Module 6B: Psychological Disorders

Question 1

psychological disorder

Answer 1

condition characterized by abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

Question 2

supernatural

Answer 2

describes a force beyond scientific understanding

Question 3

behaviorism

Answer 3

focus on observing and controlling behavior

Question 4

panic disorder

Answer 4

anxiety disorder characterized by unexpected panic attacks, along with at least one month of
worry about panic attacks or self-defeating behavior related to the attacks

Question 5

panic attack

Answer 5

period of extreme fear or discomfort that develops abruptly; symptoms of panic attacks are both
physiological and psychological

Question 6

generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 6

characterized by a continuous state of excessive, uncontrollable, and pointless
worry and apprehension

Question 7

social anxiety disorder

Answer 7

characterized by extreme and persistent fear or anxiety and avoidance of social
situations in which one could potentially be evaluated negatively by others

Question 8

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 8

experiencing a profoundly traumatic event leads to a constellation of
symptoms that include intrusive and distressing memories of the event, avoidance of stimuli connected to
the event, negative emotional states, feelings of detachment from others, irritability, proneness toward
outbursts, hypervigilance, and a tendency to startle easily; these symptoms must occur for at least one month

Question 9

flashback

Answer 9

psychological state lasting from a few seconds to several days, during which one relives a traumatic
event and behaves as though the event were occurring at that moment

Question 10

obsessive-compulsive disorder

Answer 10

characterized by the tendency to experience intrusive and unwanted
thoughts and urges (obsession) and/or the need to engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts
(compulsions) in response to the unwanted thoughts and urges

Question 11

mood disorder

Answer 11

one of a group of disorders characterized by severe disturbances in mood and emotions; the
categories of mood disorders listed in the DSM-5 are bipolar and related disorders and depressive
disorders

Question 12

major depressive disorder

Answer 12

commonly referred to as “depression” or “major depression,” characterized by
sadness or loss of pleasure in usual activities, as well other symptoms

Question 13

bipolar disorder

Answer 13

mood disorder characterized by mood states that vacillate between depression and mania

Question 14

mania

Answer 14

state of extreme elation and agitation

Question 15

schizophrenia

Answer 15

severe disorder characterized by major disturbances in thought, perception, emotion, and
behavior with symptoms that include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking and behavior, and
negative symptoms

Question 16

personality disorder

Answer 16

group of DSM-5 disorders characterized by an inflexible and pervasive personality style
that differs markedly from the expectations of one’s culture and causes distress and impairment; people
with these disorders have a personality style that frequently brings them into conflict with others and
disrupts their ability to develop and maintain social relationships

Question 17

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 17

characterized by a lack of regard for others’ rights, impulsivity, deceitfulness,
irresponsibility, and lack of remorse over misdeeds

Question 18

Depression and heart disease

Answer 18

Depression is a risk factor for heart disease. For people with pre-existing heart disease , depression can cause more adverse cardiovascular problems

Question 19

criteria for diagnosis of major depression

Answer 19

Diagnosis requires at least one of the following: depressed mood much of the day nearly everyday. And diminished interest in most activities nearly every day

Question 20

dissociative disorder

Answer 20

Characterized by an individual becoming split off, or dissociated from core sense of self

Question 21

brain differences in schizophrenia

Answer 21

larger ventricles, and up to 25% less volume of grey matter

Question 22

word salad

Answer 22

sentences and phrases making no sense

Question 23

prenatal environment and schizophrenia

Answer 23

prenatal influenza exposure is a risk factor for schizophrenia. That and nutritional deprivation are risk factors

Question 24

positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 24

presence of inappropriate behavior

Question 25

negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 25

absence of appropriate behavior

Question 26

epigenetics

Answer 26

study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same genotype leads to different
phenotypes.

The study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way genes work

Question 27

genetic and environmental causes of phobias

Answer 27

you can inherit phobias or learn phobias

Question 28

Thomas Szasz/myth of mental illness

Answer 28

Szasz argued that the notion of mental illness was invented by society (and the mental health
establishment) to stigmatize and subjugate people whose behavior violates accepted social and legal norms.

Indeed, Szasz suggested that what appear to be symptoms of mental illness are more appropriately
characterized as “problems in living”

Question 29

obsessions and compulsions

Answer 29

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience thoughts and urges that are intrusive and
unwanted (obsessions) and/or the need to engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions).

Question 30

tolerance

Answer 30

As you take a drug your body becomes accustomed to it, and therefore you need more of that drug to get the same effect

Question 31

substance use disorder

Answer 31

A
person who has a substance use disorder often uses more of the substance than they originally intended to and
continues to use that substance despite experiencing significant adverse consequences.

Question 32

personality disorders

Answer 32

People with personality disorders exhibit a personality style that differs
markedly from the expectations of their culture, is pervasive and inflexible, begins in adolescence or early
adulthood, and causes distress or impairment