Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders Key Terms

Question 1

Syndrome:

Answer 1

A group, or cluster of related symptoms that are characteristic of a disorder.

Question 2

Comorbidity:

Answer 2

The occurrence of two or more psychological disorders at the same time.

Question 3

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD):

Answer 3

A childhood disorder characterized by inability to focus attention for more than a few minutes, to remain still and quiet, to do careful work.

Question 4

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD):

Answer 4

A childhood disorder characterized by severe language and social impairment along with repetitive habits and inward-focused behaviors.

Question 5

Joint attention:

Answer 5

The ability to make eye contact with others and to look in the same direction that someone else is looking.

Question 6

Psychotic disorders:

Answer 6

Psychological disorders of thought and perception, characterized by inability to distinguish between real and imagined perceptions.

Question 7

Schizophrenia:

Answer 7

A psychotic disorder characterized by significant disturbances in thought and emotion, specifically problems with perception, including hallucinations.

Question 8

Positive symptoms (of schizophrenia):

Answer 8

The perceptual experiences associated with schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusional thinking, and disorganized thought and speech.

Question 9

Hallucinations:

Answer 9

Convincing sensory experiences that occur in the absence of an external stimulus.

Question 10

Delusions:

Answer 10

One of the symptoms of schizophrenia: false beliefs or exaggerations held despite evidence to the contrary, such as the idea that one is a famous person.

Question 11

Negative symptoms (of schizophrenia):

Answer 11

Symptoms that include nonresponsiveness, emotional flatness, immobility, catatonia, problems with speech, and inability to complete tasks.

Question 12

Cognitive symptoms (of schizophrenia):

Answer 12

Problems with working memory, attention, verbal and visual learning and memory, reasoning and problem solving, processing, and speech.

Question 13

Word salad:

Answer 13

The speech of people with schizophrenia, which may follow grammatical rules but be nonsensical in terms of content.

Question 14

Diathesis-stress model:

Answer 14

An explanation for the origin of psychological disorders as a combination of biological predispositions (diathesis) plus stress or an abusive environment.

Question 15

Depressive disorder:

Answer 15

The category of psychological disorders that encompasses all forms of depression, including major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder.

Question 16

Major depressive disorder:

Answer 16

A mood disorder characterized by pervasive low mood, lack of motivation, low energy, and feelings of worthlessness and guilt that last for at least 2 consecutive weeks.

Question 17

Learned helplessness:

Answer 17

The sense of powerlessness that arises from the repeated inability to control or escape from stressful situations.

Question 18

Manic episodes:

Answer 18

One mood cycle in bipolar disorder, typically involving increased energy, sleeplessness, euphoria, irritability, delusions of grandeur, increased sex drive, and “racing” thoughts that last at least 1 week.

Question 19

Hypomanic episodes:

Answer 19

Symptoms of mania (e.g., increased energy, euphoria, racing thoughts) that are less severe.

Question 20

Cyclothymia:

Answer 20

A relatively mild form of bipolar disorder.

Question 21

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD):

Answer 21

A state of pervasive and excessive anxiety lasting at least 6 months.

Question 22

Panic attacks:

Answer 22

An anxiety disorder associated with perceptions of threat and occurring because of fear of danger, inability to escape, embarrassment, or specific objects.

Question 23

Panic disorder:

Answer 23

An anxiety disorder characterized by panic attacks and persistent anxiety about having more attacks.

Question 24

Phobia:

Answer 24

An anxiety disorder: an ongoing and irrational fear of a particular object, situation, or activity.

Question 25

Social phobia (social anxiety disorder):

Answer 25

An anxiety disorder: fear of humiliation in the presence of others, characterized by intense self-consciousness about appearance or behavior or both.

Question 26

Agoraphobia:

Answer 26

An anxiety disorder involving fear of being in places from which escape might be difficult or in which help might not be available, should a panic attack occur.

Question 27

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD):

Answer 27

An anxiety disorder in which uncontrollable thoughts lead to repeated, unwanted behaviors.

Question 28

Compulsion:

Answer 28

A repetitive behavior performed in response to uncontrollable urges or according to a ritualistic set of rules.

Question 29

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD):

Answer 29

A type of trauma- and stressor-related disorder that involves intrusive and persistent cognitive, emotional, and physiological symptoms triggered by catastrophic or horrifying events.

Question 30

Dissociative disorders:

Answer 30

Psychological disorders characterized by extreme splits or gaps in memory, identity, or consciousness.

Question 31

Dissociative identity disorder (DID):

Answer 31

A dissociative disorder in which a person develops at least two distinct personalities, each with its own memories, thoughts, behaviors, and emotions; some psychiatrists question the legitimacy of the disorder.

Question 32

Personality disorders:

Answer 32

Patterns of cognition, emotion, and behavior that develop in late childhood or adolescence and are maladaptive and inflexible; they are more stable than clinical disorders.

Question 33

Schizoid personality disorder:

Answer 33

An odd-eccentric personality disorder characterized by a desire to avoid close relationships as well as by emotional aloofness, reclusivity, and a lack of humor.

Question 34

Schizotypal personality disorder:

Answer 34

An odd-eccentric personality disorder characterized by a desire to live an isolated and asocial life, but also by the presence of odd thoughts and beliefs.

Question 35

Paranoid personality disorder:

Answer 35

An odd-eccentric personality disorder characterized by extreme suspicions and mistrust of others in unwarranted and maladaptive ways.

Question 36

Histrionic personality disorder:

Answer 36

A dramatic-emotional personality disorder characterized by the desire to be the center of attention and by dramatic, seductive, flamboyant, and exaggerated behaviors.

Question 37

Borderline personality disorder:

Answer 37

A dramatic-emotional personality disorder characterized by out-of-control emotions, fear of being abandoned by others, and vacillation between idealizing and despising people who are close to the person with the disorder.

Question 38

Narcissistic personality disorder:

Answer 38

A dramatic-emotional personality disorder characterized by having an extremely positive and arrogant self-image and being extraordinarily self-centered; other symptoms are an exaggerated sense of self-importance and grandiosity.

Question 39

Antisocial personality disorder:

Answer 39

Dramatic-emotional personality disorder characterized by extremely impulsive, deceptive, violent, ruthless, and callous behaviors; a serious and potentially dangerous disorder.

Question 40

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD):

Answer 40

An anxious-fearful personality disorder characterized by rigid habits and extreme perfectionism; more general than obsessive-compulsive disorder.