Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders Flashcards
mental disorder
significant disturbance in a person’s behavior, emotions, or cognition that causes distress or impairment in important areas of life
medical model
the idea that mental health issues are caused by physical problems in the brain, genetics, or other biological systems
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
a commonly reference book used to provide a standardized system to classify and diagnose mental disorders
comorbidity
when a patient has more than one mental disorder in addition to their primary diagnosis
biopsychosocial perspective
a model that considers the complex interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors in health and illness; biochemical alterations
Psychological factors, thoughts and emotions, and cultural factors
diathesis-stress model
suggests that everyone has some level of biological vulnerability for a mental disorder, and when faced with stressful life events, people with a diathesis are more likely to develop a disorder than those without
Research Domain Criteria Project (RDoC)
new framework for studying mental disorders that is based on biology rather than symptoms
anxiety disorder
a group of mental health conditions that cause people to experience excessive, persistent, and distressing fear and anxiety
phobic disorders
an anxiety disorder that involves an intense and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity;
specific phobia
an intense and irrational fear of a particular object or situation that poses little or no actual danger; spiders
social phobia
an intense and persistent fear of social situations where a person may be scrutinized by others; fears of being embarrassed or humiliated in public
preparedness theory
humans are biologically predisposed to learn to fear things that threatened the survival of our species in the past; phobias like fear of snakes/heights, are more common and easier to induce than other types of fears
panic disorder
an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated, unexpected episodes of intense fear and physical symptoms
agoraphobia
anxiety that occurs when one is in a public or crowded place from which a potential escape is difficult
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
a mental health disorder that involves excessive, persistent, and unrealistic worry about everyday things; money, relationships
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
disorder that involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts, or urges that are difficult to control (obsession) followed by repetitive behaviours in response to the obsessions (compulsion)
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
disorder developed after experiencing a traumatic event that threatens life or physical integrity and safety; combat
mood disorders
a disturbance that involves extreme mood fluctuations that negatively impact a person’s life
major depressive disorder (unipolar depression)
a mental health condition characterized by a persistent low mood and other symptoms that interfere with daily life
persistent depressive disorder
a mild to moderate chronic depression that involves a sad or dark mood most of the day, on most days, for two years or more
double depression
an informal term for a combination of persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and major depressive disorder (MDD)
seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
a type of depression that’s characterized by a seasonal pattern of depressive episodes
helplessness theory
It’s a mental state that occurs when someone repeatedly experiences a stressful situation and believes they can’t control or change it; internal, stable, global
bipolar disorder
a mental illness that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels; manic to MDD
expressed emotion (EE)
negative attitudes, in the form of criticism and emotional over involvement, demonstrated by family members toward a person with a mental disorder
schizophrenia
a chronic mental disorder that causes disruptions in thought, perception, emotions, and social interactions
positive symptoms
changes in a person’s thoughts or behaviors that are added to their normal functioning and are not present in a healthy person
hallucination
False sensory experiences, such as hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, or feeling something that isn’t there
delusion
Fixed false beliefs that are inconsistent with the person’s culture
negative symptoms
reduction or absence of normal behaviours or abilities that are present in the average person
disorganized symptoms
behaviors and thought processes that are abnormal or jumbled and can cause significant problems with communication and daily life
disorganized speech
speaking incoherently, jump from topic to topic, or repeat words or ideas
grossly disorganized behaviour
a symptom of schizophrenia that can manifest in a variety of ways; dressing inappropriately
catatonic behaviour
posturing, where the person maintains a rigid posture for long periods of time; movement problem
cognitive symptoms
signs of a problem with the mental processes of learning, understanding, and communicating
dopamine hypothesis
a model that suggests that schizophrenia is caused by an imbalance (overactivity) of dopamine in the brain
autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people communicate, interact with others, behave, and learn
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
a behavioral condition that affects a person’s ability to focus and function
conduct disorder
a behavioural problem in children and adolescents involving aggression and law-breaking tendencies; bullying, aggression towards animals
personality disorders
a long-term pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that differs from what is expected and causes problems in personal, social, and work situations
antisocial personality disorder (APD)
a mental health condition characterized by a pattern of disregarding and violating the rights of others; serial killers, psychopaths/sociopaths
suicide
death caused by intentional, self-directed injurious behaviour
suicide attempt
An act of self-harm that is intended to result in death but does not
nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)
a self-inflicted act that causes pain or superficial damage but is not intended to cause death
