Psychological Disorders

Question 1

What is the medical model for mental illness?

Answer 1

views abnormal behaviour as a disease, led to more humane treatment for people with mental illness

Question 2

What is generalized anxiety disorder characterized by?

Answer 2

chronic high levels of anxiety that is not tied to a specific threat/situation

Question 3

What are specific phobias characterized by?

Answer 3

persistent, irrational fear of an object or situation that it not dangerous

Question 4

What is panic disorder characterized by?

Answer 4

recurrent, sudden anxiety attacks that occur unexpectedly

Question 5

What is agoraphobia? What is it usually comorbid with?

Answer 5

fear of going out to public places, panic disorder

Question 6

What is obsessive compulsive disorder characterized by?

Answer 6

uncontrollable intrusions of unwanted thoughts and urges to engage in senseless rituals

Question 7

What is PTSD characterized by?

Answer 7

enduring psychological disturbance attributable to the experience of a major traumatic event

Question 8

Is there a genetic predisposition for anxiety disorders? What suggests this?

Answer 8

yes, twin studies

Question 9

What neurotransmitters might play a role in anxiety disorders?

Answer 9

serotonin, GABA

Question 10

What is dissociative amnesia?

Answer 10

sudden loss of memory for personal information that is too extensive to be caused by normal forgetting

Question 11

What is dissociative identity disorder characterized by?

Answer 11

the co-existence of two or more largely complete and usually very different personalities

Question 12

What is dissociative amnesia usually attributed to?

Answer 12

extreme stress

Question 13

What is major depressive disorder characterized by?

Answer 13

persistent feelings of sadness and despair, loss of interest in previous sources of pleasure, slowed thought processes, and self-blame

Question 14

What is bipolar disorder characterized by?

Answer 14

experience of depressed and manic episodes

Question 15

What do manic episodes involve?

Answer 15

irrational euphoria, racing thoughts, decreased need for sleep, agitation, increased energy, impulsive behaviour

Question 16

Is there a genetic predisposition for mood disorders?

Answer 16

yes

Question 17

What neurotransmitters might contribute to depressive disorders?

Answer 17

serotonin and norepinephrine

Question 18

What is schizophrenia characterized by?

Answer 18

irrational thought, delusions, deterioration of adaptive behaviour, distorted perception, hallucinations, disturbed emotion

Question 19

Does the DSM-5 recognize the schizophrenic subtypes? What is the newer approach to describing schizophrenia?

Answer 19

no

balance between the positive and negative symptoms of the disroder

Question 20

What are some potential causes of schizophrenia?

Answer 20

disturbance at the dopamine synapses, association found between large brain ventricles and schizophrenia, disturbances in prenatal brain development, stress, genetics

Question 21

What is the relativistic view?

Answer 21

that the criteria of mental illness vary considerably across cultures

Question 22

What is the pancultural view?

Answer 22

that the criteria of mental illness are the same around the world

Question 23

What is autism spectrum disorder characterized by?

Answer 23

profound impairment of social communication and severly restricted interests and activities, apparent by age three

Question 24

Why was there a recent increase in the diagnosis of autism?

Answer 24

greater awareness of the syndrome and the use of broader diagnostic criteria

Question 25

What are personality disorders?

Answer 25

extreme personality traits that cause subjective distress or impaired social and occupational functioning

Question 26

What is antisocial personality disorder characterized by?

Answer 26

manipulative, impulsive, exploitative, aggresive behaviour with a lack of regard for theirselves and others and no remorse

Question 27

What is borderline personality disorder characterized by?

Answer 27

instable relationships, mood swings, unstable sense of self, emptiness, abandonment issues, self harm

Question 28

What is narcissistic personality disorder characterized by?

Answer 28

grandiose sense of self importance, entitlement, excessive need for attention

Question 29

What is anorexia nervosa characterized by?

Answer 29

intense fear of gaining weight, disturbed body image, refusal to maintain normal weight, dangerous measures to lose weight

Question 30

What is bulimia nervose characterized by?

Answer 30

habitually engaging in binging (overeating out of control) followed by unhealthy compensatory efforts called purging (vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise)

Question 31

What is binge eating disorder characterized by?

Answer 31

involves distress induced eating binges that are not followed by purging

Question 32

What is paranoid personality disorder characterized by?

Answer 32

suspects that family, friends, coworkers, strangers, and society and exploiting and trying to harm them without significant basis

Question 33

What is obsessive compulsive personality disorder characterized by?

Answer 33

proccupation with rules, details, organization, to the point that the original point of the activity is lost

Question 34

What is avoidant personality disorder characterized by?

Answer 34

is preoccupied with fear of being criticized or rejected in social situations, withdrawn but wants relationships, views self as inept, inadequate, inferior