chapter 7: psychological disorders

Question 1

biomedical approach

Answer 1

therapy includes intervention focused on symptom reduction, assumes that any disorder is result of biomedical disturbance and so should be treated with biomedical means; fails to account for other sources of disorder such as lifestyle and socioeconomic status; ex. wouldnt account for diet as factor leading to heart disease

Question 2

biopsychosocial approach

Answer 2

broader classification system; biological, psychological, and social components to disorder; ex. genetics can predisposition someone to depression but stress can contribute to severity of depression and social environment (career, family, friends) might also be stressors

Question 3

Treatment from biopsychosocial approach

Answer 3

provides direct therapy (medication or meetings with psychologist) and indirect therapy (increase social support of family and friends)

Question 4

Schizophrenia

Answer 4

psychotic disorder; positive symptoms:behaviors that are addition to normal behavior-hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought; negative symptoms: absence of desired behavior-disturbance of affect and avolition

Question 5

Delusions of reference

Answer 5

belief that common elements in environment are directed towards them; ex. belief that TV characters are talking to them

Question 6

Delusions of persecution

Answer 6

belief that the person is being deliberately interfered with/discriminated against/threatened

Question 7

Delusions of grandeur

Answer 7

belief that they are remarkable in some significant way

Question 8

Hallucinations

Answer 8

perceptions that are not due to external stimuli but are in one’s head and have sense of reality; ex. hearing voices in your head

Question 9

Disturbance of affect

Answer 9

blunting: severe reduction in emotion expression, flat affect: no signs of emotional experience; inappropriate affect: emotion doesnt match context (laughing at a funeral)

Question 10

Avolition

Answer 10

decreased engagement in purposeful, goal-directed actions

Question 11

Major Depressive Disorder

Answer 11

requires at least one major depressive episode (period of at least 2 weeks with at least 5 depressive symptoms); symptoms must cause significant distress or impairment in functioning

Question 12

Persistent depressive disorder

Answer 12

individuals who suffer from dysthymia; not severe enough to meet criteria of major depressive episode, but lasting for at least two years; also can diagnose people with MDD who have had it at least 2 years

Question 13

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

Answer 13

major depressive disorder with seasonal onset, in winter months, related to abnormal melatonin metabolism, treated with bright light therapy

Question 14

bipolar disorders

Answer 14

characterized by depression and mania; manic episodes: abnormal and persistently elevated mood lasting at least a week with increased distractibility, decreased need for sleep, inflated self-esteem

Question 15

Bipolar I disorder

Answer 15

manic episodes with or without major depressive episodes

Question 16

Bipolar II

Answer 16

hypomania (does not significantly impair functioning, just more energetic and optimistic) with at least one major depressive episode

Question 17

Cyclothymic disorder

Answer 17

combination of hypomanic episodes and periods of dysthemia (not severe enough for MDD)

Question 18

Monoamine/catecholamine theory of depression

Answer 18

too much norepinephrine and serotonin in synapse leads to mania, too little leads to depression

Question 19

Generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 19

persistent worry about many different things; symptoms such as fatigue, muscle tension, sleep difficulties

Question 20

Specific phobia

Answer 20

irrational fear that results in compelling desire to avoid it; anxiety produced by specific object or situation

Question 21

Social anxiety disorder

Answer 21

anxiety in social situations

Question 22

agoraphobia

Answer 22

fear of being in places/situations where it might be difficult to escape; ex. fear of leaving home for fear of panic attack

Question 23

Panic disorder

Answer 23

repeated panic attacks-symptoms: fear and apprehension, trembling, sweating, hyperventilation

Question 24

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder

Answer 24

includes obsessions (persistent, intrusive thoughts and impulses; produces tension) and compulsions (repetitive tasks) which relieve the tension; obsessions raise stress level and compulsions relieve the stress

Question 25

Body dysmorphic disorder

Answer 25

unrealistic negative evaluation of personal appearance, usually directed towards a certain body part

Question 26

PTSD

Answer 26

after experiencing traumatic event; intrusion symptoms: reliving event/flashbacks, nightmares; avoidance symptoms:avoid memories, people, places; negative cognitive symptoms: inability to recall key features of event, negative mood & emotions; arousal symptoms:increased startle response, anxiety

Question 27

Dissociative amnesia

Answer 27

inability to recall past experiences, but not due to neurological disorder; often linked to trauma; may have dissociative fugue-confused about identity and purposeless wandering

Question 28

Dissociative identity disorder

Answer 28

multiple personalities that take control of behavior; usually suffered physical or sexual abuse; components of identity fail to integrate

Question 29

Depersonalization/ derealization disorder

Answer 29

feel detached from their own mind and body or from surroundings; out of body experience=depersonalization; derealization=giving the world a dreamlike quality

Question 30

Somatic symptom disorder

Answer 30

at least one bodily symptom that causes significant anxiety and concerns that are disproportionate to its severity

Question 31

Illness anxiety disorder

Answer 31

consumed with thoughts of having or developing a serious medical condition

Question 32

Conversion disorder

Answer 32

unexplained symptoms affecting voluntary motor or sensory functions; usually occurs after traumatic event; ex. paralysis or blindness without evidence of neurological damage

Question 33

Cluster A Personality disorders

Answer 33

“weird”; paranoid P.D:deep distrust of others; schizotypal P.D.:pattern of odd/eccentric thinking, magical thinking, delusions; schizoid P.D.:pattern of detachment from social relationships and restricted emotional expressions

Question 34

Cluster B personality disorders

Answer 34

“wild”; antisocial P.D.:disregard for/violations to rights of others, serial killers who show no regret; borderline P.D. : instability in interpersonal behavior, mood, self image, intense fear of abandonment; histrionic P.D.: constant attention-seeking behavior; narcissistic P.D.: grandiose sense of self

Question 35

Cluster C personality disorders

Answer 35

“worried”; avoidant P.D.: extreme shyness and fear of rejection; dependent P.D.:continuous need for reassurance, dependent on significant other; obsessive compulsive P.D.: perfectionist/ inflexible, needs rules and order

Question 36

Biological basis schizophrenia

Answer 36

genetic component but also trauma at birth, especially hypoxemia (low oxygen in blood); excess dopamine in brain

Question 37

Biological markers of depression

Answer 37

high glucose metabolism in amygdala; hippocampal atrophy, high levels cortisol, decreased DA, NE, serotonin as result of impaired production

Question 38

Biological markers bipolar dissorder

Answer 38

increased NE and serotonin, higher risk if parent has bipolar, higher risk for people with multiple sclerosis

Question 39

Biological basis Alzheimers

Answer 39

genetics-risk factor; deficient blood flow to parietals, reduction acetylcholine, beta-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles

Question 40

Biological basis Parkinson’s disease

Answer 40

bradykinesia (slowness of movement), tremor, rigidity, shuffling gait with stooped posture; caused by decreased dopamine in substantia nigra that results in impaired functioning of basal ganglia; L-dopa, dopamine precursor given to patients