Mental Disorders

Question 1

What is the DSM?

Answer 1

The DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, lists all medically recognized mental disorders, along with standard criteria for diagnoses.

The DSM is now in its 5th edition (DSM-V)

Question 2

Define:

a mental illness

Answer 2

A mental illness is a medical condition that involves disruption in a person’s thinking, behavior, mood, or social interaction, to the point of severely decreasing his/her ability to function in everyday life.

Question 3

Define:

psychosis

Answer 3

Psychosis is a general term for a mental state that involves a loss of contact with reality, generally involving hallucinations or delusions.

Question 4

Define:

schizophrenia

Answer 4

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder whose main feature includes a loss of touch with reality, or psychosis.

Schizophrenia is extremely difficult to treat.

Question 5

What are the major symptoms of schizophrenia?

Answer 5

The major symptoms of schizophrenia include:

1. Delusions
2. Hallucinations
3. Paranoia
4. Reduced emotional expressiveness
5. Disorganized speech
6. Difficulty planning tasks or thinking through decisions

Question 6

Approximately what percentage of the population of the United States suffers from schizophrenia?

Answer 6

About 1% of adults in the United States suffer from schizophrenia at some point in their lives.

Question 7

Are there any known causes of schizophrenia?

Answer 7

There are no known causes of schizophrenia.

There are, however, multiple possible schizophrenia correlates including:

A disconnection between brain regions
Issues with the neurotransmitters glutamate and dopamine
Brain abnormalities, although none are universal
Genetic predisposition
Experiencing a traumatic event

Question 8

Define:

a mood disorder

Answer 8

A mood disorder is any mental disorder in which disturbances in mood are the main feature.

Question 9

What are three examples of mood disorders?

Answer 9

1. Bipolar disorder
2. Major depressive disorder
3. Dysthymia

Question 10

Define:

major depressive disorder

Answer 10

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mood disorder characterized by persistent low mood, feelings of worthlessness, and an inability to experience pleasure or find meaning in life.

Question 11

Which brain irregularities are observed in people with depression?

Answer 11

People that have depression tend to show:

1. Reduced activity in several brain regions, particularly the prefrontal cortex
2. Overactive amygdala
3. Reduced volume of the hippocampus

Question 12

Approximately what percentage of the population of the United States suffers from depression?

Answer 12

About 16.5% of the adult population of the United States is afflicted with depression at some point in their lives.

Question 13

What role does stress play in major depressive disorder?

Answer 13

Prolonged stress leads to a high level of glucocorticoids in the blood. In large amounts, glucocorticoids prevent neurogenesis (the formation of new cells) in the hippocampus, as well as other brain regions.

In effect, the more stress a person experiences, the more shrunken their hippocampus will become.

The reduced size of the hippocampus is a common brain abnormality among people with depression.

Question 14

What three neurotransmitters seem to be related to major depressive disorder?

Answer 14

1. Serotonin
2. Norepinephrine
3. Dopamine

Question 15

Define:

dysthymia

Answer 15

Dysthymia is a mood disorder characterized by chronic depression in which symptoms are not as severe as major depressive disorder.

Question 16

Define:

bipolar disorder

Answer 16

Bipolar disoder is a type of mood disorder that is characterized by quick fluctuations between a depressed phase and a highly manic phase.

Question 17

What are the symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar disorder?

Answer 17

Symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar disorder include:

1. Racing thoughts
2. Extreme talkativeness
3. Reckless behavior
4. Little need for sleep
5. Elevated mood and/or extreme irritability

Question 18

Define:

a personality disorder

Answer 18

A personality disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of rigid, inflexible behavior that deviates from the cultural norms or social expectations, particularily relating to others.

A person with a personality disorder tends to think his/her behavior is normal and appropriate.

Question 19

Define:

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 19

Antisocial personality disorder is a type of personality disorder marked by a lack of empathy and a disregard for right and wrong.

People with antisocial personality disorder are often good at flattery and manipulation; they often lie, cheat, and steal, rarely showing remorse.

Question 20

Is antisocial personality disorder more common in males or females?

Answer 20

males

However, not much more is known because sufferers rarely feel the need to seek help.

Question 21

What are two childhood warning signs of antisocial personality disorder?

Answer 21

1. An extreme impulse to set fires
2. A cruelty to animals

Question 22

Define:

avoidant personality disorder

Answer 22

Avoidant personality disorder is a personality disorder marked by anxiety and reluctance to connect with others.

People with avoidant personality disorder exhibit feelings of inadequacy, shyness due to anxiety, and their feelings are easily hurt.

Question 23

Approximately what percentage of the population suffers from avoidant personality disorder?

Answer 23

About 1% of the population suffers from avoidant personality disorder at any given time.

Avoidant personality disorder affects males and females equally.

Question 24

What personality disorder is commonly referred to as sociopathy or psychopathy?

Answer 24

Both are essentially synonymous with antisocial personality disorder.

Question 25

Define:

borderline personality disorder

Answer 25

Borderline personality disorder, (BPD), is a personality disorder marked by extremely unstable mood and impulsive behavior.

People with BPD exhibit extreme distress in response to real or perceived abandonment, an intolerance of being alone, feelings of emptiness and boredom, and self-injury.

Question 26

Is borderline personality disorder more prevalent in males or females?

Answer 26

BPD is much more common in females than in males.

Question 27

Define:

an anxiety disorder

Answer 27

An anxiety disorder is a group of disorders characterized by intense and inappropriate anxiety, especially in response to neutral stimuli, to the point of interfering with daily functioning.

Question 28

What are five examples of anxiety disorders?

Answer 28

Five examples of anxiety disorders are:

1. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
2. Generalized anxiety disorder
3. Panic disorder
4. Social anxiety/phobia
5. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Question 29

Define:

a panic disorder

Answer 29

A panic disorder is an anxiety disorder that involves frequent panic attacks, even when there is no immediate threat.

Question 30

Define:

a panic attack

Answer 30

A panic attack is a brief (15-20 minute) burst of intense fear and anxiety felt by people that suffer from panic disorder.

During a panic attack the person might experience dizziness, chest pain, nausea, sweating, shaking, and the feeling that one is about to die.

Question 31

For someone who suffers from panic disorder, what is the cause of a panic attack?

Answer 31

Panic attacks are almost entirely unpredictable, or they are set off by neutral stimuli that are associated with previous panic attacks.

Question 32

Define:

agoraphobia

Answer 32

Agoraphobia is a subtype of panic disorder; it is marked by a fear of being in places or situations where escape might be difficult, even if the situation is harmless.

Often, agoraphobia includes the fear of leaving one’s house at all.

Question 33

Define:

post-traumatic stress disorder

Answer 33

Post-traumatic stress disorder, (PTSD), is an anxiety disorder triggered by and closely related to a past traumatic event.

Question 34

What are four symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder?

Answer 34

Four symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include:

1. Flashbacks to the traumatic event
2. Nightmares
3. Emotional numbness or excessive irritability
4. Avoidance of things associated with the traumatic event

Question 35

Define:

obsessive-compulsive disorder

Answer 35

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder marked by unwanted repetitive thoughts, feelings, or ideas (obsessions), and ritualized actions triggered by those ideas (compulsions).

Question 36

Which brain irregularities are observed in people with an anxiety disorder?

Answer 36

People with an anxiety disorder tend to show:

1. Larger, more active amygdala
2. Smaller hippocampus

In people with OCD there is a overactivity of central grey nuclei in the brain, the structure responsible for involuntary movement.

Question 37

Define:

autism

Answer 37

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that appears within the first 3 years of a child’s life.

Whether or not autism should be described as a “mental illness” is up for debate.

Question 38

What are some of the major symptoms associated with autism?

Answer 38

Some of the major symptoms associated with autism include:

1. Difficulty with social interaction
2. Slow development of speaking ability
3. Repetition of overheard phrases
4. Heightened or decreased sensitivity to external stimuli
5. Distress in response to changes in routine

Question 39

What brain irregularities are often times, but not always, observed in people with autism?

Answer 39

An overgrowth of the brain is observed in prenatal and early postnatal development of some, but not all, people with autism.