psychological disorders Flashcards
what percentage of us will have a diagnosable psychological problem in our lifetime?
50%
what percentage of us will have had a diagnosable psychological problem within the last year?
20%
the Goldwater Rule
“It is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement”
often times our biggest strengths are also…
our biggest weaknesses
mental disorder
a persistent disturbance or dysfunction in behavior, thoughts, or emotions that causes significant distress or impairment
physiognomy
suggested that mental disorders could be diagnosed from racial features
disorder
refers to a common set of signs and symptoms
disease
a known pathological process affecting the body
diagnosis
a determination as to whether a disorder or disease is present
medical model
Abnormal psychological experiences are conceptualized as illnesses that, like physical illnesses, have biological and environmental causes, defined symptoms, and possible cures
in diagnosis, clinicians attend to…
- signs (objectively observed indicators of a disorder)
- symptoms (subjectively reported behaviors, thoughts, and emotions
what can we not assume when we know a disorder is present?
that we know the underlying disease process giving rise to the signs and symptoms
biopsychosocial perspective
explains mental disorders as the result of interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors
biological perspective
Focuses on genetic and epigenetic influences, biochemical imbalances, and abnormalities in brain structure and function
psychological perspective
Focuses on adaptive learning and coping, cognitive biases, and interpersonal problems
social factors
Focuses on poor socialization, stressful life experiences, and social inequities
Diathesis-stress model
suggests that a person may be predisposed for a psychological disorder that remains unexpressed until triggered by stress
in the Diathesis-stress model … diathesis is the …
predisposition
in the Diathesis-stress model … stress is the…
external trigger
in the Diathesis-stress model it is possible for …
- someone with the predisposition to never encounter a precipitating stress
- someone with little genetic propensity (tendency, inclination) to a disorder might suffer from it given the right pattern of stress
anxiety disorder
the class of mental disorder in which anxiety is the predominant feature
- often comorbid
comorbidity
the co-occurence of two or more disorders in a single individual
other disorders that are included in anxiety disorders
- phobic disorders
- panic disorders
- generalized anxiety disorders
phobic disorders
disorders characterized by marked, persistent, and excessive fear and avoidance of specific objects, activities, or situations
- individuals recognize the fear it irrational, but can’t stop it from happening
phobic disorders must be:
- disproportionate to actual risk
- impair ability to carry out a normal life
specific phobia
an irrational fear of a particular object or situation that markedly interferes with an individual’s ability to function
5 categories of specific phobias
- animals (dogs, cats, rats, snakes, spiders, birds)
- natural environment (heights, darkness, water)
- situations (bridges, tunnels, enclosed spaces)
- blood, injections, injuries
- other phobias including: choking or vomiting
- in children, loud noises or costumed characters
preparedness theory
the idea that people are instinctively predisposed toward certain fears
preparedness theory example
humans and monkeys can
1. quickly be conditioned to have a fear for stimuli such as snakes and spiders
2. cannot be quickly conditioned to have fears of flowers or toy rabbits
social phobia
an irrational fear of being publicly humiliated or embarrassed
- try to avoid situations where unfamiliar people might evaluate them
- experience intense anxiety and distress when public exposure is unavoidable
- about 12% of men and 14% of women experience social phobia at some point in their lives
examples of social phobia being restricted
public speaking, eating in public, urinating in a public bathroom
examples of social phobias being generalized
situations that involve being observed or interacting wth unfamiliar people