Psychological Disorders Flashcards
1
Q
What are the 4 broad factors that need to be considered when deciding if someone is suffering from a mental disorder?
A
Statistical rarity
Impairment
Subjective distress
Biological dysfunction
2
Q
What is another term for a mental illness?
A
Psychopathology
3
Q
What is the failure analysis approach to mental illness?
A
o Understanding mental illness by examining breakdowns in adaptation
4
Q
What is statistical rarity?
A
- Many disorders are uncommon in the population
* Some disorders like mild depression are quite common
5
Q
What is subjective distress?
A
- Most mental disorders cause emotional distress
* Some disorders cause individual to perceive less emotional stress
6
Q
What is impairement?
A
- Most mental disorders interfere with everyday functioning
* Laziness is not a mental disorder but can interfere with functioning
7
Q
What is biological dysfunction?
A
- Many mental disorders result from physiological dysfunction
- Some mental disorders are learned with little genetic predisposition
8
Q
What is the family resemblance view of mental illness?
A
- Mental disorders don’t all have one thing in common but share a loose set of features
- Just as siblings look similar but don’t have exact same features
9
Q
What is the demonic model of mental illness?
A
- Used in the Middle Ages
- View of mental illness in which odd behaviour, hearing voices, or talking to oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body
- This includes people they thought were witches
- Treatments included exorcism, which are still done today
10
Q
What is the medical model of mental illness?
A
• Started in the Renaissance
• View of mental illness as due to a physical disorder requiring medical treatment
• People held in asylums
o Institutions for people with mental illness created in the fifteenth century
o Many massively overcrowded and understaffed
• Treatments were anything but scientific including bloodletting, sometimes to death
• Bedlam
o Short for Bethlehem, an insane asylum in London and means utter chaos
• Snake pit
o Became a synonym for asylum as pts were tossed into a pit of snake to scare them out of their disease
11
Q
What is the moral treatment view of mental illness?
A
- Phillippe Pinel (France) and Dorothea Dix (U.S.)
- Started in 1800s
- Approach to mental illness calling for dignity, kindness, and respect for those with mental illness
- Treatment of individuals was better but treatment for the illness was basically non-existent
12
Q
Describe deinstitutionalization and its effect on the patients
A
o Government policy in 1960s and ‘70s
o Focused on releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals
o Resulted in some patients going back to fairly normal life
o Many were left without adequate follow up care, stopped their medications, and spent the rest of their lives homeless and aimless
13
Q
Describe cultural universality
A
- Many mental disorders, especially severe forms, are seen cross culture
- Even isolated groups have names for conditions similar to schizophrenia, alcoholism, and psychopathic personality
14
Q
What are culture bound syndromes?
A
• Certain conditions specific to one or more societies
15
Q
Describe the koro mental illness
A
- Malaysia and several other Asian countries
- Affected mostly men and was a social contagion
- Fear penis and testes shrinking (shrinking breasts when women affected)
16
Q
Describe the amok mental illness
A
- Malaysia, Philippines, and some African countries
- “Running amok,” meaning going wild, resulted from this
- Intense sadness and brooding followed by uncontrolled behaviour and unprovoked attacks on animals and people
17
Q
Describe cultural differences in interpersonal anxiety
A
- In western cultures, more likely fear of embarrassment
* In Japanese culture, is a fear of offending others (called taijin kyofushu)
18
Q
Describe the arctic hysteria mental illness
A
- Inuit people
* Abrupt episode accompanied by extreme excitement and frequently followed by convulsive seizures and coma
19
Q
Describe the Couvade syndrome mental illness
A
- Worldwide
- Expectant father’s sympathetic labour pains, food cravings, nausea, even breast growth
- May gain 25-30 lbs in sympathetic belly lump
20
Q
Describe the gururumba mental illness
A
- New Guinea
* Theft and later deposit of neighbours’ possessions in the forest followed by amnesia of the entire episode
21
Q
Describe the hwa-byung mental illness
A
- Korea
* Abdominal pain caused by emotional distress
22
Q
Describe the Mal de Ojo mental illness
A
Evil eye
• Spain and Latin America
• Common term for cause of disease, misfortune, and social disruption
23
Q
Describe the Saora disorder mental illness
A
- India
* Inappropriate laughing or crying, fainting, memory loss, and the sensation you are being bitten by ants
24
Q
Describe the windigo mental illness
A
- First Nations in central and northeast Canada
* Craving consumption of human flesh and fear of becoming an cannibal
25
What are the Robins and Guze criteria for valid diagnosis?
• Eli Robins and Samuel Guze
• Distinguishes that diagnosis from other, similar diagnoses
• Predicts diagnosed individuals’ performance on laboratory tests, including personality measures, neurotransmitter levels, and brain imaging findings
• Predicts diagnosed individuals’ family history of psychiatric disorders
• Predicts diagnosed individuals’ natural history
o What tends to happen to them over time
• Additional point added by other authors
o Predicts diagnosed individuals’ response to treatment
26
What do labelling theorists believe about psychiatric diagnoses?
• Labelling theorists
o Scholars who argue that psychiatric diagnosis exert powerful negative effects on people’s perceptions and behaviours
o Believe diagnosis makes a self-fulfilling prophesy
27
What experiment did David Rosenhan perform to see results of stigma of a mental illness diagnosis and what did he discover?
o Had 12 people pose a fake patients admitted with a single complaint, and were kept for 3 weeks on average even when they displayed no further symptoms
o Shows that there can be some stigma, but it isn’t long term
28
What is the current diagnostic system the APA uses for criteria for mental disorders?
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)• Started in 1952 and is now in its 5th edition
29
What are the basic contents of the DSM-5?
• 18 classes of disorders
• Contains diagnostic criteria as well as a decision tool for how many criteria need to be met to make a diagnosis
• Prevalence
o Percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disorder
• Warns about organic, or physical disorders that can mimic psychiatric disorders
• Biopsychosocial approach
o View that an illness or medical condition is the product of interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors
o Reminds clinicians to check for stressors, and history when examining patient
• Includes culturally specific information so people are not misdiagnosed
30
What is the biopsychosocial approach?
o View that an illness or medical condition is the product of interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors
o Reminds clinicians to check for stressors, and history when examining patient
31
Describe involuntary commitment and the steps that are taken to obtain it
• Procedure of placing some people with mental illnesses in a psychiatric hospital or other facility based on their potential danger to themselves or others, or their inability to care for themselves
• Must either
o Pose a clear threat to themselves or others
o Or psychologically impaired to the point they cannot care for themselves
• Must be formally approved by a judge at a hearing
• An emergency hold can be signed by 2 psychiatrists or other physicians, usually up to 3 days
• Some concerns that it is against civil liberties, African Americans more likely to be held as potentially violent
• Research has shown mental health professionals better than odds predict those that will become violent
32
Describe the somatic system disorder
* Condition marked by physical symptoms that suggest an underlying medical illness
* Symptoms are psychological in origin
* Controversial and new to DSM-5
* Symptoms may become so intense they interfere with daily living
33
Describe illness anxiety disorder
* Similar to what used to be called hypochondriasis
| * Continual preoccupation with the notion they have a serious physical disease
34
What is generalized anxiety disorder and what are its main symptoms?
```
• Continual feelings anxiety across many areas of functioning
• Symptoms include
o Worry
o Anxiety
o Physical tension
o Irritability
o Trouble sleeping
o Fatigue
• Spend about 60% of each day worrying
```
35
Who is most likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder?
```
• Most likely to suffer are
o Female
o Middle aged
o Widowed/divorced
o Poor
o Prone to self medicating
• 1/3 develop after a major life event
```
36
What is panic disorder?
• Repeated and unexpected panic attacks along with either
o Persistent concerns about future attacks
o Or change in behaviour in an attempt to avoid them
37
What is a panic attack?
```
• Brief, intense episode of extreme fear characterized by
o Sweating
o Dizziness
o Light-headedness
o Racing heart
o Sense of impending doom
o Feelings of going crazy
o Shortness of breath
• Can occur with any anxiety disorder
• Associated with separation anxiety from parent as a child
```
38
What are phobias?
* Intense fear of an object or situation that’s greatly out of proportion to its actual threat
* Must restrict their life, cause considerable distress, or both
39
What is agoraphobia?
* Fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or embarrassing, or in which help is unavailable in the event of a panic attack
* Develops in mid teens and is directly related to panic disorder
40
What are specific phobias?
* Intense fear of objects, places, or situations that is greatly out of proportion to their actual threat
* Many are widespread in children and dissipate with age
41
What is social anxiety disorder?
* Intense fear of negative evaluation in social situations
| * Formerly called social phobia
42
What is PTSD and what are the main symptoms?
```
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Marked emotional disturbance after experiencing or witnessing a severely stressful event
• Symptoms include
o Flashbacks
o Effort to avoid anything associated with the trauma
o Increased arousal
Difficulty sleeping
Startles easily
```
43
What is OCDC?
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
| • Condition marked by repeated and lengthy (at least 1 hour per day) immersion in obsessions, compulsions, or both
44
What are obsessions?
• Persistent idea, thought, or impulse that is unwanted and inappropriate, causing marked distress
• Often about topics including
o Sex
o Aggression
o Religion
o Contamination
• They see their thoughts as irrational and label themselves as crazy
45
What are compulsions?
• Repetitive behaviour or mental act performed to reduce or prevent stress
46
Describe the learning models of anxiety that try to explain anxiety?
• John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner
o Demonstrated classical conditioning of fear
• Avoiding the fear provides negative reinforcement leading to anxiety
• May acquire fears by observing others fears
• May stem from information or misinformation from others
47
What is catastrophizing that is an explanation for anxiety?
• Predicting terrible events despite low probability
48
What is the anxiety sensitivity explanation for anxiety?
* Fear of anxiety-related situations
| * Barely noticeable physical sensations or minor anxiety can spiral into full blown panic attacks
49
Describe the biological influences that may help explain anxiety?
* Anxiety disorders are genetically influenced
* Associated with high levels of neuroticism
* Abnormalities shown in brain scans
* Ongoing research if strep bacteria may trigger an immune response affecting the brain
50
What is a major depressive episode?
• State in which a person experiences a lingering depressed mood or diminished interest in pleasurable activities, along with symptoms that include weight loss and sleep difficulties
51
What is major depressive disorder? How are these episodes generally experienced? Who is most likely to suffer from it?
• Chronic or recurrent state in which a person experiences a lingering depressed mood or diminished interest in pleasurable activities, along with symptoms that include weight loss and sleep difficulties
o Average individual experiences 5-6 episodes over a lifetime
Most episodes last 6-12 months
o Chronic experienced in 1/5 of cases
Presents for decades without relief
• Symptoms may develop gradually or suddenly
• More common in 30’s
• More common in women but may be due to underdiagnosis in men
• In extreme cases, individuals may fail to take care of basic health needs
52
Describe some factors that may combine to cause major depressive disorder
```
o Inborn tendencies
o Stressful events
o Interpersonal relationships
o Loss of reinforcers in everyday life
o Negative thoughts
o Feelings of helplessness
```
53
What is the interaction between depression and life events?
* Loss or threat of separation especially tied to depression
* Loss of sense of self-worth can be as bad
* Depression can cause negative life events so causal arrow goes both ways
54
Describe the interpersonal model as an explanation for major depressive disorder
```
• James Coyne
• Theory that individuals with depression elicit hostility and rejection from others due to
o Need for excessive reassurance
o Constant worrying
o Mistrust
o Fears of rejection and abandonment
o Socially inappropriate behaviours
• Rejection from others worsens the depression
```
55
Describe the behavioural model as an explanation for major depressive disorder
* Peter Lewinsohn
* Theory that depression results from low rate of response-contingent positive reinforcement
* Individuals stop participating in pleasant activities where they would receive reinforcement from others
* Individuals with depression lack social skills making it harder
* Further withdraw may be due to others showing depression and concern
56
Describe the cognitive model as an explanation for major depressive disorder
• Aaron Beck
• Theory that depression is caused by negative beliefs and expectations
• Cognitive triad
o Negative views of
Oneself
The world
The future
• Negative schemas reinforce people with depressions negative experiences
• Cognitive distortions
o Skewed ways of thinking
o Brings negative experiences into sharper focus
o Filters out positive experiences
o Evidence for mildly depressed isn’t there
• Depressive realism
o More accurate view of circumstances experienced by those with mild depression
• Another interpretation is that people with depression are less attentive to reality
• Cycle of inaccurate perceptions leading to depression and depression leading to inaccurate perceptions
57
Describe learned helplessness as an explanation for major depressive disorder
• Martin Seligman
• Tendency to feel helpless in the face of events we cannot control
• Theorize that depressed individuals blame failure on internal factors and success on external factors
o This may be a consequence rather than a cause of depression
58
Describe role of biology as an explanation for major depressive disorder
• Genes exert moderate effect on risk of major depression
• Stress-sensitive genes
o Play role in serotonin reuptake
o May affect peoples ability to dampen negative emotions during stress
• Associated with low levels of norepinephrine
• Diminished neurogenesis leads to reduced hippocampus volume
• Decreased levels of dopamine may result in inability to feel pleasure
59
What is bipolar disorder?
* Condition marked by a history of at least one manic episode
* Previously called manic-depressive disorder
60
What are the symptoms of a manic episode?
• Symptoms rapidly increase over a few days
• First episode is after early 20’s
• Symptoms
o Dramatically elevated mood
o Markedly inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
o Greatly decreased need for sleep
o More talkative than usual
o Racing thoughts
o Distractibility
o Increased activity level or agitation
o Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that can cause problems
Substance abuse
Unrestrained sexual behaviour
Spending sprees
DUI
o Pressured speech
Fast talking, as if they cannot get the words out fast enough
May be due to the ideas racing through their head quickly
• More than 50% of the time, a major depressive episode precedes or follows a manic episode
61
What is a hypomanic episode and what are the symptoms?
```
• A less intense and disruptive version of a manic episode
• Includes feelings of
o Elation
o Grouchiness or irritability
o Distractibility
o Talkativeness
```
62
What is cyclothymic disorder?
* Moods alternate between numerous periods of hypomanic symptoms and numerous periods of depressive symptoms
* Increases risk of developing bipolar disorder
63
What is bipolar disorder I?
* Presence of one or more manic episodes
| * 90% of people who have one experience at least one more
64
What is bipolar disorder II?
• Patients must experience at least one episode of major depression and one hypomanic episode
65
What is the role of biology with bipolar disorder?
• Equally common between men and women
• Heritability may be as high as 85%
• Increased sensitivity to dopamine and decreased sensitivity to serotonin may boost the risk
• Some genetic overlap between psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
• Brain scan results
o Increased activity in structures related to emotions
o Decreased activity in structures associated with planning
o Unknown if this is a cause of an effect of bipolar disorder
66
What are the effects of stressful events, even positive ones, on a person with bipolar disorder?
o Higher risk of manic episodes
o More frequent relapse
o Longer recovery time from an episode
67
What is persistent depressive disorder and what are its symptoms?
```
• Also called dysthymia
• Low-level depression of at least 2 years duration
• Symptoms
o Feelings of inadequacy
o Sadness
o Lowe energy
o Poor appetite
o Decreased pleasure
o Decreased productivity
o Hopelessness
```
68
What is seasonal affective disorder?
* Depressive episodes that display a seasonal pattern
| * Most commonly begins in fall or winter and improves in the spring
69
What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder and what are its symptoms?
```
• Occurs in women during the final week prior to menses
• Symptoms include
o Marked mood swings
o Irritability
o Anger
o Anxiety
```
70
What is postpartum depression?
* Depressive episode that occurs within a month after childbirth
* Occurs in up to 15% of women
71
What is postpartum psychosis?
* Psychotic symptoms, including command hallucinations to kill the infant or delusions that the infant is possessed by an evil spirit
* Occurs in about 1-2 of 1000 childbirths
72
What is disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?
* Occurs in children under 18 years old
| * Experience persistent irritability and frequent episodes of extreme, out of control behaviour
73
What are personality disorders? How many are listed in the DSM-5?
• Condition in which personality traits
o Appear first in adolescence
o Are inflexible, stable, expressed in a wide variety of situations
o Lead to distress or impairment
• 10 listed in the DSM-5 are distinct but exhibit substantial comorbidity
74
What is borderline personality disorder and what are the symptoms?
• Condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control
• Described as a pattern of stable instability
• Symptoms
o Impulsivity
o Rapidly fluctuation emotions
o Drug abuse
o Sexual promiscuity
o Overeating
o Self-mutilation
o May threaten suicide to manipulate others
o May jump from one unhealthy relationship to another due to feelings of abandonment when alone
• Most common in women
• Substantially heritable
75
What is the psychoanalysis explanation of borderline personality disorder?
* Otto Kernberg
* Roots to childhood issues with developing sense of self and bonding emotionally with others
* Believed cold, unempathetic mother caused intense anger and frustration
* View world as unstable because they split everything into all good or all bad
76
What is the sociobiological model explanation of borderline personality disorder?
* March Linehan
* Theory individuals inherit a tendency to overreact to stress and experience lifelong difficulties regulating their emotions
* Difficulty may result in rejection
77
What is the cascade model explanation of borderline personality disorder?
* Edward Selby and Thomas Joiner
* Intense rumination about negative events of emotional experiences may result in uncontrolled cascades prompting self-injury
* This leads to further bouts of ruminating, leading to a cyclical pattern
78
What is antisocial personality disorder?
* Condition marked by a lengthy history of irresponsible and/or illegal actions
* Exhibit less neuroticism
* Lots of overlap with psychopathic personality but they are not exactly the same
79
What is psychopathic personality? What are the symptoms and who is most likely to suffer from it?
```
• Previously described as psychopath or sociopath
• Condition marked by being
o Superficially charming, personable, and engaging
o Dishonest
o Manipulative
o Self-centered
o A risk taker
• History of conduct disorder
o Occurs in childhood and adolescence
o Symptoms include
Lying
Cheating
Stealing
• Most often affects men
• Most are not violent
• Heightened risk for crime, and a small portion are habitually violent
• Individuals are not psychotic, they know they are wrong, they just don’t care
```
80
What are dissociative disorders?
• Condition involving disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception
81
What is depersonalization/derealization disorder?
• Condition marked by multiple episodes of depersonalization
• Depersonalization
o Feeling detached, like living in a movie or dream
o Observing body from perspective of an outsider
o More than half of adults have experienced it at least once
• Derealization
o Sense that external world is strange or unreal
o Often accompanies both depersonalization and panic attacks
82
What is dissociative amnesia?
• Inability to recall important personal information, most often related to a stressful experience, that cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness
• Memory loss is extensive
• Controversy
o Memory gaps common in healthy individuals and does not need to be stress related
o Not thinking about it isn’t the same as remembering it
o No convincing cases of amnesia that cannot be explained by other factors
83
What is a dissociative fugue?
* Sudden, unexpected travel away from home or the workplace, accompanied by amnesia for significant life events
* Literally running away from stressful circumstances
* Difficult to know if trauma caused fugue state or if they are merely claiming it to avoid responsibilities
84
What is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?
* Condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states that recurrently take control of the person’s behaviour
* Women more likely to suffer and tend to have more personality states
* Research has falsified amnesia across alters
* Primary controversy is if it’s a response to trauma or consequence of social and cultural factors
85
What is the posttraumatic model to explain the dissociative identity disorder?
* Theory that DID arises from history of severe abuse
* Alters are used to compartmentalize as a way of coping
* Abuse in childhood not specific to DID as its present for many disorders
86
What is the sociocognitive model to explain the dissociative identity disorder?
```
• Theory that people’s expectancies and beliefs rather than early trauma account for the origin and maintenance of DID
• Claim that hundreds of personalities is not backed by evidence
• Expectancies can be influenced by
o Psychotherapeutic procedures
Hypnosis
Recovering memories
o Cultural influences
o Media coverage
• Seems to be backed by evidence
```
87
What is schizophrenia and what are some of the main symptoms?
• Severe disorder of thought and emotion associated with a loss of contract with reality
• Average onset is mid 20’s for men and late 20’s for women
• Experience disturbances in
o Attention
o Thinking
o Language
o Emotion
o Relationships with others
• More than half suffer with serious disability
• Must exhibit at least one of the following
o Delusions
o Hallucinations
o Disorganized speech
88
Describe delusions associated with schizophrenia
• Strongly held, fixed belief that has no basis in reality
• Is a psychotic symptom
o Psychological problem reflecting serious distortions in reality
• Commonly involve themes of persecution
• Cotard’s syndrome
o Delusion that one is dead
89
Describe hallucinations associated with schizophrenia
• Sensory perception that occurs in the absence of an external stimulus
• Most commonly auditory
o Usually consisting of voices
o Often express disapproval
o May have running commentary about a person’s thoughts
o Brain scans reveal brain areas associated with speech perception and production become active so they may believe their inner monologue has an external source
• Hallucinations may also be
o Olfactory
o Gustatory
o Tactile
o Visual
May be a sign of organic disorder or substance abuse if vivid and not associated with auditory hallucinations
• Command hallucinations
o Tell patients what to do
o May be of heightened risk of violence towards others
90
Describe disorganized speech associated with schizophrenia
* Language skips from topic to topic in a disorganized way
* May be the result of disorganized thoughts
* Severe cases described as word salad
91
Describe disorganized behavior associated with schizophrenia
* Deterioration of self-care, personal hygiene, and motivation
* May avoid conversation
* Strange decisions such as warm coat on a hot day
* May engage in bouts of frenzied, purposeless motor activity
92
Describe catatonia associated with schizophrenia
• Motor problem, including
o Extreme resistance to complying with simple suggestions
o Holding the body in bizarre or rigid postures
o Curling up in a fetal position
• May refuse to speak or move
• May pace aimlessly
• Echolalia
o Repeating a phrase in conversation like a parrot
93
What is the general consensus as to what causes schizophrenia?
• Most believe psychological factors trigger schizophrenia in people with genetic vulnerability
94
What is the family and expressed emotion theory explaining schizophrenia?
• Theory that families (especially mothers) caused schizophrenia
• Schizophrenogenic mothers were overprotective, smothering, rejecting, and controlling
• Now accepted that family members responses are a response to living with a schizophrenic person
• Pts more likely to relapse if family displays high expressed emotion (EE)
o Criticism
o Hostility
o Overinvolvement
• EE may reflect family members reaction to loved one’s schizophrenia
• EE may contribute to relapse of symptoms
95
What brain abnormalities may explain schizophrenia?
• Enlargement of one or more ventricles
o These frequently expand when other brain areas shrink
o May show schizophrenia as a disorder of brain deterioration in areas associated with thought disorder
• Increases in size of the sulci
• Decreased
o Size of temporal lobes
o Activation of amygdala and hippocampus
o Symmetry of hemispheres
• Hypofrontality
o Less active frontal lobes when engaged in demanding mental tasks than normal
96
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia?
o Excess of normal functions
| o Includes hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, and behaviour
97
What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
o Decreases or losses of normal functions
| o Includes social withdrawal, diminished motivations, decreased emotional expression, and brief and limited speech
98
What neurotransmitter differences may explain schizophrenia?
• Dopamine Hypothesis
o Excess of dopamine early thought as to cause
Most antischizophrenic drugs block dopamine receptor sites
Amphetamines block dopamine reuptake, tends to worsen symptoms
• Better supported hypothesis is abnormalities in dopamine receptors
o Sites respond uniquely to antipsychotic drugs
o Associated with difficulties in attention, memory, and motivation
• Findings provide evidence for direct tie between dopamine pathways and symptoms of schizophrenia
• Positive symptoms
o Excess of normal functions
o Includes hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, and behaviour
o Evidence these result from excess dopamine in some brain regions
• Negative symptoms
o Decreases or losses of normal functions
o Includes social withdrawal, diminished motivations, decreased emotional expression, and brief and limited speech
o Evidence these result from dopamine deficits in other brain regions
o Causes are more difficult to pinpoint
• Other neurotransmitters that may be involved include
o Norepinephrine
o Glutamate
o Serotonin
99
What is the diathesis stress model that may explain schizophrenia?
* Perspective proposing that mental disorders are a joint product of genetic vulnerability, called a diathesis, and stressors that trigger this vulnerability
* About 10% of population genetically vulnerable to schizophrenia
100
What is schizotypal personality disorder and what are the symptoms?
```
• Show predisposition for schizophrenia but many don’t develop schizophrenia
• Symptoms include
o Social withdrawal
o Movement abnormalities
o Learning and memory deficits
o Elevated neuroticism
o Temporal lobe abnormalities
o Impaired attention
o Eye movement disturbances when tracking moving objects
```
101
What is autism spectrum disorder?
• DSM-5 category that includes autistic disorder and Asperger’s disorder
• Symptoms on a continuum of severity
• Marked by severe deficits in
o Language
o Social bonding
o Imagination
o Often accompanied by intellectual impairment
• Genetics are involved but not whole story
• Autism caused by vaccines an illusory correlation as symptoms appear about age 2, when children are getting their MMR vaccine
• Swiftly increasing cases may be due to more liberal diagnostic criteria and diagnosing more mildly affected children
102
What is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
• Childhood condition marked by excessive inattention, impulsivity, and activity
• More males than females diagnosed
• Many continue to have symptoms into adulthood
• Symptoms may be evident as early as infancy
• Referral for treatment often made when children start school
• Heritability as high as 0.8 and may be related to abnormalities in genes influencing
o Serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine
o Decreased brain volume
o Decreased activation in frontal areas
103
Research into demographic differences in the rates of major depressive disorder suggests that
a) there are no age, gender, or racial differences in the prevalence of the disorder in North America.
b) men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with the disorder in North America.
c) men are less likely than women to be diagnosed with the disorder in North America.
d) adults are less likely than children to be diagnosed with the disorder in North America.
C
104
What part of the brain is typically enlarged in persons with schizophrenia?
Ventricles
105
Labelling theorists argue that diagnoses lead others to treat us as weird or crazy, thus leading us to behave accordingly. As a result, the diagnosis becomes
a self-fulfilling prophecy.
106
People with __________ symptoms of schizophrenia, associated with excesses of dopamine, have somewhat better functioning than people with __________ symptoms of schizophrenia.
a) positive; negative
b) emotional; cognitive
c) negative; positive
d) cognitive; emotional
A
107
The dramatic increase in the rate of autism over the past decade is most likely due to
a) childhood vaccines.
b) changes in diagnostic procedures.
c) poor diets and nutrition.
d) genetic mutations.
B
108
According to Seligman’s model of learned helplessness, people with depression are prone to making attributions about failure that are
a) internal, specific, and unstable.
b) internal, global, and unstable.
c) internal, global, and stable.
d) external, specific, and unstable.
C
109
Which of the following statements is true regarding risk factors for suicide attempts?
a) More women than men attempt suicide.
b) Age is the single best predictor of suicide attempts.
c) Suicide is essentially unpredictable, except in hospital settings.
d) More men than women attempt suicide.
A
| More women attempt, more men complete
110
Which type of anxiety disorder is the most common?
a) Panic disorder
b) Phobia
c) Posttraumatic stress disorder
d) Generalized anxiety disorder
B
111
According to the emotional cascades model, individuals with borderline personality disorder
a) are likely to have experienced childhood sexual abuse and have poor coping skills.
b) inherit a tendency to overreact to stress and experience difficulty with emotional regulation.
c) engage in intense rumination about negative events or emotional experiences that result in uncontrolled emotionality.
d) were lacking in key childhood experiences involved in developing a sense of self and emotionally bonding to others.
C
112
Genetic and biological research has reported that ADHD patients display decreased activation in what area of the brain?
Frontal lobe
113
Schizophrenia is most often confused with which other psychological disorder, mainly because the term schizophrenia literally means “split mind”?
Dissociative identity disorder
114
People with schizophrenia often believe things that are not, or could not, be true. For example, that the government is spying on them through the fillings in their teeth, or that they are actually supernatural beings. What term is used for these beliefs?
Delusions
115
Some residents in Latin America refer to ________ as the cause of disease, misfortune, and social disruption.
a) windigo
b) gururumba
c) saora disorder
d) mal de ojo
D
116
What term is used to describe a sudden onset of extreme anxiety, with various symptoms including racing heart, rapid breathing, and sweating?
Panic attack
117
According to the DSM-5, posttraumatic stress disorder belongs to what class of mental disorders?
Trauma and stressor-related disorders
118
During the middle ages, signs of mental illness were believed to be caused by
demons
119
Which group of disorders has the highest lifetime prevalence, as well as the highest prevalence during any one year?
Anxiety disorders
120
“Today, the floor went after the mighty, and I can see into the sandwich?” Sentences like this one are associated with which symptom of schizophrenia?
Disorganized speech
121
Maria is a retired factory worker who lives with anxiety. Due to the fear of having anxiety attacks, she does not leave her house. This makes her feel trapped in her home, which creates distress. Which criterion would be most appropriate in deciding whether Maria’s case represents an example of abnormality?
Subjective distress
122
A patient in a psychiatric hospital exhibits disordered thinking, bizarre behaviour, and hallucinations. What is this person probably suffering from?
schizophrenia
123
The results of studies investigating the role of biological factors suggest that depression is associated with
a) decreased levels of norepinephrine.
b) increased levels of dopamine.
c) overactive neurogenesis.
d) increased hippocampal volume.
A
124
Mr. Evans feels that no matter what he does, he will be unable to convince his boss that he deserves a promotion. He also feels that it doesn't matter who his boss is, he still would not receive a promotion. These feelings represent what Martin Seligman called
learned helplessness.
125
A dissociative disorder that involves sudden travel from home, taking on a new identity, and amnesia regarding the trip and one’s actual personal information is called
dissociative fugue.
126
_______is used to help psychological professionals diagnose psychological disorders.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
127
If you know that someone has a particular diagnosis (like bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia), then which of the following should you be able to predict from that diagnosis?
a) their race and cultural background
b) their IQ scores
c) socioeconomic history
d) average response to treatment
D
128
According to the behavioural model, what is a cause of depression?
a) irrational thoughts
b) pushing others away, socially
c) insufficient reinforcement for behaviour
d) loss of loved ones
C
129
Seligman’s learned helplessness model suggests that our attributions about events are associated with our risk of depression. For someone who is prone to depression, which of the following is a likely attribution about a bad grade on a test?
a) The teacher hates me.
b) I should study more next time.
c) I’ll never understand this stuff.
d) The test was totally unfair.
C
130
Arlene has an irrational fear of flying in airplanes. She is probably suffering from a
phobia
131
According to the ______________ model of depression, when people become depressed they seek excessive reassurance, which, in turn, leads others to dislike and reject them, which can maintain or worsen their depression.
interpersonal
132
A strong intense fear of being in public or performing behaviours in public is characteristic of
social anxiety disorder.
133
Fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or impossible if something should go wrong is called
agoraphobia
134
__________ refers to the overlap between diagnoses, where individuals with one diagnosis also may meet the criteria for one or more other diagnoses.
Comorbidity
135
The risk of developing schizophrenia increases to approximately ___ percent if we have an identical twin with schizophrenia.
50
136
Jeff collects books, paperclips, pennies, empty soda cans, and old trophies. His home is so full of his ‘collections’ that it interferes with his daily life. He cannot get rid of things without extreme anxiety. Jeff would most likely be diagnosed with what psychological disorder?
a) Agoraphobia
b) Hoarding
c) Panic disorder
d) Obsessive-compulsive disorder
B
137
Davis has such an intense, irrational fear of clowns that he cannot take his daughters to see the circus when it is in town. Davis would be most correctly diagnosed as suffering from
a phobia.
138
After being passed up for a promotion and then getting into a heated argument with his son, a man disappears. He shows up two weeks later in another town with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He appears to be suffering from
a dissociative fugue.
139
The symptoms of autism become most apparent around what age?
2
140
Alex, presented with beliefs that a famous movie star was in love with him, and he could see secret love messages hidden in her movies. Alex has been experiencing these beliefs for the past few months, but they have only recently started causing problems. He got fired from his job at the movie theatre because he made customers uncomfortable when he yelled inappropriate things at the screen. Alex was very happy about his ‘secret love’ and didn’t understand why his family wanted him to see a Psychologist.
The beliefs that Alex holds about the movie star are considered to be delusions. Which of the following represents the category of symptoms that includes delusions?
a) Negative symptoms
b) Obsessions
c) Hallucinations
d) Positive symptoms
D
141
Alex, presented with beliefs that a famous movie star was in love with him, and he could see secret love messages hidden in her movies. Alex has been experiencing these beliefs for the past few months, but they have only recently started causing problems. He got fired from his job at the movie theatre because he made customers uncomfortable when he yelled inappropriate things at the screen. Alex was very happy about his ‘secret love’ and didn’t understand why his family wanted him to see a Psychologist.
Which disorder that we've covered best fits for Alex?
Schizophrenia
142
Alex, presented with beliefs that a famous movie star was in love with him, and he could see secret love messages hidden in her movies. Alex has been experiencing these beliefs for the past few months, but they have only recently started causing problems. He got fired from his job at the movie theatre because he made customers uncomfortable when he yelled inappropriate things at the screen. Alex was very happy about his ‘secret love’ and didn’t understand why his family wanted him to see a Psychologist.
Which criteria for abnormality is reached for Alex?
a) Biological dysfunction
b) Subjective distress
c) Impairment
d) He doesn’t meet any criteria for abnormality
C
143
Barb, wanted help to deal with her anxiety. She was experiencing a lot of nervousness and concern because her ex had been stalking her. The police confirmed that the ex had sent threatening messages and was under a restraining order. Barb felt like someone was watching her. She cried easily, and avoided checking her email because that’s where most of the threatening messages had come from.
Which of the criteria for abnormality is reached for Barb?
a) Biological dysfunction
b) Subjective distress
c) Impairment
d) She doesn’t meet any criteria for abnormality
B
144
Barb, wanted help to deal with her anxiety. She was experiencing a lot of nervousness and concern because her ex had been stalking her. The police confirmed that the ex had sent threatening messages and was under a restraining order. Barb felt like someone was watching her. She cried easily, and avoided checking her email because that’s where most of the threatening messages had come from.
Which of the following best represents an appropriate diagnosis for Barb?
a) Generalized Anxiety Disorder
b) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
c) Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
d) Barb doesn’t meet the criteria for a diagnosis
D
