Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

mental disorder

Answer 1

significant disturbance in a person’s behavior, emotions, or cognition that causes distress or impairment in important areas of life

Question 2

medical model

Answer 2

the idea that mental health issues are caused by physical problems in the brain, genetics, or other biological systems

Question 3

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

Answer 3

a commonly reference book used to provide a standardized system to classify and diagnose mental disorders

Question 4

comorbidity

Answer 4

when a patient has more than one mental disorder in addition to their primary diagnosis

Question 5

biopsychosocial perspective

Answer 5

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

Question 6

diathesis-stress model

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Research Domain Criteria Project (RDoC)

Answer 7

new framework for studying mental disorders that is based on biology rather than symptoms

Question 8

anxiety disorder

Answer 8

a group of mental health conditions that cause people to experience excessive, persistent, and distressing fear and anxiety

Question 9

phobic disorders

Answer 9

an anxiety disorder that involves an intense and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity;

Question 10

specific phobia

Answer 10

an intense and irrational fear of a particular object or situation that poses little or no actual danger; spiders

Question 11

social phobia

Answer 11

an intense and persistent fear of social situations where a person may be scrutinized by others; fears of being embarrassed or humiliated in public

Question 12

preparedness theory

Answer 12

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

Question 13

panic disorder

Answer 13

an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated, unexpected episodes of intense fear and physical symptoms

Question 14

agoraphobia

Answer 14

anxiety that occurs when one is in a public or crowded place from which a potential escape is difficult

Question 15

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Answer 15

a mental health disorder that involves excessive, persistent, and unrealistic worry about everyday things; money, relationships

Question 16

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 16

disorder that involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts, or urges that are difficult to control (obsession) followed by repetitive behaviours in response to the obsessions (compulsion)

Question 17

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 17

disorder developed after experiencing a traumatic event that threatens life or physical integrity and safety; combat

Question 18

mood disorders

Answer 18

a disturbance that involves extreme mood fluctuations that negatively impact a person’s life

Question 19

major depressive disorder (unipolar depression)

Answer 19

a mental health condition characterized by a persistent low mood and other symptoms that interfere with daily life

Question 20

persistent depressive disorder

Answer 20

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

Question 21

double depression

Answer 21

an informal term for a combination of persistent depressive disorder (PDD) and major depressive disorder (MDD)

Question 22

seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Answer 22

a type of depression that’s characterized by a seasonal pattern of depressive episodes

Question 23

helplessness theory

Answer 23

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

Question 24

bipolar disorder

Answer 24

a mental illness that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels; manic to MDD

Question 25

expressed emotion (EE)

Answer 25

negative attitudes, in the form of criticism and emotional over involvement, demonstrated by family members toward a person with a mental disorder

Question 26

schizophrenia

Answer 26

a chronic mental disorder that causes disruptions in thought, perception, emotions, and social interactions

Question 27

positive symptoms

Answer 27

changes in a person’s thoughts or behaviors that are added to their normal functioning and are not present in a healthy person

Question 28

hallucination

Answer 28

False sensory experiences, such as hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, or feeling something that isn’t there

Question 29

delusion

Answer 29

Fixed false beliefs that are inconsistent with the person’s culture

Question 30

negative symptoms

Answer 30

reduction or absence of normal behaviours or abilities that are present in the average person

Question 31

disorganized symptoms

Answer 31

behaviors and thought processes that are abnormal or jumbled and can cause significant problems with communication and daily life

Question 32

disorganized speech

Answer 32

speaking incoherently, jump from topic to topic, or repeat words or ideas

Question 33

grossly disorganized behaviour

Answer 33

a symptom of schizophrenia that can manifest in a variety of ways; dressing inappropriately

Question 34

catatonic behaviour

Answer 34

posturing, where the person maintains a rigid posture for long periods of time; movement problem

Question 35

cognitive symptoms

Answer 35

signs of a problem with the mental processes of learning, understanding, and communicating

Question 36

dopamine hypothesis

Answer 36

a model that suggests that schizophrenia is caused by an imbalance (overactivity) of dopamine in the brain

Question 37

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Answer 37

a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people communicate, interact with others, behave, and learn

Question 38

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Answer 38

a behavioral condition that affects a person’s ability to focus and function

Question 39

conduct disorder

Answer 39

a behavioural problem in children and adolescents involving aggression and law-breaking tendencies; bullying, aggression towards animals

Question 40

personality disorders

Answer 40

a long-term pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that differs from what is expected and causes problems in personal, social, and work situations

Question 41

antisocial personality disorder (APD)

Answer 41

a mental health condition characterized by a pattern of disregarding and violating the rights of others; serial killers, psychopaths/sociopaths

Question 42

suicide

Answer 42

death caused by intentional, self-directed injurious behaviour

Question 43

suicide attempt

Answer 43

An act of self-harm that is intended to result in death but does not

Question 44

nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)

Answer 44

a self-inflicted act that causes pain or superficial damage but is not intended to cause death