Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Define diagnosis

Answer 1

Distinguishing one illness from another

Question 2

Define etiology

Answer 2

Apparent causation and developmental history of illness

Question 3

Define prognosis

Answer 3

Forecast about the probable course of an illness

Question 4

How do we conceptualize abnormal behavior?

Answer 4

• Deviance: Unusual or unacceptable from social/cultural norms
• Dysfunction: Maladaptive behavior
• Distress: Subjective descriptions of pain and suffering

Involves value judgment: cultural values, social trends, political forces, scientific knowledge

Question 5

Define behavior therapies

Answer 5

Application of the principles of learning and conditioning to direct efforts to change clients’ maladaptive behavior

Question 6

What is systematic desensitization?

Answer 6

• Behavior therapy to reduce phobic responses
• Aims to weaken association between CS and CR
• Counter-Conditining: Replace CR of fear with a relaxation response
• Reciprocal Inhibition: Opposing emotions cannot co-exist

Question 7

Define neurodevelopmental disorders

Answer 7

• Begin early in development
• Cause impairments in functioning
• eg intellectual disability, ADHD

Question 8

Define dissociative disorders

Answer 8

• Disruptions or discontinuity
• In consciousness, memory, identity

Question 9

Define somatic symptoms

Answer 9

• Experiencing bodily symptoms (eg pain, fatigue)
• Associated with distress or impairment

Question 10

Define disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders

Answer 10

• Problems controlling emotions and behaviors
• Eg intermittent explosive disorder, kleptomania

Question 11

Define neurocognitive disorders

Answer 11

• Disorders of thinking
• Eg Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury

Question 12

Define paraphillic disorders

Answer 12

• Characterized by inappropriate sexual activity
• Eg pedophilic disorder

Question 13

Define prolonged grief disorder

Answer 13

• Trauma and stressor related disorder
• Intense yearning or longing for the deceased
• Preoccupation with thoughts or memories of the deceased
• Interferes with daily life

Question 14

Define comorbidity

Answer 14

Individuals suffering from more than one disorder

Question 15

What is the medical model?

Answer 15

• Proposes that it is useful to think of abnormal behavior as diseases
• Mental disorders are approachable like physical diseases
• Flaws: Labelling effects and stigmatization

Question 16

Describe the four stages of negative impacts of severe mental illness

Answer 16

1. Impairment: Psychological/physiological/anatomical function
2. Dysfunction: Restriction/lack of ability to perform tasks normally
3. Disability: Restriction/lack of ability to perform a role normally
4. Disadvantage: Lack of opportunities

Question 17

What are the models of disability?

Answer 17

• How society can improve the life of the disabled
  1. One should not be disadvantaged by one’s disability.
  2. Disabled persons have equal rights to a happy, independent, productive, and meaningful life, be free from discrimination.
  3. Overcome barriers in the society & environment to enable and empower me function and live a meaningful life