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Malika Psychology MCAT > Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

Psychological Disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

Individuals with a psychotic disorder are likely to have which of the following symptoms (one or more)?

A

Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thought, disorganized behavior, catatonia

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2
Q

Psychotic symptoms can be divided into positive and negative types. What is the difference between these?

A

Positive symptoms are symptoms that individuals with psychotic disorders experience, which are not present in the general population.
Negative symptoms are those that involve the absence of normal or desired behavior that is usually present in the general population.

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3
Q

What are delusions?

A

They are fixed false beliefs of reality, even when presented strong evidence to the contrary.

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4
Q

What is the difference between hallucinations and illusions?

A

Hallucinations are false sensory perceptions of external stimuli that aren’t actually there/real.
Illusions are misperceptions of real external stimuli, which tends to happen when the level of consciousness is reduced.

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5
Q

When someone has delusions of reference, what are they experiencing?

A

These are false beliefs that external activities and events are directed personally towards the individual. For example, a person watching a TV show believes that the characters are talking directly to them.

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6
Q

If someone has delusions of persecution, what are they experiencing?

A

They think that people are deliberately discriminating against, plotting against or threatening them when in reality this is not true. For example, when an individual goes out in public they might believe that people in the grocery store are spying on them or attempting to harm them.

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7
Q

What are delusions of grandeur?

A

This is the belief that an individual is remarkable in some significant way such as being an inventor, historical figure or celebrity.

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8
Q

What is the psychotic symptom: thought broadcasting?

A

This is the belief that the patient’s thoughts are being broadcasted aloud so that people around can hear their thoughts.

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9
Q

What is the psychotic symptom: thought withdrawal?

A

This is a delusion where a patient thinks that thoughts have been taken out of their mind by an outside agency, and the patient has no power over this.

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10
Q

What is the psychotic symptom: thought insertion?

A

It is a delusion where a patient believes that thoughts are being placed into their mind by an outside agency against their will.

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11
Q

Hallucinations are most common in which sensory modality?

A

Auditory. For example, many schizophrenic patients experience hearing voices that are coming from inside or outside of the patient’s mind which aren’t actually there.

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12
Q

What is the psychotic symptom: disorganized thought?

A

A patient whose speech is very disorganized, just a bunch of words thrown together in comprehensibly. Also shifting of ideas during a train of thought in a way that doesn’t make sense to the listener

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13
Q

What is the psychotic symptom: disorganized behavior?

A

It is the inability to carry out daily life activities such as paying bills, maintaining hygiene, and keeping appointments.

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14
Q

What is catatonia?

A

It is a psychotic symptom usually present in schizophrenic patients who display certain motor behavior characteristics such as rigid posture and bizarre movements, not caused by any external stimuli.

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15
Q

Catatonic behavior in schizophrenic patients also involves the repeating of another persons words, and imitating another persons actions. What are these symptoms called?

A

Echolalia is repeating another person’s words.
Echopraxia is repeating another person’s actions.

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16
Q

What is schizophrenia?

A

A psychotic disorder which is characterized by a break between an individual and reality.

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17
Q

What must occur for a patient in order to be diagnosed with schizophrenia?

A

The patient must show continuous signs of the disturbance for at least six months, and in the six month period at least one month of occurrence of positive symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech.

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18
Q

A good neumonic to remember the negative symptoms of schizophrenia are the 5 A’s. What are they?

A

Anhedonia -inability to feel pleasure
Affect (flat)
Alogia (poverty of speech)
Avolition (apathy) - no interest in pursuing goal directed actions
Attention (poor)

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19
Q

What are some affective symptoms of schizophrenia?

A

These include blunting (severe reduction in the intensity of emotional expression), emotional flattening (absence of showing emotional expression), and inappropriate effect in which the emotion shown is clearly discordant with the individuals speech.

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20
Q

If a schizophrenic patient is showing symptoms of avolition what does this mean?

A

This means they are showing decreased engagement in purposeful, goal-directed actions.
Don’t have the motivation for simple tasks such as getting out of bed.

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21
Q

What is the downward drift hypothesis?

A

A hypothesis that states when a person develops schizophrenia, it causes a decline in socioeconomic status, leading to worsening symptoms which set up a negative spiral for the patient towards poverty and psychosis. This conclusion is based on rates of schizophrenia being much higher among homeless people.

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22
Q

What are the three phases of schizophrenia?

A

Prodromal phase, active phase, and recovery phase

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23
Q

What characterizes the prodromal phase of schizophrenia?

A

A decline in functioning that precedes the 1st psychotic episode which could involve social withdrawal, inappropriate affect, peculiar behavior, etc.

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24
Q

What is the active phase of schizophrenia?

A

Pronounced psychotic symptoms are displayed such as hallucinations and delusions and disordered thought processes.

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25
Q

What is the recovery phase of schizophrenia?

A

Occurs after an active episode (between recurring psychotic episodes) and is characterized by mental clarity resulting in concern or depression as the individual becomes aware of their previous behavior. Individuals still experience social withdrawal, odd thinking, and flat affect.

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26
Q

What is brief psychotic disorder?

A

When positive psychotic symptoms are present for at least a day, but less than a month.

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27
Q

What is schizophreniform disorder?

A

When the patient experiences schizophrenic symptoms for at least a month, but less than 6 months.

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28
Q

What is delusion disorder?

A

A type of psychotic disorder where the symptoms are limited to only delusions and are present for at least a month.

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29
Q

What is schizoid personality disorder?

A

A personality disorder characterized by traits and behaviors such as:
-No interest in relationships
-Seclusive to self
-“Loner”
-Works night time jobs

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30
Q

What is schizotypal personality disorder?

A

Personality disorder characterized by traits and behaviors such as:
-Eccentric, magical thinking
-Odd beliefs
- Aloof, dresses weirdly
-Malignant

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31
Q

Drugs to treat schizophrenia:

A

Neuroleptics: a type of antipsychotic drug that treats positive symptoms of S, but worsens negative symptoms causing cognitive dulling
Atypical antipsychotics: treats both positive and negative symptoms

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32
Q

What is schizoaffective disorder?

A

A psychotic disorder with a combination of major mood episodes. The main component is psychotic symptoms which occur on their own for at least 2 weeks, but additionally patients will present with either depressive episodes or manic episodes which happen in combination with psychotic symptoms after the 2 week minimum period.

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33
Q

Neumonic for the 9 symptoms of a depressive disorder:
Sadness + SIG E. CAPS

A

Sadness +
Sleep
Interest (anhedonia)
Guilt
Energy
Concentration
Appetite
Psychomotor symptoms such as slowed thoughts & physical movements & psychomotor agitation resulting in restlessness and undesired movements.
Suicidal thoughts (recurring)

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34
Q

Major depressive disorder

A

Disorder characterized by major depressive episodes which last 2 weeks or longer and contain 5/9 of depressive symptoms. Of those symptoms, depressed mood or anhedonia must be included. Symptoms are severe enough to affect daily social-work life.

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35
Q

What is persistent depressive disorder/(dysthymia)?

A

A depressive disorder where an individual experiences a period of depressed mood for at least 2 years.

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36
Q

What is disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?

A

A disorder in which children or adolescents experience ongoing irritability, anger, and frequent intense temper outbursts. On average happening 3 or more times a week in multiple environments.

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37
Q

How is seasonal depressive disorder usually treated?

A

Bright light therapy

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38
Q

Mneumonic for manic symptoms:
DIG FAST

A

Distractibility
Irresponsibility
Grandiosity (really high self esteem)
Flight of thoughts
Activity (increase in goal-oriented work)
Sleep (decreased need for sleep)
Talkative

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39
Q

A hypomanic episode occurs if….

A

If 3+ manic symptoms are present for at least 4 days, but they aren’t severe enough to impair the person’s social or work life

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40
Q

A manic episode occurs if…

A

If 3+ manic symptoms persist for 7 days or more and impair the person’s social and work activities.

41
Q

Characteristics of bipolar I disorder

A

The patient either experiences manic episodes or a combination of manic and depressive episodes.
*Note depressive episodes aren’t a requirement of this criteria

42
Q

Characteristics of bipolar II disorder

A

The patient experiences both major depressive episodes and hypomanic episodes.

43
Q

What is cyclothymic disorder?

A

The patient experiences many encounters of manic and depressive symptoms (but not considered episodes) for a duration of 2 years or longer.

44
Q

A depressive episode occurs if….

A

5/9 depressive symptoms are present in at least a 2 week period

45
Q

What is the monoamine/catecholamine theory of depression?

A

A theory about how the level of neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine in the synapse can lead to either depression or mania.
High levels of these neurotransmitters leads to mania. Low levels lead to depression.

46
Q

Selective mutism disorder

A

When a patient experiences consistent impairment of speech in situations where speaking is expected. In relaxed situations, speaking isn’t impaired.

47
Q

What characterizes panic disorder?

A

The patient experiences recurrent unexpected panic attacks which have no clear stimulus/trigger.

48
Q

What occurs in the body physiologically during a panic attack?

A

It is essentially the misfiring of the sympathetic nervous system causing intense fear and a sense of impending danger. The patient feels like they are losing control of their body.

49
Q

What is agoraphobia?

A

It is an anxiety disorder characterized by fear of being in places or situations where an individual might find it difficult to escape from.
This disorder usually occurs along with other disorders such as panic disorder and social anxiety disorder.

50
Q

What is generalized anxiety disorder?

A

A patient with GAD experiences disproportionate and persistent worry about everyday life events. There aren’t specific triggers, so that’s why it’s generalized.

51
Q

Which physical symptoms can accompany generalized anxiety disorder?

A

Exaggerated startle reflex, trouble sleeping, headaches, nausea, fatigue, excessive sweating

52
Q

What is social anxiety disorder?

A

Fear/anxiety towards social situations with the belief that the individual will be exposed, embarrassed, or simply negatively perceived/judged by others. This causes the patient to avoid social situations to the point of social or occupational impairment.

53
Q

What is a phobia?

A

An irrational fear/anxiety of a specific object or situation that results in avoiding it.

54
Q

What feelings can be associated with social anxiety disorder?

A

Inadequacy, inferiority, embarrassment, humiliation, nervousness

55
Q

What characterizes obsessive compulsive disorder?

A

Obsessions which produces tension and compulsions that relieve tension but cause significant impairment in a patient’s life (like taking up too much time in their day).
People w/ OCD know their behavior is irrational but get too much anxiety from obsessions so they have to go through with it anyway to relieve that anxiety.

56
Q

What is trichotillomania?

A

An OCD disorder where an individual is compelled to pull out their hair.

57
Q

What is excoriation disorder?

A

An OCD disorder where an individual is compelled to pick out their skin.

58
Q

Post-traumatic stress disorder

A

A stressed induced disorder developed after experiencing/witnessing a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, violent crime, war, or rape. Can cause the individual to possibly develop anhedonia, dysphoria (dissatisfaction w/ life), aggression, or dissociation.

59
Q

Individuals with PTSD present with a category of symptoms such as intrusion symptoms, arousal symptoms, avoidance symptoms, and negative cognitive symptoms. Describe each of these.

A

Intrusion symptoms include reliving of the traumatic event, flashbacks, nightmares, and chronic distress.
Arousal symptoms include an increased startle response, irritability, self-destructive, or reckless behavior, and sleep disturbances.
Avoidance symptoms include attempts to avoid the memories, people, places, and objects associated with the trauma.
Negative Cognitive symptoms include an inability to recall key features of the event, negative mood or emotions, a persistent negative view of the world.

60
Q

If an individual experiences the same symptoms of PTSD, but they only last for less than a month, what is the disorder called?

A

Acute stress disorder

61
Q

What is dissociative identity disorder (DID)?

A

Due to severe stress/trauma usually during childhood, an individual develops 2 or more personalities that recurrently take control of the person’s behavior.

62
Q

What is dissociative amnesia?

A

A type of amnesia that is not due to physiological changes, but rather due to trauma which causes an individual to not be able to recall personal information and past experiences.

63
Q

What is somatic symptom disorder?

A

A disorder where the patient has verifiable physical symptoms of an illness or injury that can’t be explained by a general medical condition, so the patient has severe anxiety about the undiagnosed condition.
The MAIN focus here is the stress/anxiety patient presents about physical symptoms.

64
Q

What is illness anxiety disorder?

A

A patient has severe anxiety/preoccupation about the possibility of developing a serious medical condition, but they don’t have any current physical symptoms.

65
Q

What is conversion disorder/functional neurological system disorder

A

A disorder where the patient has medically unexplained neurological symptoms that are though to have a psychological basis.

66
Q

Conversion disorder usually begins after the person experiences __________.

A

High levels of stress or a traumatic event.

67
Q

What diagnostic symptoms do psychiatrist use to screen for conversion disorder?

A

Patient experiences one or more symptoms of altered voluntary motor or sensory function, clinical findings/test results don’t explain the loss of functioning, and the symptoms are not better explained by any other medical condition.

68
Q

What is a personality disorder?

A

It is an enduring pattern of personal experience/behavior that deviates noticeably from the expectations of one’s culture, is inflexible, and causes impaired functioning in at least two of the following: cognition, emotions, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control.

69
Q

What is the difference between ego-syntonic and ego-dystonic?

A

Ego-syntonic means that individuals perceive their behavior as being correct and rational according to circumstance.
Ego-dystonic means that individuals perceive their behavior/symptoms as irrational and not normal to society.

70
Q

Personality disorders are considered (ego-dsytonic, ego-syntonic).

A

Ego-syntonic

71
Q

What are the cluster A personality disorders?

A

Paranoid, schizotypal, and schizoid personality disorders.
They all are marked by odd or eccentric behavior.

72
Q

What are the cluster B personality disorders?

A

Antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders.
These are marked by behaviors that are dramatic, emotional, or erratic .

73
Q

What are the cluster C personality disorders?

A

Avoidant, dependent, and obsessive, compulsive, personality disorders.
These are marked by behaviors that are considered anxious or fearful by others.

74
Q

Characteristics of paranoid personality disorder

A

Characterized by pervasive distrust of others and suspicion regarding their motives.
- A lot of paranoia disposition and suspiciousness

75
Q

Characteristics of schizotypal personality disorder

A

-Odd or eccentric thinking
-Magical thinking like superstitiousness
-Clairvoyance (ability to predict future events)
-Talking to oneself
-Severe social anxiety

76
Q

Characteristics of schizoid personality disorder.

A

-No desire to form relationships
-Severe detachment from others
-Indifference to praise, criticism, or rejection
-Cold, withdrawn demeanor

77
Q

Characteristics of borderline personality disorder

A

-uncertainty about self image, sexual identity, long-term goals, or values
-Intense fear of abandonment
-Suicidal thoughts and self harm
-Severe instability in relationships
-Instability in mood and behavior

78
Q

Characteristics of histrionic personality disorder

A

-Attention seeking behavior
-Secutive behavior
-Very extroverted

79
Q

Characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder

A

-Grandeur sense of self importance or uniqueness
-Need for constant admiration/attention
-feelings of entitlement in relationships
-Very fragile self-esteem and always concerned about how others view them

80
Q

Characteristics of antisocial personality disorder

A

-High disregard for and violation of the rights of others
-Violent behavior
-Lack of guilt or remorse
-Symptoms usually begin in childhood and include things such as setting fires, legal trouble, and difficulty with authority
-This disorder is never diagnosed before age 18

81
Q

What is the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath?

A

A sociopath has a severe deficit of conscience while a psychopath has a complete lack of conscience.

82
Q

Characteristics of avoidant personality disorder.

A
  • Extreme shyness
  • Social, isolation, despite an intense desire for social acceptance
  • Fear of rejection
    -Individuals tend to stay in the same jobs and life situations, despite wanting to change
83
Q

Characteristics of dependent personality disorder

A

-Individual is very dependent on a specific person
-Have a continuous need for reassurance

84
Q

Characteristics of obsessive compulsive personality disorder

A

-perfectionistic and inflexible behavior
- maintains careful routines and follows rules
- Excessive stubbornness
-Lack of desire to change

85
Q

What are some biological markers associated with depression?

A
  • Abnormally high levels of cortisol
  • Abnormally high glucose metabolism in the amygdala (elevated activity)
  • Decreased levels of monoamine neurotransmitters
  • Long-term depression —> atrophy in the hippocampus
86
Q

What are some biological markers of bipolar disorder?

A
  • Increased levels of norepinephrine and serotonin
  • Genetic component
  • Higher risk if person has multiple sclerosis
87
Q

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

A

It’s the most common type of dementia in the United States, which is characterized by gradual memory loss, disorientation time in place, poor judgment, loss of procedural memory.

88
Q

What are some neurological symptoms that we see in patients with Alzheimer’s disease?

A
  • Diffuse atrophy of the brain on a CT scan or MRI
  • Flattened sulci in the cerebral cortex
  • enlarged cerebral ventricles
  • deficient blood flow in parietal lobe
  • Low levels of acetylcholine neurotransmitter which regulates the parasympathetic nervous system
  • Low levels of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase which produces acetylcholine
  • reduced metabolism in temporal and parietal lobes
  • Outside of the cell the amyloid precursor protein aggregates to form B-amyloid plaques
  • Inside the cell cytosol, the Tau protein undergoes hyper phosphorylation which causes many Tau proteins to aggregate into neurofibrillary tangles
89
Q

What are symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?

A

Resting tremor, bradykinesia, static and expressionless facial features, cogwheel rigidity (muscles halt movement at times), and shuffling gait with stooped posture

90
Q

What causes Parkinson’s disease?

A

Decreased dopamine production in the substantia nigra which makes up the basal ganglia.

91
Q

What kinds of medication’s are used to treat Parkinson’s disease?

A

There is no cure for Parkinson’s, however medicines that target dopaminergic neurons and work as an agonist are used. Often medications used for Parkinson’s can lead to psychotic side effects, such as hallucinations and delusions due to elevated levels of dopamine in the brain.

92
Q

What is Huntington’s disease?

A

A fatal genetic neurodegenerative disorder which targets populations over 35 years. Characterized by symptoms of memory loss, dementia, chorea (involuntary jerky movements).
Treatments that help alleviate Huntington’s disease inhibit the reuptake on monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine.

93
Q

What are hallucinogens (psychedelics)?

A

A class of drugs that cause hallucinations, heightening sensations, and intense mood swings. Examples include ecstasy, LSD, marijuana, shrooms, etc.

94
Q

Tolerance

A

The body’s response to drug intake, in order to maintain homeostasis the body counteracts the effects of a drug. However, in order for the person to feel the same effect on their body/mind, they have to take more of that drug.

95
Q

How does drug tolerance work molecularly?

A

As you take more of a drug, the dopamine receptors on the post synaptic terminal close more and more to counteract the effects of the drug and maintain homeostasis in the body (body doesn’t want to have that much dopamine stimulation). This causes the person to not experience as much high, which means they have to consume more of the drug to experience the same effect.

96
Q

What are depressants?

A

A class of drugs that lowers the activity of the CNS: lowers HR & BP, also lowers coordination and inhibition.
Examples are benzodiazepines, alcohol, and barbiturates

97
Q

What are opiates?

A

A class of drugs which act as depressants and analgesics (acting on endorphin receptors).
These include oxycodone, heroin, and morphine.

98
Q

What are stimulants?

A

A class of drugs that stimulate the CNS, elevate blood pressure and heart rate.
Examples include methamphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, caffeine, and nicotine.

99
Q

What classes of drugs are used to treat anxiety and depression?

A

MAOIs - They decrease the breakdown of monoamine neurotransmitters within the presynaptic neuron

SSRIs - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors block the reuptake of serotonin by the presynaptic neurons resulting in higher levels of serotonin at the synapse

Benzodiazepines - antidepressant drugs which open up more GABA chloride channel receptors, making postsynaptic neurons more resistant to excitation, thus causes a reduction in stress and anxiety

Malika Psychology MCAT (12 decks)

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