Midterm 1 Flashcards
define/explain the significance of PKU
-PKU is a disorder in which phenylanine cannot be metabolized and has a negative effect on brain development (causes retardation). PKU is caused by a defect in only one gene (no environmental causes, not polygenic)
treatment for PKU
removal of Phenylanine from the diet until development has completed.
polygenic traits
-intelligence, behavior, personality are all polygenic
-defined as being caused by the expression of multiple genes
how much of a role do genetics generally play in determining psychological disorders?
genetics play some role in all psychological disorders, but they only cause 40% of psychological disorders. This means that environmental factors dictate whether or not genetic predisposition will result in a genetic disorder.
Diathesis-stress model
-type of multidimensional population model
-argues that genetic predispositions for disorders can increase likelihood
-ALSO argues that predispositions will only lead to a psychological disorder if there are sufficient environmental conditions to “activate” the genes
multidimensional model
-model where multiple factors contribute to the outcome of psychological issues
-“cannot be caused out of context or in isolation”????
gene environment correlation model
-argues that the amount of risk genes a person inherits their likeliness to have a psychological disorder
main approaches to current understanding of mental illness
supernatural, biological, psychological
supernatural tradition
-deviance is the battle between good and evil
-use of trepnation, exorcisms, and witchcraft to explain mental illness and treat mental illness
etiology
-use of moon and stars to explain psychological disorders, similar to astrology
syphillis/neurosyphillis
-marks the beginning of the biological tradition
-demonstration of how biological factors can determine psychological problems
Louis Pasteur
-developed germ theory
-led to the identification and treatment of bacterial infections (neurosyphyllis) with antibiotics
-helped in demonstrating how biological factors can determine psychological problems
biological tradition
-the understanding of mental illness as a medical disorder
-emphasis on diet, rest, and room temp.
psychological tradition
-reflects the change of viewing mental illness as having an environmental, social, and interpersonal context (environmental factors)
what is a psychological disorder?
-disturbances in cognition, emotional regulation, and and behavior
-IMPORTANT: Causes personal distress and individual dysfunction
Potential areas of individual dysfunction
-cognitive(how you think)
-behavioral(how you act)
-emotional(how you feel)
all of these relate to CBT
cultural competance
-assessing an individual’s disorder in the context of their culture
-“culture bound sydromes”/ “cultural idioms of distress”
-lack of cultural competance can lead to over and underdiagnosis
Does personal impairment and individual dysfunction appear in all disorders?
-No, you can have disorders with no personal impairment but still individual dysfunction (ex. mania)
CAN YOU HAVE DISORDERS WITH NO INDIVIDUAL DYSFUNCTION BUT YES PERSONAL IMPAIRMENT? MASKING?
categorical approach
-population model where a division of individuals w symptoms at a certain threshold determines when intervention is appropriate
-DSM 5 generally follows this approach
dimensional approach
-argues that all members of the population have some degree of a disorder
-allows us to focus on causal factors of the disorder
characteristics of a good diagnostic test
-reliable, valid, standardized
test-retest
-a measure of reliability, ensures that a test produces reliable results if taken twice (assuming nothing significant changed in bw tests)
inter-rater
-measure of reliability, agreement bw two different raters about the results of the same test
methods of psychological assessment
-mental status exam
-clinical interview
-questionaires
-behavioral observations
mental status exam
-gives a broad understanding of the patient, can be used to determine a possible disorder/focus area