Final Exam Flashcards
What is abnormal behavior?
behavior that is deviant, maladaptive, or personally distressful over a relatively long period of time
What is maladaptive behavior?
interferes with one’s ability to function effectively in the world; behavior that presents a danger to the person or those around him or her is also considered maladaptive
What is the psychological approach?
it emphasizes the contributions of experiences, thoughts, emotions, and personality characteristics in explaining psychological disorders
What types of characteristics are taken into consideration when using the sociocultural approach?
this approach emphasizes the social contexts in which a person lives, including gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family relationships, and culture
What are the main controversies surrounding DMS-5?
Central criticism is that it treats psychological disorders as if they are mental illnesses, taking an overly biological view of disorders that may have their roots in social experience; other concerns: stigma (shame, neg. rep), medterm implies internal cause, focuses on weakness and ignores strength, promotes over-diagnoses
What feelings or emotions are associated with anxiety disorders?
anxiety disorders involve fears that are uncontrollable, disproportionate to the actual danger the person might be in, and disruptive of ordinary life; they feature motor tension, hyperactivity, and apprehensive expectations and thoughts
What are the characteristics of panic disorder?
recurrent panic attacks, the onset of which are unpredictable and manifested by intense apprehension, fear, or terror, often associated with feelings of impending doom accompanied by intense physical discomfort; symptoms include: accelerated heart rate, sweating, trembling, or shaking
What disorders fall under the category of anxiety disorders?
phobic disorders, panic disorders, and generalized anxiety disorder
What are the effects of PTSD?
flashbacks, avoidance of emotional experiences, emotional numbness, excessive arousal, startle, difficulties with memory and concentration, and impulsive outbursts
What is the leading cause of disability in the US?
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
What brain structures are involved in depression? Are these structures less or more active?
prefrontal cortex- less activity in section that is involved in generating actions and in regions of brain associated with the perception of rewards in the environment
What is learned helplessness?
tendency for some depressed persons to perpetuate depression by blaming themselves for negative events
How many people who commit suicide are thought to have a diagnosable mental disorder?
about 90%
In people suffering from anorexia nervosa, what is their weight when compared to normal people?
weight less than 85% of what is considered normal of age and height
What is the main feature of dissociative disorders?
sudden loss of memory or change in identity
What is the least common dissociative disorder?
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
What are the positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and disorders of movement
What are hallucinations?
sensory experiences that occur in the absences of real stimuli
What type of disorders are benzodiazepines use to treat? What are some examples of them?
benzodiazepines are used to treat anxiety disorders and some examples include Xanax, Valium, and Librium.
What are Tricylics and what disorder are the used to treat?
they are antidepressant drugs typically used to reduce the symptoms of depression or other mood disorders