Psych Flashcards
Classical conditioning
Learning in which a natural response (usually involuntary) is elicited by a conditioned, or learned, stimulus that previously was presented in conjunction with an unconditioned stimulus
Operant conditioning
Learning in which a particular action is elicited because it produces a punishment or reward
Voluntary responses
Reinforcement
Target behavior (response) is followed by desired reward (positive reinforcement) or removal of aversive stimulus (negative reinforcement)
Extinction
Discontinuation of reinforcement (positive or negative) eventually eliminates behavior
Transference
Patient projects feelings about formative or other important persons onto physician
Countertransference
Doctor projects feelings about formative or other important persons onto patient
Acting out
Expressing unacceptable feelings and thoughts through actions
Displacement
Redirection of emotions or impulses to a neutral person or object (vs projection)
Dissociation
Temporary, drastic change in personality, memory, consciousness, or motor behavior to avoid emotional stress
Fixation
Partially remaining at a more childish level of development (vs regression)
Idealization
Expressing extremely positive thoughts of self and others while ignoring negative thoughts
Projection
Attributing an unacceptable internal impulse to an external source (vs displacement)
Reaction formation
Replacing a warded-off idea or feeling by an (unconsciously derived) emphasis on its opposite (vs sublimation)
Mature defenses
Sublimation, Altruism, Suppression, Humor
Sublimation
Replacing an unacceptable wish with a course of action that is similar to the wish but does not conflict with one’s value system
Altruism
Alleviating negative feelings via unsolicited generosity
Suppression
Intentionally withholding an idea or feeling from conscious awareness (vs repression); temporary
Rett syndrome
X-linked; only seen in girls (boys die in utero)
De novo mutation of MECP2
Regression; loss of development, loss
of verbal abilities, intellectual disability, ataxia, stereotyped hand-wringing
Conduct disorder
Repetitive and pervasive behavior violating the basic rights of others or societal norms
After age 18, reclassifed as antisocial personality disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder
Enduring pattern of hostile, defant behavior toward authority fgures in the absence of serious violations of social norms
Tourette syndrome
Characterized by sudden, rapid, recurrent, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor
and vocal tics that persist for > 1 year
Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
Onset before age 10
Severe and recurrent temper outbursts out of proportion to situation
Order of loss of orientation
Order of loss: time → place → person
Korsakof syndrome
Amnesia (anterograde > retrograde) caused by vitamin B1 defciency and associated destruction
of mammillary bodies
Confabulations are characteristic
Delirium
“Waxing and waning” level of consciousness with acute onset
Usually 2° to other illness
Psychosis
Distorted perception of reality characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and/or disorganized thought/speech
Delusions
Unique, false, fxed, idiosyncratic beliefs that persist despite the facts and are not typical of a patient’s culture or religion
Hallucinations
Perceptions in the absence of external stimuli
Schizophrenia
Chronic mental disorder with periods of psychosis, disturbed behavior and thought, and decline in functioning lasting > 6
months
↑ dopaminergic activity, ↓ dendritic branching
Diagnosis of schizophrenia
Requires at least 2 of the following, and at least 1 of these should include 1–3: (frst 4 are “positive symptoms”): 1. Delusions 2. Hallucinations—often auditory 3. Disorganized speech 4. Disorganized or catatonic behavior 5. Negative symptoms
Brief psychotic disorder
Schizophrenia like sx lasting < 1 month
Usually stress related
Schizophreniform disorder
Schizophrenia like sx lasting 1–6 months
Schizoafective disorder
Meets criteria for
schizophrenia in addition to major mood disorder
Differentiate from a major mood disorder with psychotic features: patient must have > 2 weeks of hallucinations or delusions
without major mood episode
Delusional disorder
Fixed, persistent, false belief system lasting > 1 month
Mood disorder
Abnormal range of moods or internal emotional states and loss of control over them
Manic episode
Distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently ↑ activity or energy lasting at least 1 week
Hypomanic episode
Like a manic episode except mood disturbance is not severe enough to cause marked impairment in social and/or occupational functioning or to necessitate hospitalization
Lasts at least 4 consecutive days.
Bipolar disorder (manic depression)
Bipolar I: presence of at least 1 manic episode +/− a hypomanic or depressive episode
Bipolar II: presence of a hypomanic and a depressive episode
Cyclothymic disorder
Milder form of bipolar disorder lasting at least 2 years, fluctuating between mild depressive and hypomanic symptoms
Major depressive disorder
Episodes characterized by at least 5 of the 9 diagnostic sx (SIG E CAPS) lasting ≥ 2 weeks
Maternal (postpartum) “blues”
50–85% incidence rate.
Starting 2–3 days after delivery; usually resolves within 10 days
Postpartum depression
≥ 2 weeks
Postpartum psychosis
mood-congruent delusions, hallucinations, and thoughts of harming the baby or self
Cluster A personality disorders
Odd or eccentric; inability to develop meaningful social relationships
Paranoid (type of cluster A personality disorder)
Pervasive distrust (Accusatory) and suspiciousness of others and a profoundly cynical view of the world
Schizoid (type of cluster A personality disorder)
Voluntary social withdrawal (Aloof), limited emotional expression, content with social isolation (vs avoidant)
Schizotypal (type of cluster A personality disorder)
Eccentric appearance, odd beliefs or magical thinking, interpersonal Awkwardness
Cluster B personality disorders
Dramatic, emotional, or erratic; genetic association with mood disorders and substance abuse
Antisocial (type of cluster B personality disorder)
Disregard for and violation of rights of others with lack of remorse, criminality, impulsivity; males > females; must be ≥ 18 years old and
have history of conduct disorder before age 15.
Conduct disorder if < 18 years old
Borderline (type of cluster B personality disorder)
Unstable mood and interpersonal relationships, impulsivity, self-mutilation, suicidality, sense of emptiness; females > males; splitting is a major defense mechanism
Histrionic (type of cluster B personality disorder)
Excessive emotionality and excitability, attention seeking, sexually provocative, overly concerned with appearance
Narcissistic (type of cluster B personality disorder)
Grandiosity, sense of entitlement; lacks empathy
and requires excessive admiration; often demands the “best” and reacts to criticism with rage
Cluster C personality disorders
Anxious or fearful; genetic association with anxiety disorders
Avoidant (type of cluster C personality disorder)
Hypersensitive to rejection, socially inhibited, timid, feelings of inadequacy, desires relationships with others (vs schizoid)
Obsessive-Compulsive (type of cluster C personality disorder)
Preoccupation with order, perfectionism, and control; ego-syntonic: behavior consistent with one’s own beliefs and attitudes (vs OCD)
Dependent (type of cluster C personality disorder)
Submissive and Clingy, excessive need to be taken care of, low self-confdence
Factitious disorders
Consciously creates physical and/or psychological symptoms in order to assume “sick role” and to get medical attention and sympathy (1° [internal] gain)
Munchausen or Munchausen by proxy
Narcolepsy
Disordered regulation of sleep-wake cycles; 1° characteristic is excessive daytime sleepiness
Cause of narcolepsy
↓ hypocretin (orexin) production in lateral hypothalamus
Narcolepsy sx
-Hypnagogic (just before sleep) or hypnopompic (just before awakening)
hallucinations.
-Nocturnal and narcoleptic sleep episodes that start with REM sleep (sleep paralysis).
-Cataplexy (loss of all muscle tone following strong emotional stimulus, such as
Most common cause of drug overdose death
Opioids
