Question 22

What is bipolar disorder?

Answer 22

A mood-related disorder characterized by both manic (excited and energetic) episodes and depressive episodes, with normal periods interspersed.

Question 23

What is hypomania?

Answer 23

A mild form of mania marked by high-spirits, happiness, self-confidence, and a high level of nervous energy.

Question 24

What is mania?

Answer 24

A state of high excitement and energy often characterized by racing thoughts, a feeling of invincibility or omnipotence, and a lack of boundaries or inhibitions.

Question 25

What is a negative cognitive schema?

Answer 25

A mental framework in which a person consistently interprets events negatively.

Question 26

What is schizophrenia?

Answer 26

A psychological disorder characterized by a loss of contact with reality and a breakdown of the normal functions of the mind, leading to bizarre perceptions.

Question 27

What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 27

Behaviours that do not appear in healthy people.

Question 28

What are delusions?

Answer 28

False beliefs that are rigidly maintained despite overwhelmingly contradictory evidence.

Question 29

What are hallucinations?

Answer 29

Sensory experiences that occur in the absence of any sensory input or stimulation.

Question 30

What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 30

An absence of behaviours usually seen in healthy people.

Question 31

What is the dopamine hypothesis?

Answer 31

The hypothesis that schizophrenia arises from an abnormally high level of activity in brain circuits that are sensitive to the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Question 32

What is a neurodevelopmental disorder?

Answer 32

A disorder that stems from early brain abnormalities.

Question 33

What are civil commitment laws?

Answer 33

Laws that specify when people can be hospitalized against their will for mental treatment.

Question 34

What does it mean when someone is judged not guilty by reason of insanity?

Answer 34

A modern legal concept that holds that people are not responsible criminal behaviour if at the time of that behaviour they had a mental disorder that left them substantially unable either to understand that what they were doing was wrong or to behave as they know they should.

Question 35

What is criminal commitment?

Answer 35

Enforced hospitalization for criminals who plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Question 36

What is an autism spectrum disorder?

Answer 36

A disorder usually diagnosed in young children, and characterized by a wide range of developmental problems, including persistent deficits in social communication/interction and restricted or repetitive patterns of interest or behaviour.

Question 37

What is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?

Answer 37

A disorder usually diagnosed in young children that involves a wide range of symptoms, including blurting out answers in class, fidgeting, and difficulty in shifting attentional focus.

Question 38

What is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?

Answer 38

A disorder defined by the presence of two or more distinct personality states within a single person, each with its own style, habits, beliefs, and memories.

Question 39

What is a personality disorder?

Answer 39

A pattern of behaviour and inner experience that (1) deviates markedly from social norms and expectations, (2) is inflexible and pervasive across a broad range of personal and social situations, and (3) leads to clinically significant distress or impairment.

Question 40

What are Cluster A personality disorders?

Answer 40

Odd or eccentric behaviours: - paranoid > widespread suspiciousness or mistrust of others - schizoid > striking detachment from others - schizotypal > discomfort with close relationships, cognitive or perceptual distortions, and odd behaviour

Question 41

What are Cluster B personality disorders?

Answer 41

Dramatic or emotional behaviours: - antisocial > consistent disregard for - and violation of - others' rights - borderline > impulsive behaviour and marked instability in relationships, self-concept, and affect - histrionic > unusual degree of attention seeking and emotionality - narcissistic > grandiosity, lack of empathy, and need for attention and admiration from others

Question 42

What are Cluster C personality disorders?

Answer 42

Anxious and fearful behaviours: - avoidant > social inhibition and social insecurity - dependant > excessive need to be taken care of by others - obsessive-compulsive > preoccupation with orderliness, perfection, and control