Psychological Disorders Flashcards
How should we define psychological disorders?
a syndrome marked by a “clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion, regulation, & behavior”
What does it mean that they are a syndrome?
a collection of symptoms
What was the innovation of the medical model around 1900?
-1890: discovery that syphilis invades the brain and distorts mind
-triggered search for physical causes of mental disorders
-mental health movement born
What is the double purpose of classification?
- aims to order and describe symptoms
- aims to predict a disorder’s future course, suggest appropriate treatment, and prompt research into its cause
What is the DSM? What are its limitations?
Book which includes diagnostic codes from the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
Limitations: Clinical agreement, too general
What are the factors that increase/decrease vulnerability to mental disorders?
Increase: Bad childhood, academic failure, basically any complications in life
Decrease: healthy, community, economically well, any positive in life.
What are the 5 types of disorders in the DSM?
- Anxiety-Related Disorders
- Depressive Disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Dissociative, Personality, and Eating Disorders
- Neurodevelopmental Disorder
What are the 4 anxiety-related disorders?
- Anxiety disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Somatic symptoms disorders
What are the 3 specific anxiety disorders?
- Generalized Anxiety disorder
- Panic Disorder (panic attacks)
- Specific phobias
What does it mean that people can have a generalized anxiety disorder? What is panic disorder? What are phobias?
1.Generalized Anxiety disorder: everyday anxiety, constant tension, accompanied by high blood pressure and depression
2.Panic Disorder (panic attacks):
- minute-long episode of fear that strikes suddenly
- basis of agoraphobia (fear of public situations)
- irregular heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath, shaking
3.Specific phobias: irrational fear of some object, activity, or situation
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder?
obsessive thoughts that are unwanted and unending, compulsive behaviors are responses to these thoughts.
What is post-traumatic stress disorder?
1.Survivors of torture, rape, earthquake have exhibited PTSD
-more sensitive limbic system, more stress hormones
-females>males
-the higher the distress, the greater the risk of PTSD
2.The hallmark system is recurring, vivid memories or nightmares
-social withdrawal
-jumpy anxiety
-trouble sleeping
3.Trauma victims may experience post-traumatic growth
What are somatic symptoms disorders?
1.Distressing symptoms take a bodily form without apparent physical causes
2.Illness anxiety disorder
-interpreting normal sensations as symptoms of a dreaded disease
What is the illness anxiety disorder?
aka hypochondriasis, interpreting normal sensations (a stomach cramp today, a headache tomorrow) as symptoms of a dreaded disease
What are depressive disorders?
1.Feeling deeply discouraged about the future, dissatisfied with one’s life, or socially isolated
-lack of energy
-inability to concentrate, eat, or sleep
2.Depression and Sadness have benefits
-conserve energy
-redirect energy
-help process face more accurately
-pay more attention to details
!but leading cause of disability worldwide
