Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Psychological Disorder

Answer 1

Deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional behavior patterns.

Question 2

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Medical Model

Answer 3

The concept that diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured. When applied to psychological disorders, the medical model assumes that these mental illnesses can be diagnosed on the basis of their symptoms and cured through therapy, which may include treatment in a psychiatric hospital

Question 4

DSM-IV

Answer 4

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition), a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders. Presently distributed in an updated test revision (DSM-IV-TR).

Question 5

Anxiety Disorders

Answer 5

Psychological diorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety.

Question 6

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Answer 6

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

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 8

Phobia

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Answer 10

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 11

Dissociative Disorders

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Dissociative Identity Disorders (DID)

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Mood Disorders

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Major Depressive Disorder

Answer 14

A mood disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drugs or a medical condition, two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities.

Question 15

Mania

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Bipolar Disorder

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Schizophrenia

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Delusions

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Personality Disorders

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Answer 20

A personality disorder in which the 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.