Chapter 15 - Psychological disorders - Important terms Flashcards
Demonic model
view of mental illness in which odd behaviour, hearing voices, or talking to oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body
Medical model
View of mental illness as due to a physical disorder requiring medical treatment
Asylum
Institution for people with mental illnesses created in the fifteenth century
moral treatment
approach to mental illness calling for dignity, kindness, and respect for those with mental illness
deinstitutionalization
governmental policy in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals
labelling theorists
Scholars who argue that psychiatric diagnoses exert powerful negative effects on people’s perceptions and behaviours
Diagnositc and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
diagnostic system containing the APA criteria for mental disorders
Prevalence
percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disorder
Comorbidity
co-occurrence of two or more diagnoses within the same person
Categorical model
model in which a mental disorder differs from normal functioning in kind rather than degree
Dimensional model
Model in which a mental disorder differs from normal functioning in degree rather than kind
insanity defence
legal defence proposing that people shouldn’t be held legally responsible for their actions if they weren’t of “sound mind” when committing them
involuntary commitment
procedure of placing some people with mental illnesses in a psychiatric hospital or other facility based on their potential danger to themselves or others, or their inability to care for themselves
somatic symptom disorder
condition marked by physical symptoms that suggest an underlying medical illness, but that are actually psychological in origin
illness anxiety disorder
an individual’s continual preoccupation with the notion that he or she has a serious physical disease
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
continual feelings of worry, anxiety, physical tension, and irritability across many ares of life functioning
Panic attack
Brief, intense episode of extreme fear characterized by sweating, dizziness, light-headedness, racing heartbeat, and feelings of impeding death or going crazy
panic disorder
repeated and unexpected panic attacks, along with either persistent concerns about future attacks or a change in personal behaviour in an attempt to avoid them
phobia
intense fear of an object or situation that’s greatly out of proportion to its actual threat
agoraphobia
fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or embarrassing, or in which help is unavailable in the event of a panic attack
specific phobia
intense fear of objects, places, or situations that is greatly out of proportion to their actual threat
social anxiety disorder
intense fear of negative evaluation in social situations
PTSD
marked emotional disturbance after experiencing or witnessing a severely stressful event
OCD
condition marked by repeated and lengthy (At least one hour per day) immersion in obsessions, compulsions, or both
obsession
persistent idea, thought, or impulse that is unwanted and inappropriate, causing marked distress
compulsion
repetitive behaviour or mental act performed to reduce or prevent stress
anxiety sensitivity
fear of anxiety-related situations
major depressive episode
state in which a person experiences a lingering depressed mood or diminished interest in pleasurable activities, along with symptoms that include weight loss and sleep difficulties
cognitive model of depression
theory that depression is caused by negative beliefs and expectations
learned helplessness
tendency to feel helpless in the face of events we can’t control
manic episode
experience marked by dramatically elevated mood, decreased need for sleep, increased energy, inflated self-esteem, increased talkativeness, and irresponsible behaviour
bipolar disorder
condition marked by a history of at least one manic episode
personality disorder
condition in which personality traits, appearing first in adolescence, are inflexible, stable, expressed in a wide variety of situations, and lead to distress or impairment
borderline personality disorder
condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control
psychopathic personality
condition marked by superficial charm, dishonesty, manipulativeness, self-centredness, and risk taking
antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)
condition marked by a lengthy history of irresponsible and/or illegal actions
dissociative disorder
condition involving disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception
depersonalization/derealization disorder
condition marked by multiple episodes of depersonalization
dissociative amnesia
inability to recall important personal information - most often related to a stressful experience - that can’t be explained by ordinary forgetfulness
dissociative fugue
sudden, unexpected travel away from home or the workplace, accompanied by amnesia for significant life events
Dissociative identity disorder
condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states that recurrently take control of the person’s behaviour
schizophrenia
severe disorder of thought and emotion associated with a loss of contact with reality
delusion
strongly held, fixed belief that has no basis in reality
psychotic symptom
psychological problem reflecting serious distortions in reality
hallucination
sensory perception that occurs in the absence of an external stimulus
catatonic symptom
motor problem, including extreme resistance to complying with simple suggestions, holding the body in bizarre or rigid postures, or curling up in the fetal position
diathesis-stress model
perspective proposing that mental disorders are a joint product of genetic vulnerability, called a diathesis, and stressors that trigger this vulnerability
autism spectrum disorder
DSM-5 category that includes autistic disorder and Asperger’s disorder
ADHD
childhood condition marked by excessive inattention, impulsivity, and activity
