Psychological Disorders Flashcards
Anxiety def
a vague, generalized apprehension or feeling that one is in danger
Panic def
a feeling of sudden, helpless terror
Panic Disorder
extreme anxiety that manifests itself in the form of panic attacks.
Phobia
an intense and irrational fear of particular objects or situations
Obsession def
An uncontrollable pattern of thoughts - thinking about the same thing over and over
Compulsion def
Repeated coping behaviours
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
A disorder which includes both obsessions and compulsions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
the experiencing or reliving of an original event through dreams or flashbacks
Mood Disorders (general)
disorders which affect one’s mental state - can cause long lasting sadness, happiness or anger
Major Depressive Disorder
severe form of depression that interferes with functioning, concentration, mental and physical wellbeing
Bipolar Disorder (general)
disorder that causes unusual changes in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration
Bipolar I
The suffering of manic episodes that last for at least 7 days, or by symptoms so severe that a person needs medical care. Depressive episodes usually happen as well, lasting about 2 weeks. Having depressive and manic episodes at the same time is also possible
Bipolar II
A series of depressive and hypomanic episodes (a period of abnormally elevated/extreme mood, emotions, or energy level
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
A type of depression characterized by recurrent seasonal patterns with symptoms that last about 4 to 5 months
Somatoform Disorders (general)
physical symptoms for which there is no apparent physical cause.
Somatoform - Somatic symptoms are physical symptoms that have no CLEAR medical cause but are related to psychological or emotional factors
Symptoms include: pain, fatigue, dizziness, gastrointestinal issues
Conversion Disorder
changing emotional difficulties into a loss of a specific voluntary body function
Hypochondriasis
a person who is in good health becomes preoccupies with imaginary ailments. A hypochondriac spends a lot of time looking for signs of serious illness and often misinterprets minor aches, pains, bruises, or bumps as early signs of a fatal illness
Dissociative Disorders (general)
disorders in which a person experiences alteration in memory, identity, or consciousness. Loss of memory with no biological or physiological explanation (not a result of physical injury, normal forgetting, or substance use)
Dissociative Amnesia
the inability to recall important personal events or information (usually associated with stressful events)
Dissociative Fugue
a dissociative disorder in which a person suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home or work and is unable to recall the past
Dissociative Identity Disorder
a person exhibits two or more personality states, each with its own patterns of thinking and behaving (previously known as multiple personality disorder)
Schizophrenia (general)
a group of disorder characterized by confused and disconnected thoughts, emotions, and perceptions
Delusions def
false beliefs that a person maintains in the face of contrary evidence
Hallucinations def
perceptions that have no direct external cause
Paranoid Schizophrenia
Main type of schizophrenia - mainly involves hallucinations and delusions
ex. grandeur = the personal belief that a person is wonderful, successful, more important than others
ex. persecution = the belief that someone is conspiring against or mistreating oneself
Catatonic Schizophrenia
affects the way you move in extreme ways (extreme flexibility)
Remission Schizophrenia
This is when schizophrenia symptoms have completely disappeared or are very minimal
Disorganized Schizophrenia
associated with symptoms like disorganized speech, thinking, and behaviour
Undifferentiated Schizophrenia
a type of schizophrenia that is diagnoses when a person meets the criteria for a schizophrenia diagnoses but cannot by classified into any of the subtypes
Personality Disorders (general)
maladaptive or inflexible ways of dealing with others and one’s environment. People affected by this are unable:
- to establish meaningful connections with other people
- to assume social responsibilities
- to adapt to their social environment
Antisocial Personality Disorder
a personality disorder characterized by irresponsibility, shallow emotions, and lack of conscience (known in the past as psychopaths or sociopaths)
Addiction (general)
a pattern of drug abuse characterized by an overwhelming and compulsive desire to obtain and use a drug
Psychological Dependence def
use of a drug to such an extent that a person feels nervous and anxious without it
Tolerance def
physical adaptation to a drug so that a person needs an increased amount in order to produce the original effect
Withdrawal def
the symptoms that occur after a person discontinues the use of a drug to which they have become addicted
Alcoholism
- Can produce psychological dependence, tolerance and addiction
- may develop from both environmental and genetic factors
- there is not certain cure for alcoholism
