Psychological Disorders Flashcards
Psychopathology
sickness or disorder of the mind; psychological disorder
Etiology
factors that contribute to the development of a disorder
Criteria for determining psychopathology
- do actions deviate from cultural norms
- is the behavior maladaptive
- is the behavior self-destructive
- does the behavior cause discomfort and concern to others
Manual for psychological disorders
DSM-5
Categorical approach
a person is either in a category or not
DSM-5 uses this approach
Dimensional Approach
psychological disorders exist along a continuum
Comorbidity
many psychological disorders occur together
P-factor
Your predisposition to psychological disorders. A high p is associated with more life impairment, suicide, criminal behaviors ,etc.
Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)
a method that defines basic aspects of functioning and considers them across multiple levels of analysis, from genes to brain systems to behavior
- the purpose is to guide research rather than classify disorders
Types of Assessment
self - reports
psychological testing
observations
interviews
neuropsychological testing
Diathesis-stress model
a diagnostic model that proposes that a disorder may develop when an underlying vulnerability is coupled with a precipitating event
Anxiety Disorders
psychological disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety in the absence of true danger
1 in 4 Amerians
Specific Phobia
excessive fear of one thing
Social anxiety disorder
fear of being negatively evaluated by others, tends to develop along with other disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
a diffuse state of constant anxiety not associated with any specific object or event, constant anxiety, your fight or flight system is almost always active
Panic Disorder
an anxiety disorder that consists of sudden, overwhelming attacks of terror, does not necessarily come from a specific trigger
Agoraphobia
fear of being in situations in which escape may be difficult or impossible
Development of anxiety disorders
biased thinking = negative thinking
learning = observing others’ anxious responses
biological factor = temperament style, brain chemistry
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
a disorder characterized by frequent intrusive thoughts and compulsive actions
Obessions
recurrent, intrusive, and unwanted thoughts or ideas and mental images that increase anxiety
Compulsions
particular acts that the OCD patient feels driven to perform over and over that reduce anxiety
OCD causes
conditioning
genes
neuroimaging
environment
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
a disorder that involved frequent nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks related to an earlier trauma
Major depressive disorder
a disorder characterized by severe negative moods or lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities
Major depressive episode
a depressed mood, loss of interest for at least 2 weeks
Persistent Depressive Disorder (dysthymia)
a form of depression that is not severe enough to be diagnosed as major depressive disorder
lasts from 2-20 years
Causes of depression
deficiency in norepinephrine and serotonin
life stressors
multiple negative events
Cognitive triad
people with depression think negatively about themselves, about their situations, and about the future
Attributional pattern
blame misfortunes on personal defects, positive occurrences due to luck
Learned helplessness
a cognitive model of depression in which people feel unable to control events in their lives
Thinking in extremes
I must be perfect, or I’m a failure
Bipolar disorder
a mood disorder characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania
Mania
an elevated mood that can vary in degree and is accompanied by major shifts in energy levels and physical activity
Manic episodes
elevated mood, increased activity, diminished need for sleep, etc.
Bipolar 1
characterized by extremely elevated moods during manic episodes and frequently, depressive episodes as well
Bipolar ll:
characterized by alternating periods of extremely depressed and mildly elevated moods
Hypomania
less extreme mood elevations
Dissociative disorders
disorders that involve disruptions of identity, of memory, or of conscious awareness
Dissociative amnesia
a person forgets that an event happened or loses awareness of a substantial block of time
Dissociative fugue
the rarest and most extreme form of dissociative amnesia that involves a loss of identity; involves travel to another location and sometimes the assumption of a new identity
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
the occurrence of two or more distinct identities in the same individual
Schizophrenia
a psychological disorder characterized by alterations in thoughts, in perceptions, or in consciousness, resulting in psychosis
Delusions
false beliefs based on incorrect inferences about reality
Types of delusions
persecutory
referential
grandiose
identity
guilt
control
Hallucinations
false sensory perceptions that are experienced without an external force
Positive delusions
adding something to your reality
Negative delusions
taking something away from your reality, lack of behavior
Disorganized speech
speaking in an incoherent fashion that involves frequently changing topics and saying strange or inappropriate things
Disorganized behavior
acting in strange or unusual ways, including strange movements of limbs, inappropriate self-care
Catatonic behavior
holding a strange posture for hours, as though “scared stiff”
Personality disorders
when a style of interaction is long-lasting and causes problems in work and social situations
Cluster A
odd, eccentric behavior (paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal)
Cluster B
dramatic, emotional, erratic behavior (narcissistic, borderline, antisocial)
Cluster C
anxious or fearful behavior (avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive)
Borderline personality disorder
a personality disorder characterized by disturbances in identity in affect, and in impulse of control
Antisocial personality disorder (APD)
a personality disorder in which people engage in socially undesirable behavior, impulsive and lack empathy
Autism spectrum disorder
impairments in social interactions
avoid eye contact
destructive behaviors
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
a disorder characterized by restlessness, inattentiveness and impulsivity
Psychotherapy
the generic name given to formal psychological treatment, involves interactions between practitioner and client, aimed at changing patterns of thoughts, emotion, or behavior, how you would picture typical therapy
Biological Therapies
based on medical approaches to disease/illness
the perspective that mental disorders result from abnormalities in neural and bodily processes
psychopharmacology is the use of medications that affect brain or body functions
Freud and Breuer’s psychoanalysis
involved uncovering unconscious feelings and drives that gave rise to maladaptive thoughts and behaviors, dream analysis, insight
Insight
a client’s awareness of his or her own unconscious psychological processes and how these processes affect daily functioning
Behavior Therapy
based on the premise that behavior is learned and therefore can be unlearned through the use of classical and operant conditioning
Exposure
involves repeated exposure to an anxiety-producing stimulus or situation
Cognitive therapy
distorted thoughts produce maladaptive behavior and emotions, treatments strategies attempt to modify these thought patterns.
Cognitive restructuring
help clients recognize maladaptive though patterns and replace them with ways of viewing the world that are more in tune with reality
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
a therapy that incorporates technique from cognitive therapy and behavior therapy to correct faulty thinking and change maladaptive behaviors
Client-centered therapy
focus on empathy encourages people to fulfill their individual potentials for personal growth through greater self-understanding
reflective listengin
the therapist repeats the client’s concerns to help the person clarify his or her feelings
Family therapy
a systems approach where an individual is part of a larger context where changes in individual behavior will affect the whole system.
Psychotorpic medicaitons
drugs that affect mental processes
Anti-anxiety drugs
a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of anxiety; commonly called tranquilizers (benzodiazepines)
increase the activity of gaba
Antidepressants
a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of depressions
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Antipsychotics
a class of psychotropic medications used for the treatment of disorders that involve psychosis; also known as neuroleptics
Tardive dyskinesia
the involuntary twitching of muscles, especially in the neck and face
Electroconvulsive therapy
administering a strong electrical current to the patient’s brain to produce a seizure
Transcranial magnetic simulation
a powerful electrical current produces a magnetic field that is about 40000 times earth’s magnetic field
Deep brain stimulations
electrodes are surgically implanted deep within the brain; mild electricity is then used to stimulate the brain at an optimal frequency and intensity
