Chapter 22: Psychology: Vocabulary Flashcards
psychiatry
Branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness
psychotherapy
Psychological techniques are treating mental disorders
psychopharmacology
Drug therapy
child psychiatrists
Specializes in the treatment of children
forensic psychiatrists
Specializes in the legal aspects of psychiatry, such as determination of mental competence in criminal cases
psychoanalysis
Where the patient freely relates their thoughts and associations to the analyst, who does not interfere with the process
psychologist
Nonmedical professional who is trained in methods of psychological testsing, psychotherapy, analysis, and research
clinical psychologist
Uses various methods of psychotherapy to treat patients, but unlike a psychiatrist, cannot prescribe drugs or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
amnesia
Loss of memory
anxiety
Varying degrees of uneasiness, apprehension, or dread often accompanied by palpitations, tightness in the chest, breathlessness, and choking sensations
apathy
Absence of emotions; lack of interest, emotional involvement, or motivation
compulsion
Uncontrollable urge to perform an act repeatedly in an attempt to reduce anxiety
conversion
Anxiety becomes a bodily symptom, such as blindness, deafness, or paralysis, that does not have a physical basis
delusion
Fixed, false believe that cannot be changed by logical reasoning or evidence
dissociation
Uncomfortable thoughts are split off from the person’s conscious awareness to avoid mental distress. In extreme cases, dissociation can lead to multiple personalities
dysphoria
Intense feelings of depression, discontent, and generalized dissatisfaction with life
euphoria
Intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, excitement, and joy
hallucination
False or unreal sensory perception as, for example, hearing voices when none are present
illusion
Misperception of an actual sensory stimulus, such as hearing voices in the sound of rustling leaves
labile
Variable; undergoing rapid emotional change
mania
Elevated, expansive state with talkativeness, hyperactivity, and racing thoughts
mutism
No, or very little, ability to speak
obsession
Involuntary, persistent idea or emotion
paranoia
Overly suspicious system of thinking; fixed delusion that one is being harassed, persecuted, or unfairly treated
id
Represents the unconscious instincts and psychic energy present from birth. Contains basic drives that, operating according to the pleasure principle, seek immediate gratification regardless of the reality of the situation
ego
Central coordinating branch of the personality. It is the mediator between the id and the outside world. It is the part of the personality that evaluates and assesses the reality of the situation (reality testing). The ego is perceived as being “self” by the individual
superego
Interalized conscious and moral part of the personality. It encompasses the sense of discipline derived from parental authority and society.
defense mechanisms
Techniques people use to ward off the anxiety produced by these conflicts
psychosis
Mental illness that involves significant impairment of reality testing with symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre behaviour
panic disorder
Recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and persistent concern about having another panic attack between episodes
panic attack
Abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes.
Symptoms:
- palpitations
- sweating
- trembling
- sensations of shortness of breath
- feeling of choking
- chest pain or discomfort
- nausea or abdominal distress
- feeling dizzy or faint
- feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself
- fear of losing control or “going crazy”
- fear of dying
- numbness or tingling
phobic disorders
Characterized by irrational or debilitating fears associated with a specific object or situation. Patient goes to extreme lengths to avoid the object or their fear.
agoraphobia
Fear of being in open, crowded, public places from which escape would be difficult or in which help might not be readily available, or going out alone in “unsafe” places
social phobia
social anxiety disorder
Fear of situations in which the affected person is open to public scrutiny, which would result in possible embarrassment and humiliation
claustrophobia
Fear or closed-in places
acrophobia
Fear of heights
zoophobia
Fear of animals
obsessive-compulsive disorder
OCD
Involves recurrent thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive acts (compulsions) that dominate the patient’s life. The patient experiences anxiety if they are prevented from performing special rituals
post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD
Development of symptoms following exposure to a traumatic event.
Symptoms:
- intense fear
- helplessness
- insomnia
- nightmares
- diminished responsiveness to the external world
generalized anxiety disorder
GAD
Characterized by chronic anxiety and exaggerated worry and tension even when there is little or nothing to provoke such feelings
bipolar disorder
Characterized by one or more manic episodes alternating with depressive episodes
hypomania
Describes a mood resembling mania, but of lesser intensity
bipolar disorder I
Characterized by one or more manic episodes, often alternating with major depressive episodes
bipolar disorder II
Characterized by recurrent major depressive episodes alternating with hypomanic episodes
cyclothymic disorder
Mild form of bipolar disorder characterized by at least 2 years of numerous periods with hypomanic symptoms that do not meet the criteria for mania and depressive symptoms that do not meet the criteria for a major depressive disorder
depressive disorder
Marked by the occurrence of one or more major depressive episodes without a history of mania or hypomania
major depressive disorder
Involves
- episodes of severe dysphoria
- increase or decrease in appetite
- changes in weight
- insomnia or sleeping too much
- fatigue or low energy
- feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, excessive or inappropriate guilt
- difficulty thinking or concentrating
- recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
persistent depressive disorder
dysthymia
Depressive disorder involving depressed mood (feeling sad or “down in the dumps”) that persists over a 2 year period but is not as severe as major depression. Also, no psychotic features
seasonal affective disorder
SAD
A regular appearance of depression may occur within a period of approximately 60 days, between the beginning of October and the end of November every year
dissociative disorder
Condition involving breakdown in memory, identity, or perception
fugue
Sudden travel away from home or work
identity disorder
The presence of two or more distinct personality states
dissociative amnesia
Inability to recall autobiographical information
depresonalization/derealization disorder
Experiences of unreality, detachment, or being an outside observer with respect to one’s thought and surroundings
anorexia nervosa
Characterized by the refusal to maintain a minimal normal body weight. The patient is intensely afraid of gaining weight and has a disturbance in perception of the shape or size of their body
bulimia nervosa
Characterized by binge eating (uncontrolled indulge in food) following by purging (eliminating food from the body). Patients maintain normal or nearly normal weight because after bingeing, they engage in inappropriate purging such as self-induced vomiting and misuse of laxatives or enemas
neurocognitive disorders
Disturbances in cognition (thinking, perception, reasoning, and judgement)
delirium
Acute episodes of confused thinking, disorientation, and behavioural changes
delirium tremens
Brought on by stopping alcohol consumption suddenly after prolonged periods of heavy alcohol injestion
dementia
Progressive loss of intellectual abilities such as judgement, memory, and reasoning as well as changes in personality.
neurodevelopmental disorders
Group of childhood disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills
intellectual disability disorders
Deficient in intellectual functions (reasoning, problem solving, planning, abstract thinking) and inability to adapt and interact in activities of daily life
communication disorders
Persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language (spoken or written), including:
- reduced vocabulary
- limited sentence structure
- impairments in speaking
affect
External expression of emotion, or emotional response
amnesia
Loss of memory
anorexia nervosa
Eating disorder with excessive dieting and refusal to maintain a normal body weight
anxiety disorders
Characterized by unpleasant tension, distress, and avoidance behaviour
apathy
Absence of emotions; lack of interest or emotional involvement
autism
Neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inhibited social interaction and communication and by restricted, repetitive behaviour
bipolar disorders
These disorders are marked by alternating periods of mania and depression
bulimia nervosa
Eating disorder with binge eating followed by vomiting, purging, and depression
cannabis
Plant substance from which marijuana is obtained
compulsion
Uncontrollable urge to perform an act repeatedly in an attempt to reduce anxiety
conversion disorder
Condition marked by neurologic symptoms with no organic (physical) basis, appearing as a result of anxiety and unconscious inner conflict
defense mechanism
Unconscious technique (coping mechanism) used to resolve or conceal conflicts and anxiety
delirium
Acute episodes of confused thinking, disorientation, agitation, and fearfulness
delusion
Fixed, false belief that cannot be changed by logical reasoning or evidence
dementia
Progressive loss of intellectual abilities such as memory, judgement, and reasoning as well as changes in personality
depressive disorders
Major psychiatric disorders with chronic sadness, loss of energy, hopelessness, worry, discouragement, and commonly suicidal thoughts or impulses
dissociative disorders
Conditions involving breakdown in memory, identity, or perception
ego
Central coordinating branch of the personality or mind
fugue
Unconscious flight from customary surroundings
gender dysphoria
Strong and persistent cross-gender identification with the opposite sex that causes clinically significant stress
hallucination
False sensory perception (hearing voices and seeing things)
id
Major unconscious part of the personality; energy from instinctual drives and desires
labile
Unstable; undergoing rapid emotional change
mania
Elevated expansive state (euphoria) with hyperactivity, talkativeness, and racing thoughts
mutism
No ability or little ability to speak
neurodevelopmental disorders
Group of childhood disorders characterized by delays in socialization and communication skills
obsession
Involuntary, persistent idea, urge or emotion
obsessive-compulsive disorder
Anxiety disorder in which recurrent thoughts are repetitive acts dominate behaviour
paranoia
Overly suspicious system of thinking with fixed delusions of being harassed, persecuted, or unfairly treated
paraphilia
Recurrent intense sexual urge, fantasy, or behaviour that involves unusual objects, activities or situations
personality disorders
Lifelong personality patterns marked by inflexibility and impairment of social functioning
phobia
Irrational or disabling fear (avoidance) of an object or situation
post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD
Anxiety-related symptoms appear after personal experience of a traumatic event
projective (personality) test
Diagnostic personality test using stimuli (inkblots, pictures, abstract patterns, incomplete sentences) to evoke responses that reflect aspects of an individual’s personality
psychiatrist
Physician (MD degree) or osteopath (DO degree) with medical training in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders
