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Flashcards in Psychological Disorders Deck (47)
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1
Q

How many categories of psychological disorders are listed in the DSM-V?

A

20

You do not need to memorize all of these categories! However, some are more likely to appear on the MCAT than others. Categories that are tested relatively often include:

  • Personality disorders
  • Somatic symptom and related disorders
  • Dissociative disorders
  • Bipolar and related disorders
  • Depressive disorders
  • Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
  • Anxiety disorders
2
Q

Which of the following is not a category of psychological disorder in the DSM-V?

  • Dissociative disorders
  • Linguistic disorders
  • Personality disorders
A

“Linguistic disorders” is not a DSM-V category.

However, dissociative disorders and personality disorders are both categories in the DSM-V.

3
Q

Which of the following is not a category of psychological disorder in the DSM-V?

  • Personality disorders
  • Depressive disorders
  • Hypochondriac disorders
A

“Hypochondriac disorders” is not a DSM-V category.

(Hypochondria is the former name for somatic symptom disorder and illness anxiety disorder, two conditions currently categorized as somatoform disorders.)

Personality disorders and depressive disorders are both categories in the DSM-V.

4
Q

Which of the following is not a category of psychological disorder in the DSM-V?

  • Somatic symptom and related disorders
  • Bipolar and related disorders
  • Parkinson’s disease and related disorders
A

“Parkinson’s disease and related disorders” is not a DSM-V category.

Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder, not a psychological disorder. The other two options listed on the front of this card are categories in the DSM-5.

5
Q

Approximately ______ of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness.

A

Approximately 25% of U.S. adults have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness.

6
Q

___________ are characterized by excessive amounts of fear (phobias) or worry.

A

Anxiety disorders

These include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

7
Q

A medical student interviews a patient who washes his hands up to 100 times a day. The patient states that he feels tremendous anxiety when he cannot wash his hands. This patient most likely has:

A

obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This disorder is characterized by obsessive, recurring thoughts. These thoughts are commonly accompanied by physical or verbal rituals or compulsions.

8
Q

PTSD is an example of what type of psychological disorder?

A

A trauma/stressor-related disorder

These are characterized by anxiety, depression, or both in response to a traumatic event.

9
Q

Paranoid, schizoid, histrionic, avoidant, schizotypal, dependent, borderline, antisocial, narcissistic, and obsessive-compulsive are all examples of what larger class of disorder?

A

Personality disorders

These are all characterized by long-lasting thoughts and behaviors that prevent the patient from adhering to socially acceptable behavioral/thought patterns.

10
Q

True or false:

Individuals with schizophrenia are always also diagnosed with either schizoid or schizotypal personality disorder.

A

False

Schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders are entirely separate from schizophrenia!

Schizoid personality disorder refers to a lack of desire to engage socially, while schizotypal personality disorder refers to a pervasive pattern of eccentric thoughts, such as belief in magic or psychic tendencies. (However, of course, not all individuals who believe in these things have schizotypal personality disorder.)

11
Q

Cluster A of the personality disorders includes schizoid, paranoid, and ________ personality disorder.

A

Cluster A of the personality disorders includes schizoid, paranoid, and schizotypal personality disorder.

Individuals with these disorders may seem eccentric or odd and are typically socially withdrawn.

12
Q

Don’t let the name of this personality disorder mislead you! ________ is marked by social withdrawal, not by extreme paranoia or delusions.

A

schizoid personality disorder

Individuals with schizoid personality disorder may have few or no friends and may be socially awkward.

13
Q

Individuals who constantly believe that everyone around them is conspiring against them are most likely to have which of the Cluster A personality disorders?

A

Paranoid personality disorder

As one might expect from its name, paranoid personality disorder is marked by extreme paranoia.

14
Q

The only Cluster A personality disorder that is marked by outright psychosis and paranoid ideation is:

A

schizotypal personality disorder.

While this disorder is still distinct from schizophrenia, it resembles schizophrenia more closely than the other Cluster A disorder with a similar name: schizoid personality disorder.

15
Q

Cluster B of the personality disorders includes narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and ________ personality disorder.

A

Cluster B of the personality disorders includes narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and histrionic personality disorder.

Individuals with these disorders may seem erratic, dramatic, and/or highly emotional.

16
Q

People with this personality disorder may hold extremely tightly to relationships, exhibit emotional instability, and have one or two “favorite people” while passionately hating others.

A

Borderline personality disorder

This condition is more common in women than men. The described tendency toward viewing people as either wholly perfect or entirely terrible is termed splitting.

17
Q

Individuals with this personality disorder may have no problem exploiting others for their own personal gain and may seem to have no conscience or mental guidance regarding morality.

A

Antisocial personality disorder

This condition is much more common in men than women and is highly represented among people who have had problems with the law.

18
Q

An intense need for admiration and a strong sense of self-importance and entitlement characterize which Cluster B personality disorder?

A

Narcissistic personality disorder

Individuals with this condition are typically preoccupied with their own importance and become enraged when criticized.

19
Q

Intense, pervasive attention-seeking behavior is the hallmark of ________ personality disorder.

A

Intense, pervasive attention-seeking behavior is the hallmark of histrionic personality disorder.

People with this Cluster B disorder are typically highly dramatic and extroverted.

20
Q

Cluster C of the personality disorders includes dependent, avoidant, and ________ personality disorder.

A

Cluster C of the personality disorders includes dependent, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Cluster C is known as the fearful, anxious cluster of personality disorders.

21
Q

This Cluster C disorder shares the name of, but is distinct from, a separate psychological disorder.

A

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

This condition is marked by a consistent, long-lasting focus on rules, neatness, and perfectionism.

22
Q

Intense social anxiety and shyness combined with a strong desire for social acceptance characterize which Cluster C personality disorder?

A

Avoidant personality disorder

People with avoidant personality disorder may be highly sensitive to rejection.

23
Q

As its name implies, this Cluster C personality disorder is marked by a constant need for reassurance, support, and advice in making decisions.

A

Dependent personality disorder

People with this disorder may seem “needy” or “clingy” and may rely on loved ones for help making even simple decisions.

24
Q

Most psychological disorders are ego-________, meaning that the individual finds them stressful, distressing, and/or inconsistent with the individual’s self-perceived identity.

A

ego-dystonic

The majority of psychological disorders are ego-dystonic. Essentially, this means the individual with the disorder finds it unpleasant and does not believe that it reflects who they really are.

25
Q

Ego-________ psychological disorders are perceived by the individual to be in line with his or her identity and therefore normal and not distressing.

A

Ego-syntonic

In short, this means that the feelings and actions elicited by the disorder are perceived to be aligned with the ego of the individual.

26
Q

While the majority of psychological disorders are ego-dystonic, which category of disorder is known to typically be ego-syntonic?

A

Personality disorders

An easy way to remember this is to consider one example, narcissistic personality disorder. Anyone who has ever been close with someone with this disorder knows that they often perceive it as correct and aligned with their identity and goals.

27
Q

This type of disorder is characterized by memory loss, a sense of detachment from the self or one’s own body, and an altered perception of one’s identity.

A

Dissociative disorders

Examples include dissociative identity disorder, depersonalization disorder, and dissociative amnesia.

28
Q

The condition formerly known as multiple personality disorder is now termed:

A

dissociative identity disorder.

This name change was made to reflect the fact that multiple personalities wasn’t the correct description; rather, personality refers to the individual as a whole. Instead, these individuals lack a cohesive identity.

29
Q

___________ disorders include hypochondriasis, body dysmorphic disorder, somatization disorder, and conversion disorder.

A

Somatic symptom

Somatic symptom disorders are characterized by physical symptoms and associated negative thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that cannot be explained by substance use, physiological irregularity, or any other psychological disorder.

30
Q

Schizophrenia, a type of psychotic disorder, has the hallmark symptoms of:

A

loss of touch with reality, audio/visual hallucinations, psychosis, and delusions.

31
Q

In the context of schizophrenia, what are positive symptoms?

A

Positive symptoms are symptoms that appear in addition to typical behavior. (The term “positive” means “added,” not “good”!)

Examples of positive symptoms include hallucinations and delusions.

32
Q

In the context of schizophrenia, what are negative symptoms?

A

Negative symptoms are those that involve the lack or absence of typical behavior.

Negative symptoms include a lack of interest in the world and an inability to feel pleasure, among others.

33
Q

A common symptom of schizophrenia is “flat affect,” which refers to a lack of emotional expressiveness. Is this a positive or a negative symptom?

A

Flat affect is a negative symptom.

Remember, symptoms that involve the lack of something (here, the lack of emotional expressiveness) are negative symptoms.

Flat affect often manifests as a blank look on the face and a monotone-like manner of speech.

34
Q

This model seeks to explain the factors that lead to certain individuals developing psychological disorders. It focuses on the interaction between genetic predisposition and stressful life events.

A

The diathesis-stress model

This model is most often used in the context of schizophrenia. It posits that, while many individuals may have genetic or biological predispositions to the disorder (“diatheses”), they may only develop the disorder in response to major life stressors (“stresses”).

35
Q

These disorders are characterized by feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and sadness.

A

Depressive disorders

36
Q

Individuals with major depressive disorder may experience a loss of pleasure previously associated with enjoyable pastimes. This is termed:

A

anhedonia.

Put simply, anhedonia is an inability to feel pleasure.

37
Q

James has experienced a low mood and lack of energy for many years, but his symptoms are not severe enough to constitute a major depressive episode. James has:

A

dysthymia.

In addition, James would likely be diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder, which applies to individuals who have experienced dysthymia (depressed mood that does not meet the criteria for major depressive disorder) for at least two years.

38
Q

Bipolar disorder is a type of mood disorder, characterized by extreme:

A

mood swings and energy levels.

This type of mood disorder is characterized by patients “bouncing” from depressive episodes (low energy, sadness, low motivation) to manic episodes (elevated mood, irritability, surplus energy).

39
Q

This bipolar disorder includes full-blown manic episodes.

A

Bipolar I disorder

Bipolar I disorder is marked by more severe manic episodes than bipolar II disorder.

40
Q

This bipolar disorder only includes hypomania (episodes of mania that are less severe than manic episodes), but unlike bipolar I, the individual must exhibit major depressive episodes.

A

Bipolar II disorder

Bipolar II includes less severe mania than bipolar I (manifested as hypomania instead of full-blown manic episodes) but more severe depression (as, to be diagnosed with bipolar II, the individual must exhibit major depressive episodes).

41
Q

The _______ hypothesis of schizophrenia posits that the disease may stem from irregular, overactive signal transduction.

A

dopamine

Some patients with schizophrenia may have high levels of dopamine in the brain or overactive D2 receptors.

42
Q

True or false:

Patients with depression often present with atypical levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. High levels of adrenal-derived cortisol may be present in the blood as well.

A

True

Research suggests that there is also a genetic component to depression.

43
Q

One of the two classic findings in brains with Alzheimer’s disease upon autopsy are ________ plaque formations, which surround and kill brain cells.

A

ß-amyloid

There can also be a genetic component to this disease.

44
Q

One of the two classic findings in brains with Alzheimer’s disease upon autopsy are ________, which are long, thin aggregates of tau proteins that prevent proper maintenance of neurons.

A

neurofibrillary tangles

45
Q

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the progressive degeneration of cells located in the __________ region of the midbrain.

A

substantia nigra pars compacta

46
Q

The cells that degenerate in patients with Parkinson’s disease typically produce which neurotransmitter?

A

Dopamine

Normally, dopamine facilitates the communication of the substantia nigra (the part of the brain that deteriorates in Parkinson’s disease) with the corpus striatum.

47
Q

Loss of certain nervous system cells in ALS, Parkinson’s, and other diseases may be treated by the introduction of _______, which can provide progenitors of astrocytes, neurons, glial cells, etc.

A

stem cells

Specifically, this would require the introduction of pluripotent stem cells.