Psychological Disorders

Question 1

binge-eating disorder

Answer 1

significant binge-eating episodes, followed by distress, disgust, or guilt, but without the compensatory purging, fasting, or excessive exercise that marks bulimia nervosa.

Question 1

generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 1

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.

Question 1

post-traumatic growth

Answer 1

positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises.

Question 1

schizophrenia

Answer 1

a group of severe disorders characterized by disorganized and delusional thinking, disturbed perceptions, and inappropriate emotions and behaviors.

Question 2

mania

Answer 2

a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state.

Question 3

psychosis

Answer 3

a psychological disorder in which a person loses contact with reality, experiencing irrational ideas and distorted perceptions.

Question 5

psychological disorder

Answer 5

deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional patterns of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

Question 6

personality disorders

Answer 6

psychological disorders characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning.

Question 6

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Answer 6

an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after a traumatic experience.

Question 7

panic disorder

Answer 7

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations.

Question 9

dissociative disorders

Answer 9

disorders in which conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings.

Question 10

phobia

Answer 10

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation.

Question 11

anxiety disorders

Answer 11

psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.

Question 12

major depressive disorder

Answer 12

a mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or another medical condition, two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods or diminished interest or pleasure in most activities, along with at least four other symptoms.

Question 13

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 13

a personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members. May be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist.

Question 14

bulimia nervosa

Answer 14

an eating disorder in which a person alternates binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) with purging (by vomiting or laxative use), fasting, or excessive exercise.

Question 15

anorexia nervosa

Answer 15

an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly (15 percent or more) underweight.

Question 17

medical model

Answer 17

the concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital.

Question 18

delusions

Answer 18

false beliefs, often of persecution or grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders.

Question 19

mood disorders

Answer 19

psychological disorders characterized by emotional extremes. See major depressive disorder, mania, and bipolar disorder.

Question 21

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

Answer 21

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. Formerly called multiple personality disorder.

Question 22

bipolar disorder

Answer 22

a mood disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania. (Formerly called manic-depressive disorder.)

Question 23

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Answer 23

a psychological disorder marked by the appearance by age 7 of one or more of 3 key symptoms: extreme inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

Question 24

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Answer 24

an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions).