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HKU Psych > Defining Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

Defining Psychological Disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

abnormal psychology

A

the application of psychological science to understanding and treating mental disorders

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2
Q

psychological disorder

A

an ongoing dysfunctional pattern of thought, emotion, and behavior that causes significant distress, and that is considered deviant in that person’s culture or society

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3
Q

bio-psycho-social model of illness

A

a way of understanding disorder that assumes that disorder is caused by biological, psychological, and social factors

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4
Q

diagnosis not purely exact

A

emotional states and behaviors operate on a continuum, ranging from more “normal” and “accepted” to more “deviant,” “abnormal,” and “unaccepted.”

Whether a given behavior is considered a psychological disorder is determined not only by whether a behavior is unusual (e.g., whether it is “mild” anxiety versus “extreme” anxiety) but also by whether a behavior is maladaptive—that is, the extent to which it causes distress (e.g., pain and suffering) and dysfunction (impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) to the individual

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5
Q

Comorbidity

A

occurs when people who suffer from one disorder also suffer at the same time from other disorders

Another difficulty in diagnosing psychological disorders is that they frequently occur together

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6
Q

Philippe Pinel

A

believed that mental illness was caused by a combination of physical and psychological stressors, exacerbated by inhumane conditions as opposed to spirits or whatever

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7
Q

stigma

A

a disgrace or defect that indicates that person belongs to a culturally devalued social group

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8
Q

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

A

a document that provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders

organizes the diagnosis of disorder according to five dimensions (or axes) relating to different aspects of disorder or disability
DSM uses categories, and patients whose symptoms are similar to the description of the category are said to have that disorder

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9
Q

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

A

a developmental behavior disorder characterized by problems with focus, difficulty maintaining attention, and inability to concentrate, in which symptoms start before 7 years of age

some argue it is overdiagnosed today

quadrupled over the past 20 years

BUT Twin studies have found that ADHD is heritable nd neuroimaging studies have found that people with ADHD may have structural differences in areas of the brain that influence self-control and attention

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10
Q

autistic disorder (autism)

A

a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior, and in which symptoms begin before 7 years of age

heritability of autism has been estimated to be as high as 90%

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11
Q

Asperger’s disorder

A

a developmental disorder that affects a child’s ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others and in which symptoms begin before 7 years of age

almost identical to that of autism (with the exception of a delay in language development)

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12
Q

anxiety

A

the nervousness or agitation that we sometimes experience, often about something that is going to happen

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13
Q

anxiety disorders

A

psychological disturbances marked by irrational fears, often of everyday objects and situations

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14
Q

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

A

a psychological disorder diagnosed in situations in which a person has been excessively worrying about money, health, work, family life, or relationships for at least 6 months, even though he or she knows that the concerns are exaggerated, and when the anxiety causes significant distress and dysfunction

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15
Q

panic disorder

A

a psychological disorder characterized by sudden attacks of anxiety and terror that have led to significant behavioral changes in the person’s life

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16
Q

phobia

A

a specific fear of a certain object, situation, or activity

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17
Q

social phobia

A

extreme shyness around people or discomfort in social situations

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18
Q

agoraphobia

A

anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or in which help may not be available

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19
Q

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

A

a psychological disorder that is diagnosed when an individual continuously experiences distressing or frightening thoughts, and engages in obsessions (repetitive thoughts) or compulsions (repetitive behaviors) in an attempt to calm these thoughts.

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20
Q

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A

experience high levels of anxiety along with reexperiencing the trauma (flashbacks), and a strong desire to avoid any reminders of the event

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21
Q

dissociative disorder

A

a condition that involves disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, and identity

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22
Q

Dissociative amnesia

A

a psychological disorder that involves extensive, but selective, memory loss, but in which there is no physiological explanation for the forgetting

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23
Q

dissociative fugue

A

a psychological disorder in which an individual loses complete memory of his or her identity and may even assume a new one, often far from home

24
Q

Dissociative identity disorder

A

a psychological disorder in which two or more distinct and individual personalities exist in the same person, and there is an extreme memory disruption regarding personal information about the other personalities

25
Q

host personality

A

the personality in control of the body most of the time

26
Q

alter personalities

A

tend to differ from each other in terms of age, race, gender, language, manners, and even sexual orientation

27
Q

mood

A

the positive or negative feelings that are in the background of our everyday experiences

28
Q

Mood (or affective) disorders

A

psychological disorders in which the person’s mood negatively influences his or her physical, perceptual, social, and cognitive processes

29
Q

dysthymia

A

a condition characterized by mild, but chronic, depressive symptoms that last for at least 2 years

30
Q

Major depressive disorder (clinical depression)

A

a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities

31
Q

bipolar disorder

A

a psychological disorder characterized by swings in mood from overly “high” to sad and hopeless, and back again, with periods of near-normal mood in between

32
Q

Schizophrenia

A

a serious psychological disorder marked by delusions, hallucinations, loss of contact with reality, inappropriate affect, disorganized speech, social withdrawal, and deterioration of adaptive behavior

symptoms are divided into positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms

33
Q

Positive symptoms

A

the presence of abnormal behaviors or experiences (such as hallucinations) that are not observed in normal people

34
Q

negative symptoms

A

(such as lack of affect and an inability to socialize with others) refer to the loss or deterioration of thoughts and behaviors that are typical of normal functioning

include social withdrawal, poor hygiene and grooming, poor problem-solving abilities, and a distorted sense of time

35
Q

cognitive symptoms

A

the changes in cognitive processes that accompany schizophrenia

difficulty comprehending information and using it to make decisions (the lack of executive control), difficulty maintaining focus and attention, and problems with working memory (the ability to use information immediately after it is learned)

36
Q

psychosis

A

a psychological condition characterized by a loss of contact with reality

37
Q

hallucinations

A

imaginary sensations that occur in the absence of a real stimulus or which are gross distortions of a real stimulus.

auditory are most common

38
Q

delusions

A

false beliefs not commonly shared by others within one’s culture, and maintained even though they are obviously out of touch with reality

39
Q

derailment

A

the shifting from one subject to another, without following any one line of thought to conclusion

40
Q

grossly disorganized behavior

A

inappropriate sexual behavior, peculiar appearance and dress, unusual agitation (e.g., shouting and swearing), strange body movements, and awkward facial expressions

41
Q

inappropriate affect

A

a patient may laugh uncontrollably when hearing sad news

42
Q

catatonia

A

a state in which a person does not move and is unresponsive to others

43
Q

personality disorder

A

a disorder characterized by inflexible patterns of thinking, feeling, or relating to others that cause problems in personal, social, and work situations

odd or eccentric behavior, those characterized by dramatic or erratic behavior, and those characterized by anxious or inhibited behavior

they may become problematic when they are rigid, overused, or interfere with everyday behavior

common to all the disorders is the person’s inability to accurately understand and be sensitive to the motives and needs of the people around them

personality disorders are essentially milder versions of more severe Axis I disorders

44
Q

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

A

a psychological disorder characterized by a prolonged disturbance of personality accompanied by mood swings, unstable personal relationships, identity problems, threats of self-destructive behavior, fears of abandonment, and impulsivity

internalizing disorder

research suggests that excessive affective reactions and lessened cognitive reactions to emotional stimuli may contribute to the emotional and behavioral volatility of borderline patients

45
Q

antisocial personality disorder (APD)

A

characterized by a disregard of the rights of others, and a tendency to violate those rights without being concerned about doing so. APD is a pervasive pattern of violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood

externalizing disorder

sociopaths or psychopaths

46
Q

somatization disorder (also called Briquet’s syndrome or Brissaud-Marie syndrome)

A

a psychological disorder in which a person experiences numerous long-lasting but seemingly unrelated physical ailments that have no identifiable physical cause

almost always comorbid with other psychological disorders, including anxiety and depression and dissociative states

47
Q

conversion disorder

A

a psychological disorder in which patients experience specific neurological symptoms such as numbness, blindness, or paralysis, but where no neurological explanation is observed or possible

48
Q

Hypochondriasis (hypochondria)

A

psychological disorder that is focused on preoccupation, accompanied by excessive worry about having a serious illness

49
Q

factitious disorder

A

fake physical symptoms in large part because they enjoy the attention and treatment that they receive in the hospital

Münchausen syndrome

50
Q

malingering

A

fabricating the symptoms of mental or physical disorders, but where the motivation for doing so is to gain financial reward; to avoid school, work, or military service; to obtain drugs; or to avoid prosecution

51
Q

Sexual dysfunction

A

a psychological disorder that occurs when the physical sexual response cycle is inadequate for reproduction or for sexual enjoyment

52
Q

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder

A

refers to a persistently low or nonexistent sexual desire.

53
Q

Sexual aversion disorder

A

refers to an avoidance of sexual behavior caused by disgust or aversion to genital contact

54
Q

Female sexual arousal disorder

A

persistent difficulties becoming sexually aroused or sufficiently lubricated in response to sexual stimulation in women

55
Q

dyspareunia and vaginismus

A

refer to sexual pain disorders that create pain and involuntary spasms, respectively, in women, and thus make it painful to have sex

56
Q

Gender identity disorder (GID, or transsexualism)

A

diagnosed when the individual displays a repeated and strong desire to be the other sex, a persistent discomfort with one’s sex, and a belief that one was born the wrong sex, accompanied by significant dysfunction and distress

57
Q

paraphilia

A

a sexual deviation where sexual arousal is obtained from a consistent pattern of inappropriate responses to objects or people, and in which the behaviors associated with the feelings are distressing and dysfunctional

HKU Psych (13 decks)

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