Psychological Disorders Flashcards
Biomedical approach
takes into account only the physical and medical causes of a psychological disorder.
Biopsychosocial approach
considers the relative contributions of biological, psychological and social components to an individual’s disorder.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
used to diagnose psychological disorders
current version is DSM - 5
categorizes mental disorders based on symptom patterns
Schizophrenia
the prototypical disorder with psychosis as a feature. It contains positive and negative symptoms
partially inherited
excess of dopamine
treat with dopamine blockers
Positive symptom of Schizophrenia
adds something to the behavior, cognition or affect and include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and disorganized behavior
Negative symptom of Schizophrenia
loss of something from behavior, cognition or affect and include disturbance of affect and avolition
delusions
false beliefs discordant with reality and not shared by others in the individuals culture that are maintained in spite of strong evidence to the contrary.
delusion of reference
the belief that common elements in the environment are directed toward the individual.
ex: a person with this may believe the characters in the TV show are talking to him
delusion of persecution
the belief that the person is being deliberately interfered with, discriminated against, plotted again, or threatened
delusions of grandeur
common in bipolar I disorder
involve the belief that the person is remarkable in some significant way such as being an inventor, historical figure or religious icon.
thought broadcasting
the belief that ones thoughts are broadcast directly from ones head to the external world
thought insertion
the belief that thoughts are being placed in ones head
Hallucinations
perceptions that are not due to external stimuli but have a compelling sense of reality
common: auditory
Disorganized thought
characterized by the loosening of associations
exhibited as speech in which ideas shift form one subject to another in such a way that a listener would be unable to follow the train of thought
Word Salad
when a patients speech is so disorganized that it seems to have no structure
(schizophrenia symptom)
Neologisms
when a person with schizophrenia invents new words
Disorganized behavior
an inability to carry out activities of daily living, such as paying bills, maintaining hygiene, keeping appointments.
(schizophrenia symptom)
Catatonia
certain motor behaviors characteristic of some people with schizophrenia
may include useless and bizarre movements not caused by any external stimuli, echolalia (repeating another words) or echopraxia (imitating another actions)
Negative symptoms affective symptom:
schizophrenia
blunting (there is a severe reduction in the intensity of affect expression) flat affect (there are virtually no signs of emotional expression) inappropriate affect (the affect is clearly discordant with the content of the individuals speech. avolition (marked by decreased engagement in purposeful, goal directed actions)
prodromal phase
a phase that the patient undergoes characterized by poor adjustment before getting diagnosed by schizophrenia.
this phase is recognized by clear evidence of deterioration, social withdraw, role functioning impairment, peculiar behavior, inappropriate affect and unusual experienced.
anhedonia
a symptom of depressive disorder - when they lose all interest in all or almost all formerly enjoyable activities
dysthymia
persistent depressive disorder
a depressed mood that isn’t severe enough to meet the criteria of a major depressive episode
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
not a freestanding diagnosis in the DSM - 5 but is best characterized as major depressive disorder with seasonal onset
may be treated with bright light therapy - patient is exposed to a bright light a specified about of time each day
Bipolar disorders
maniac depression
major type of mood disorder in mania and depression
Manic episodes
a distinct period during which there is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood
Biopolar I disorder
Both types describe a disorder with mood ranging between depression and mania.
Major depressive episodes are common in both of them.
But type I : there should be at least full blown episode of mania (highest in the spectrum)
Bipolar II disorder
Both types describe a disorder with mood ranging between depression and mania.
Major depressive episodes are common in both of them.
But type II : There is not full blown episode of mania but there are hypomanic episodes
Cyclothymic disorder
combination of hypomanic episodes and periods of dysthymia that are not severe enough to qualify as major depressive episodes
catecholamine theory of depression
or monoamine
this theory holds that too much norepinephrine and serotonin in the synapse leads to make while too little leads to depression
Generalized anxiety disorder
disproportionate and persistent worry about many different things
Specific phobia
anxiety is produced by a specific object or situation
Social anxiety disorder
anxiety due to social situations
Panic disorder
repeated panic attacks
Agoraphobia
deals with panic disorders
fear of being in places or in situations where it might be hard for an individual to escape
uncomfortable leaving their home
Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD)
characterized by obsessions which produce tension, and compulsions that relieve tension but cause significant impairment in a persons life.
obsessions raise the individuals stress levels and compulsions receive this stress
Body dysmorphic disorder
a person has an unrealistic negative evaluation of his or her personal appearance and attractiveness usually directed toward a certain body part (nose, skin, stomach)
Dissociative disorders
person avoids stress by escaping from his identity
Dissociative amnesia
inability to recall past experience
often linked to trauma
may experience dissociative fugue: sudden, unexpected move or purposeless wandering away from ones home or location of usual daily activities
may believe they are someone else and completely forget about their identity
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
Disorder results when the component of identity fail to integrate
patients have suffered severe physical or sexual abuse as young children
personalities can sometimes be integrated into one
Depersonalization/derealization disorder
individuals feel detached from their own mind and body (depersonalization) or from their surroundings (derealization)
out of body experience = example of depersonalization
Derealization: giving the world a dreamlike or insubstantial quality
Somatic symptom disorder
have atleast one somatic symptom
may or may not be linked to an underlying medical condition
illness anxiety disorder
hypochondriasis
consumed with thoughts about having or developing a serious medical condition
conversion disorder
unexplained symptoms affecting voluntary motor or sensory functions
symptoms begin after high levels of stress or a traumatic event
la belle indifference = when the person is surprisingly unconcerned by the symptom
Personality disorder
pattern of behavior that is inflexible and maladaptive, causing distress or impaired functioning in at least two of the following: cognition, emotions, interpersonal functioning, or impulse control.
ego - syntonic
Personality disorder
individual perceives her behavior as correct, normal or in harmony with her goals
ego - dystonic
Personality disorder
individual sees the illness as something thrust upon her that is intrusive and bothersome.
general personality disorder has 3 clusters:
cluster A (paranoid, schizotypal, and schizoid) WIERD cluster B (antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic) WILD cluster C (avoidant, dependent, and obsessive - compulsive) WORRIED
Paranoid personality disorder
cluster A
marked by persuasive mistrust of others and suspicion regarding their motives
Schizotypal personality disorder
cluster A
pattern of odd or eccentric thinking
may have ideas of reference - similar to delusions of reference but not as extreme in intensity
may have magical thinking - superstitiousness or belief in clairvoyance
Schizoid personality disorder
cluster A
persuasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression
show little desire for social interactions
have few close friends
Antisocial personality disorder
cluster B
more common in males than woman
found in many serial killers and career criminals who show no guilt for their action
Borderline personality disorder
cluster B
more common in females than males
persuasive instability in interpersonal behavior, mood and self image
fear of abandonment
may use splitting as a defense mechanism - in which they view others as either all good or all bad
suicide attempts and self mutilation (cutting or burning) are common
Histrionic personality disorder
cluster B
constant attention seeking behavior
often wear colorful clothing, are dramatic and are extrovert
may use seductive behavior to gain attention
narcissistic personality disorder
cluster B
high sense of self importance or uniqueness, preoccupy with fantasies of success, and a need for constant admiration and attention.
many have fragile self esteems
avoidant personality disorder
cluster C
the affected individual has extreme shyness and fear of rejection
socially isolated
dependent personality disorder
cluster C
continuous need for reassurance
depend on a specific person
obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)
perfectionist inflexible likes rules and order lack desire to change stubbordness lack sense of humor
depression is associated with
HIGH levels of: glucose, cortisol
LOW levels of: NE, serotonin, dopamine
bipolar disorder is associated with
HIGH levels of: NE, serotonin
higher risk if parent has bipolar disorder
higher risk for persons with multiple sclerosis
Alzheimers Disease
type of dementia characterized by gradual memory loss, disorientation to time and place, problems with abstract thought and tendency to misplace things.
family history is a significant risk factor
lower risk of developing disease with higher levels of education
Parkinsons Disease
characterized by:
bradykinesia (slowness in movement)
resting tumor (tremor that appears when muscle are not being used)
pill - rolling tremor (flexing and extending the fingers while moving the thumb back and forth, as if rolling something in the fingers)
masklikes facies (a facial expression consisting of static and expressionless facial features, staring eyes and a partially open mouth)
cogwheel rigidity (muscle tension that intermittently halts movement as an examiner attempts to manipulate a limb)
shuffling gait (stooped posture)
decreased dopamine
