Chapter 13 - Psychological Disorders Flashcards
vulnerability-stress model
States that everyone has some degree of vulnerability to developing a given psychological disorder
vulnerability
a predisposition that can have a biological basis, such as our genotype, a brain malfunction, or a hormonal factor
stressor
situationsthat place demands on organisms that tax or exceed their resouces
abnormal behaviour
behavior that is personally distressful, personally disfuntional, and/or so culturally deviant that other people judge it to be innapropriate or maladaptive
reliability
in psychological testing
the consistency with which a measure assesses a given characteristic,
or different observers agree on a given score
validity
the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to
insanity
a legal decision that a defendant was so severely impaired at the time a crime was committed that they were incapable of appreciating the wrongfulness of the act or of controlling their behaviour
anxiety disorders
a group of behaviour disorders in which anxiety and associated maladaptive behaviours are the core of the disturbance
phobias
strong and irrational fears of certain objects or situations
agoraphobia
a fear of open and public places
social phobias
excessive fear of situations in which a person might be evaluated and possibly embarrased
specific phobias
fear of dogs, snakes, spiders, airplanes, etc
generalized anxiety disorder
a chronic state of diffuse, or “free-floating”, anxiety that is not attached to specific situations or objects
panic disorders
anxiety disorder characterized by unpredictable panic attacks and a fear that another will occur; may result in agoraphobia
obsessive-compulsive disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by persistent and unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviours
obsession
repetitive and unwelcome thoughts, images, or impulses that invade consciousness, are often abhorrent to the person, and are very difficult to dismiss or control
compulsion
repetitive behavioral responses that can be resisted on with great difficulty
biological preparedness
the notion that evolutionary factors have produced an innate readiness to learn certain associations that have had survival implications in the past
neurotic anxiety
occurs when unacceptable impulses threaten to overwhelm the ego’s defenses and explode into action
culture-bound disorders
disorders that only occur in certain places
anorexia nervosa
an intense fear of being fat and severely restrict their food intake to the point of self starvation
bulimia nervosa
binge and purging because of a fear of being fat
mood disorders
maladaptive mood states, such as depression or mania
major depression
a mood disorder characterized by intense depression that interferes markedly with functioning
dysthymia
a depressive mood disorder of moderate intensity that occurs over a long period of time but does not disrupt functioning as a major depression does
bipolar disorder
mood disorder in which intermittent mania appears against a background of depression
mania
a state of highly excited mood and behavior that is quite the opposite of depression
depressive cognitive triad
negative thoughts concerning:
1) the world
2) oneself
3) the future seems to pop into consciousness automatically
depressive attributional pattern
taking no credit for successes but blaming themselves for failure maintains
learned helplessness theory
depression occurs when people expect that bad events will occur and that there is nothing they can do to prevent or cope with them
somatoform disorders
involve physical complaints or disabilities that suggest a medical problem, but which have no known biological cause and are not produced by the person
hypochondriasis
people become alarmed about any physical symptom they detect, and are convinced that they have or are about to have a serious illness
pain disorder
experience intense pain that either is out of proportion to whatever medical condition they might have or for which no physical basis can be found
conversion disorder
serious neurological symptoms suddenly occur
dissociative disorders
disorders which involve a major dissociation of personal identity or memory
psychogenic amnesia
a person responds to a stressful event with extensive but selective memory loss
psychogenic fugue
a more profound dissociative disorder in which a person loses all sense of personal identity, gives up their customary life, wanders to a new faraway location, and establishes a new identity
dissociative identity disorder (DID)
multiple personality disorder, two or more separate personalities coexist in the same person
trauma-dissociation theory
the development of new personalities occurs in response to severe stress
schizoprenia
a psychotic disorder that involves severe disturbances in thinking, speech, perception, emotion, and behaviour
delusions
false beliefs that are sustained in the face of evidence that normally would be sufficient to destroy them
hallucinations
false perceptions that have a compelling sense of reality
Subtypes of Schizoprenia
1) Paranoid type
2) Disorganized type
3) Catatonic type
4) Undifferentiated Type
Paranoid type of schizoprenia
delusional thinking and suspiciousness
disorganized type
verbal incoherence, disordered thought processes, disorganized behaviour and inappropriate emotional responses
catatonic type
alternating dazed states and agitate excitement during which the person can be quite dangerous
undifferentiated type
some of the symptoms of other types of schizophrenia but not enough to be placed in one category
Type I schizoprenia
characterized by a predominance of positive symptoms
positive symptoms
delusions, hallucinations, and disordered speech and thinking
Type II schizophrenia
characterized by negative symptoms
negative symptoms
an absence of normal reactions
dopamine hypothesis
the symptoms of schizophrenia - particularly positive symptoms - are produced by an over-activity of dopamine system in areas of the brain that regulate emotional expression, motivated behaviour, and cognitive functioning
regression
a person retreats to an earlier and more secure stage of psychological development in the face of overwhelming anxiety
expressed emotion
high levels of criticism, hostility and over involvement
personality disorders
exhibit stable, inflexible and maladaptive ways of thinking, feeling and behaving
externalizing disorders
directed toward the environment in the form of behaviors that are disruptive and often aggressive
attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
problems may take the form of attentional difficulties, hyperactivity-impulsivity, or a combination of two that results in impaired functioning
oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
consistently behave in a disobedient, defiant, and hostile manner that interferes with the child’s functioning and interpersonal relationships
conduct disorder
violate important social norms and show disregard for the rights of others
internalizing disorders
involve maladaptive thoughts and emotions
dementia
the gradual loss of cognitive abilities that accompanies bran deterioration and interferes with normal functioning
Alzheimer’s disease
leading cause of dementia in the elderly
Competency
A defendant state of mind at the time of judicial hearing. Not at the time The crime was committed
Suicide
Willful taking of someone’s Own life
