Glossary 5 Flashcards
The field concerned with the nature and development of mental disorders
psychopathology.
A personality syndrome related to antisocial personality disorder but defined by an absence of emotion, impulsivity, manipulativeness, and irresponsibility.
psychopathy.
The discipline concerned with the bodily changes that accompany psychological events
psychophysiology.
A primarily verbal means of helping troubled individuals change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviour to reduce distress and to achieve greater life satisfaction.
psychotherapy.
Delusions or hallucinations characterising a subtype of episodes of major depressive disorder or mania. Also used to refer to positive symptoms of schizophrenia
psychotic features.
A method of assigning people to groups by chance (e.g., using a flip of a coin). The procedure helps to ensure that groups are comparable before the experimental manipulation begins
random assignment.
Studies in which clients are randomly assigned to receive either active treatment or a comparison (a placebo condition involving no treatment or an active-treatment control group that receives another treatment); experimental treatment studies, where the independent variable is the treatment type and the dependent variable is client outcome
randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
Term applied to bipolar disorders if the person has experienced at least four episodes within the past year
rapid cycling.
A cognitive restructuring behaviour therapy introduced by Albert Ellis and based on the assumption that much disordered behaviour is rooted in absolutistic, unrealistic demands and goals, such as, “I must be universally loved”.
rational-emotive behaviour therapy (REBT).
The phenomenon wherein behaviour changes because it is being observed
reactivity.
In psychoanalytic theory, the manner in which the ego delays gratification and otherwise deals with the environment in a planned, rational fashion.
reality principle.
A protein embedded in a neural cell membrane that interacts with one or more neurotransmitters. Nonneural receptor proteins include hormone receptors.
receptor.
The genetic predisposition for an individual to seek out certain environments that increase the risk of developing a particular disorder. Compare gene-environment interaction
reciprocal gene-environment interaction.
The extent to which a test, measurement, or classification system produces the same scientific observation each time it is applied. Reliability types include test-retest, the relationship between the scores that a person achieves when he or she takes the same test twice; interrater, the relationship between the judgments that at least two raters make independently about a phenomenon; split-half, the relationship between two halves of an assessment instrument that have been determined to be equivalent; alternate-form, the relationship between scores achieved by people when they complete two versions of a test that are judged to be equivalent; and internal consistency, the degree to which different items of an assessment are related to one another.
reliability.
The fourth and final stage of the sexual response cycle, characterised by an abatement of muscle tension, relaxation, and a sense of well-being.
resolution phase.
Cellular process by which released neurotransmitters are taken back into the presynaptic cell, terminating their present postsynaptic effect but making them available for subsequent modulation of nerve impulse transmission
reuptake.
An experimental design in which behaviour is measured during a baseline period (A), during a period when a treatment is introduced (B), during the reinstatement of the conditions that prevailed in the baseline period (A), and finally during a reintroduction of the treatment (B); commonly used in operant research to isolate cause-effect relationships
reversal (ABAB) designs.
System of brain structures involved in the motivation to pursue rewards. Believed to be involved in depression, mania, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders
reward system.
A condition or variable that increases the likelihood of developing a disorder
risk factor.
A projective test in which the examinee is instructed to interpret a series of 10 inkblots reproduced on cards
Rorschach Inkblot Test.
Repetitive thought about why a person is experiencing a negative mood
rumination.
Behaviours used to avoid experiencing anxiety in feared situations, such as the tendency of people with social phobia to avoid looking at other people (so as to avoid perceiving negative feedback) or the tendency of people with panic disorder to avoid exercise (so as to avoid somatic arousal that could trigger a panic attack)
safety behaviours.
A mental structure for organizing information about the world.
schema.
Diagnosis applied when a patient has symptoms of both mood disorder and either schizophreniform disorder or schizophrenia
schizoaffective disorder.
A personality disorder defined by emotional aloofness; indifference to the praise, criticism, and feelings of others; maintenance of few, if any, close friendships; and solitary interests
schizoid personality disorder.
A disorder characterised by disturbances in thought, emotion, and behaviour; disordered thinking in which ideas are not logically related; delusional beliefs, faulty perception, such as hallucinations; disturbances in attention; disturbances in motor activity; blunted expression of emotion; reduced desire for interpersonal relations and withdrawal from people; diminished motivation and anticipatory pleasure. See also schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and brief psychotic disorder
schizophrenia.
Diagnosis given to people who have all the symptoms of schizophrenia for more than 2 weeks but less than 6 months. Compare brief psychotic disorder
schizophreniform disorder.
Personality disorder defined by eccentricity, oddities of thought and perception (magical thinking, illusions, depersonalisation, realisation), digressive speech involving overelaborations, and social isolation; under stress, behavior may appear psychotic.
schizotypal personality disorder.
A subtype of mood disorders in which episodes consistently occur at the same time of year; in the most common form, major depressive episodes consistently occur in the winter.
seasonal affective disorder.
Intracellular molecules whose levels are increased by sustained activity of neurotransmitter, for example, receptors, and which affect the resting states of ion channels or regulate gene expression of receptor molecules, thus modulating the cells sensitivity to neurotransmitter.
second messengers.
Any of several drugs, such as clozapine, used to treat schizophrenia that produce fewer motor side effects than traditional antipsychotics while reducing positive and disorganised symptoms at least as effectively; may, however be associated with increased and serious side effects of other varieties
second-generation antipsychotic drugs
Also referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette; contains higher concentrations of ammonia, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar than the smoke inhaled by the smoker
secondhand smoke.
Drugs that slow bodily activities, especially those of the central nervous system; used to reduce pain and tension and to induce relaxation and sleep
sedatives.
The tendency for less healthy individuals to die more quickly, which leads to biased samples in long-term follow-up studies.
selective mortality.
A specific form of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) with less effect on dopamine and norepinephrine levels; SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic neuron, so that serotonin levels in the cleft are sustained for a longer period of time
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
In behavioural assessment, a procedure whereby the individual observes and reports certain aspects of his or her own behaviour, thoughts, or emotions
self-monitoring.
A term applied to exercises prescribed at the beginning of the Masters and Johnson sex therapy program, in which partners are instructed to fondle each other to give pleasure but to refrain from intercourse, thus reducing anxiety about sexual performance.
sensate focus.
A disorder in which the child feels intense fear and distress when away from someone on whom he or she is very dependent.
separation anxiety disorder.
In the subcortical region of the brain, the area anterior to the thalamus
septal area.
A neurotransmitter of the central nervous system whose disturbances apparently figure in depression
serotonin.
Any of various drugs that inhibit the presynaptic reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, thereby prolonging its effects on postsynaptic neurons
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs).
A particular gene critical to the gene-environment interactions that apparently contribute to the development of depression.
serotonin transporter gene.
Any of various drugs that inhibit the presynaptic reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, such that both neurotransmitters will have more prolonged effects on postsynaptic neurons.
serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
An operation removing existing genitalia and constructing a substitute for the genitals of the opposite sex.
sex-reassignment surgery.
A DSM-IV-TR diagnosis involving avoidance of nearly all genital contact with other people. Compare hypoactive sexual desire disorder.
sexual aversion disorder.
