Exam 1 - Ch. 1,2,3, & 5 Flashcards
__ is the field devoted to the scientific study of abnormal behavior to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning
Abnormal psychology
Abnormality usually determined by the presence of several characteristics at one time such as:
- Statistical infrequency
- Violation of norms
- Personal distress
- Disability or dysfunction
- Unexpectedness
Anti-social behavior of the __ violates __ and is threatening to others
Psychopath; social norms
“Violation of norms” needs to be considered in reference to prevailing __
Cultural norms
Homosexuality removed from DSM in __
1973
__ is a behavior that creates personal suffering, distress or torment in the person
Personal distress
__ is a behavior that causes impairment in some important area of life i.e. work, personal relationships, recreational activities
Impairment
__ is a surprising or out-of-proportion response to environmental stressors can be considered abnormal
Unexpectedness
Although generally is defined as behavior that is deviant, distressful, dysfunctional, and dangerous, these criteria often are __
Vague / subjective
__ are inflexible and maladaptive, causing distress and/or impairment
Predispositions
A personality disorder typically becomes recognizable in __ or __
Adolescence; early adulthood
What are the ABCs of psychological functioning:
Affect
Behavior
Cognition
__ is the range, intensity, and changeability of emotions and emotional responsiveness
Affect
__ is the ability to control impulses and interactions with others
Behavior
__ is perceptions and interpretations of events, other people, and oneself
Cognition
Those diagnosed with personality disorders are often also diagnosed with an Axis I disorder. This relationship is called __
Comorbidity
The various personality disorders __ each other so much that it can be difficult to distinguish one from another
Overlap
The frequent __ between clinicians and diagnosticians has raised concerns about the validity (accuracy) and reliability (consistency) of these categories
Lack of agreement
Personality disorders Cluster A:
- Paranoid
- Schizoid
- Schizotypal
Personality disorders Cluster B:
- Anti-social
- Borderline
- Histrionic
- Narcissistic
Personality disorders Cluster C:
- Avoidant
- Dependent
- Obsessive-compulsive
Between __% and __% of the general population is estimated to have paranoid personality disorder
0.5; 4.5
__ is characterized by persistent avoidance of social relationships and limited emotional expression
Schizoid personality disorder
Which disorder is this?
- Withdrawn and reclusive, people with this disorder do not have close ties with other people; they genuinely prefer to be alone
- Focus mainly on themselves and are often seen as flat, cold, humorless, and dull
- Estimated to affect fewer than 1% of the population (slightly more likely to occur in men than in women)
Schizoid Personality Disorder
What are the clinical features of the Schizotypal Personality Disorder?
- Behavior and dress is odd and unusual
- Most are socially isolated and may be highly suspicious of others
- Magical thinking, ideas of reference, and illusions are common
- Risk for developing schizophrenia is high in this group
- Many also meet criteria for major depression
The behaviors of people with these disorders are so dramatic, emotional, or erratic that it is almost impossible for them to have relationships that are truly giving and satisfying.
Which disorder is this?
“Dramatic” personality disorder
__ is a negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension, and apprehension about the future
Anxiety
__ is an immediate alarm reaction to danger
Fear
A __ is defined as an abrupt experience of intense fear or acute discomfort, accompanied by physical symptoms that usually include heart palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, and possibly dizziness
Panic attack
What does DSM stand for?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Depleted levels of gamma aminobutyruc acid (GABA), are associated with increased __
Anxiety
The __ system, as well as the serotonergic neurotransmitter system, is also involved in anxiety
Noradrenergic
The most common additional diagnosis for all anxiety disorders was __
Major depression
The area of the brain most often associated with anxiety is the __
Limbic system
The __ acts as a mediator between the brain stem and the cortex
Limbic system
The __ is activated by signals from the brain stem of unexpected events, such as major changes in body functioning that might signal danger
Behavioral inhibition system
The __ originates in the brain stem and travels through several midbrain structures, including the amygdala, the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, and the central gray matter; when stimulated produces an immediate alarm-and-escape response
Fight/flight system (FFS)
- Believed that the FFS is activated partly by deficiencies in serotonin
__ cues are places or situations similar to the one where the initial panic attack occurred, whereas __ cues are increases in heart rate or respiration that were associated with the initial panic attack, even if they are now the result of normal circumstances i.e. exercise
External; internal
__ trigger our biological and psychological vulnerabilities to anxiety
Stressful life events
Putting the factors together in an integrated way, we have described a theory of development of anxiety called the __
Triple vulnerability theory
The first vulnerability (or diathesis) is a __
Generalized biological vulnerability
–> We can see that a tendency to be uptight or high-strung might be inherited
The second vulnerability is a __, for example you might grow up believing the world is dangerous and out of control and you might not be able to cope when things go wrong based on your early experiences
Generalized psychological vulnerability
The third vulnerability is a __ in which you learn from early experience, such as being taught by your parents, that some situations or objects are fraught with danger (even if they really aren’t)
Specific psychological vulnerability
Anxiety disorders combined with depression will make the risk of suicide significantly __ than the risk for a person who has depression alone
Greater
__ describes worrying and being unable to decide what to do about an upcoming problem or situation
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Anxiety is associated with specific __ (e.g., behavioral inhibition system or fight/flight system) and __ systems (e.g., noradrenergic)
Brain circuits; neurotransmitter
__ is associated with autonomic arousal, presumably as a result of a sympathetic nervous system surge (i.e., increased heart rate, palpitations)
Panic
__ is characterized by muscle tension, mental agitation, susceptibility, some irritability, and difficult sleeping
GAD
People with __ mostly worry about minor, everyday life events, a characteristic that distinguishes GAD from other anxiety disorders
GAD
GAD was found to be most common in the __ group, and least common in the __ group
Older (45+ years); youngest (15-24 years)
What causes GAD?
There may be a genetic contribution
- Several studies have found that individuals with GAD show less responsiveness on most physiological measures i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, skin conductance, etc.
The one physiological measure that consistently distinguishes the anxious group is __
Muscle tension
What are the four distinct cognitive characteristics of people with GAD?
1) Intolerance of uncertainty
2) Erroneous beliefs about worry
3) Poor problem orientation
4) Cognitive avoidance
__ are most often prescribed for generalized anxiety, and the evidence indicates that they give some relief, at least in the short term
Benzodiazepines
There is stronger evidence for the usefulness of __ in the treatment of GAD, such as paroxetine and venlafaxine
Antidepressants
__ in which individuals experience severe unexpected panic attacks
Panic Disorder (PD)
PD is accompanied by a closely related disorder called __, which is fear and avoidance of situations in which a person feels unsafe or unable to escape to get home or to a hospital in the event of a developing panic symptoms or other physical symptoms
Agoraphobia
__ is significantly associated with the use of cocaine, stimulants, and hallucinogens
Panic Disorder (PD)
Panic attacks occur more frequently between __ and __ than at any other time
1:30 a.m; 3:30 a.m
Nocturnal panics occur during __ or __, which typically occurs several hours after we fall asleep and is the deepest stage of sleep
Delta wave; slow-wave sleep
__, similar to nocturnal panic, occurs during the transitional state between sleep and waking. During this period the individual is unable to move and experiences a surge of terror that resembles a panic attack; occasionally, the person who also has vivid hallucinations
Isolated sleep paralysis
What are two possible explanations of isolated sleep paralysis?
1) REM sleep is spilling over into the waking cycle (one feature of REM sleep is lack of bodily movement)
2) Vivid dreams, which could account for the experience of hallucination
Harmless exercise is an example of a(n) __ cue or a conditioned stimulus for a panic attack
Internal
Cues that become associated with several different internal and external stimuli through a learning process is called __
Learned alarms
A model of the causes of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia would look like:
__ –> __ –> __ –> __ –> __ –> __ –> __
Generalized psychological or biological vulnerability; Stress; False alarm; Learned alarm; Specific psychological vulnerability; Anxious apprehension; Panic disorder
What is the strategy of exposure-based treatments?
To arrange conditions in which the patient can gradually face the feared situations and learn there is nothing to fear
__ concentrates on exposing patients with panic disorder to the cluster of interoceptive sensations that remind them of their panic attacks
Panic control treatment (PCT)
General conclusions from the study of the separate and combined effects of psychological and drug treatments suggest __
No advantage to combining drugs and CBT initially for panic disorder and agoraphobia
A __ is an irrational fear of a specific object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’s ability to function
Specific phobia
What are the four major subtypes of specific phobia?
1) Animal type
2) Natural environment type (i.e. heights, storms, water)
3) Blood-injury-injection type
4) Situational type (i.e. planes, elevators, or enclosed places)
- A fifth category, “other” includes phobias that do not fit any of the four major subtypes
Those with __ phobias almost always differ in their physiological reaction from people with other types of phobia
Blood-injury-injection
Phobias characterized by fear of public transportation or enclosed places are called __
Situational phobias
What is the main difference between situational phobia and panic disorder with agoraphobia?
People with situational phobia never experience panic attacks outside the context of their phobic object or situation
- Therefore they can relax when they don’t have to confront their phobic situation
Fears of situations or events occurring in nature is callec __
Natural environment phobias
i.e. heights, storms, water
Fear of animals and insects are called __
Animal phobias
What are two other ways besides experiencing a traumatic event that is the ‘cause’ of specific phobias?
1) Observing someone else experience severe fear
2) Being told about danger
- People can also develop phobias by experiencing a false alarm (panic attack) in a specific situation
Specific phobias require __ and __ exercises
Structured; consistent exposure-based
__ is characterized by a child’s unrealistic and persistent worry that something will happen to his parents or other important people in his life, or that something will happen to the child himself that will separate him from his parents
Separation anxiety disorder
__ percent of adults with Severe Anxiety Disorder (SAD) in their sample experienced severe teasing and bullying in childhood, compared with only __ percent to __ percent among people with other anxiety disorders
92; 35; 50
A much smaller number of people, who suffer severely around others, have __
Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
In the United States, __ are typically more likely to be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (as well as GAD and PD) than other faces. __ cultures show the lowest rates of SAD
White Americans; Asian
__ is a rare childhood disorder characterized by a lack of speech in one or more settings in which speaking is socially expected
Selective mutism (SM)
Nearly __ percent of a series of 50 children with selective mutism also met criteria for SAD
100