Psychological Disorders Flashcards
what are the 4 factors which can be used to establish abnormalities
1) Statistical Abnormality
2) Nonconformity
3) Subjective Discomfort
4) Maladaptive Behaviour
what is statistical abnormality?
refers to scoring very high or low on some dimension such as intelligence, anxiety or depression
explain nonconformity
disobeying public standards for acceptable conduct
explain subjective discomfort
private feelings of pain, unhappiness or emotional distress
explain maladaptive behaviour
behaviour which arises from an underlying psychological or biological dysfunction that makes it difficult to adapt to the environment and meet the demands of day-to-day life
what is the term Comorbid mean
when a person has two or more mental disorders at the same time
explain the difference between positive and negative symptoms
positive = delusions and hallucinations
negative = absence or deficiencies compared to positive symptoms (lack of emotion)
what is an issue that clinicians face when trying to use symptoms to make a diagnosis?
some symptoms may go unnoticed when trying to get a diagnosis
what are some reasons for making changes to diagnostic categories in the DSM-5
1) social norms and thoughts from people with the disorder
2) some things in the past have been classified as a disorder when they are not which can be damaging for individuals (Gender Identity Disorder)
what can psychological labeling lead to?
prejudice and discrimination
define the term insanity
a legal term that refers to a mental inability to manage ones affairs or to be aware of the consequences of ones actions
distinguish between a defence of not guilty by reason of insanity vs. not guilty by reason of diminished responsibility
1) Not guilty by reason of insanity - due to a diagnosed mental disorder, the person was unable to understand what they were doing
2) not guilty due to diminished responsibility - someone with brain damage or intellectual disability can plead this as they didn’t understand what they were doing
what are the two factors which cause mental illnesses
1) biological
2) psychosocial
explain the three reasons under the biological factor of mental illness
1) organic - tumours or normal influences
2) environmental - head injuries which are caused by an accident
3) genetic - some mental disorders can be passed down through genetics (there are 128 gene variations. which can cause schizophrenia)
explain the two reasons under the psychosocial factor of mental illness
1) psychological - psychological trauma can contribute to mental health disorders
2) social - social conditions impacting mental health - (poverty, stressful living conditions, homelessness, etc)
what is meant by the term stress-vulnerability model
- various combinations of vulnerability and stress may produce psychological problems
define the term psychosis
involve a loss of contact with shared views of reality (one of the most serious mental disorders)
what are the general characteristics
- Delusions
- hallucinations
- disturbed thoughts
- speech
- motor behaviour
- social/emotional isolation
define delusional disorder
the presence of deeply held false beliefs called delusions
what are the 5 types of delusions
1) Erotomania
- people believe they are loved by another person (famous or high status)
2) Grandiose
- they believe they have a talent of some sort
3) Jealous
- being jealous of someone - thinking spouse is unfaithful
4) persecutory
- they believe that you are being conspired against
5) Somatic
- believe something is wrong with their body (infested, diseased, rotting)
what is paranoid psychosis
- paranoid psychosis is the most common delusional disorder
- paranoid psychosis centres on persecutory-type delusions
what is schizophrenia
a disorder characterized by disturbance in thought, perceptions, emotions and behaviour
identify and explain the 4 main symptoms of schizophrenia
1) Disturbed Thinking = hard for people to focus on one item of information (related to selective attention)
2) Disturbed Perception = Hallucinations
3) Disturbed Emotions = emotions become inappropriate or blunt
4) Disturbed Behaviour = withdrawal from others, loss of interest, breakdowns
identify and explain the 4 cause/risk factors of schizophrenia
1) prenatal = women who experience the flu Orr rubella are more likely to have a child with schizophrenia
2) Psychosocial = often people with schizophrenia have experienced psychological trauma
3) Genetics = there are some genes which people can have, making them more likely to develop schizophrenia
4) brain functioning = brain imaging has proven that the brain of people with schizophrenia is smaller and shrinks compared to someone who doesn’t have schizophrenia
