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MCAT > Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

Psychological Disorders Flashcards

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1
Q

psychological disorder

A

set of behavioural and/or psychological symptoms that are not in keeping with cultural norms and are severe enough to cause significant personal distress and/or significant impairment to social, occupational, or personal functioning

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2
Q

anxiety disorders

A

• characterized by excessive fear (of specific real things or more generally) and/or anxiety (of real or imagined future things or events) with both physiological and psychological symptoms

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3
Q

obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

A
  • involve a pattern of obsessive thoughts or urges coupled with maladaptive behavioural compulsions
  • the compulsions are experienced as a necessary/urgent response to the obsessive thoughts/urges → rigid routines
  • at least one pronounced repetitive behaviour that exceeds cultural norms + rituals
  • there are often unsuccessful attempts to manage these behaviours
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4
Q

trauma- and stressor-related disorders

A
  • involve unhealthy or pathological responses to life-threatening or harmful events, including witnessing such an event
  • subsequent symptoms: pattern of anxiety, depression, depersonalization, nightmares, insomnia, heightened startle response
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5
Q

somatic symptom disorders

A
  • characterized by symptoms that cannot be explained by a medical condition or substance use + are not attributable to another psychological disorder, but nonetheless cause emotional distress
  • somatic symptoms do not improve with medical treatment
  • genuinely experience symptoms + believe there is something physically wrong with them
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6
Q

bipolar and related disorders

A
  • involve mood swings or cycles (called episodes) ranging from manic to depressive
  • manic episodes tend to be followed by depressive episodes + vice versa
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7
Q

depressive disorders

A

characterized by a disturbance in mood or affect

symptoms: difficulties in sleep, concentration, and/or appetite; fatigue; inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia)

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8
Q

schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders

A
  • characterized by a general loss of contact with reality
  • includes positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking/speech, abnormal motor behaviour) and/or negative symptoms (flattened affect, avolition, alogia)
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9
Q

dissociative disorders

A
  • characterized by extreme and frequent disruptions in memory, awareness, identity, or perception that cause distress or impair functioning
  • thought to be caused by psychological trauma
  • usually begin + end suddenly
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10
Q

personality disorders

A
  • characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behaviour and cognition that depart from social norms, present across a variety of contexts, and cause significant dysfunction and distress (to themselves or others)
  • permeate the broader personality of the person + typically solidify during adolescence or early adulthood
  • personality becomes a disorder when (1) the pattern causes significant distress or impairment, (2) has been present since adolescence or young adulthood, (3) affects nearly all personal + social situations, and (4) creates dysfunction in 2 or more of: affect, cognition, impulse control, interpersonal functioning
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11
Q

neurodevelopmental disorders

A

characterized by developmental deficits varying from specific learning impairments to global impairments of social skills or intelligence

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12
Q

neurocognitive disorders

A

characterized by cognitive abnormalities or general decline in memory, problem-solving, and/or perception

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13
Q

feeding and eating disorders

A

characterized by abnormal eating behaviours such as severe undereating and purging to maintain an unhealthy weight

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14
Q

panic disorder

A
  • anxiety disorder
  • suffered at least one panic attack + is worried about having more of them
  • panic attacks can be triggered by certain situations but are often spontaneous + occurring at an unpredictable frequency
  • during a panic attack: intense dread, shortness of breath, chest pain, choking sensation, cardiac symptoms, trembling, sweating, lightheadedness, chills
  • panic attacks can mask other illnesses
  • respond well to treatment
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15
Q

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

A
  • anxiety disorder
  • tense or anxious much of the time (source of anxiety is often shifting or unidentifiable) but do not experience panic attacks
  • no severe distress/impairment
  • symptoms: restlessness, tiring easily, poor concentration, irritability, muscle tension, insomnia, restless sleep
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16
Q

specific phobia

A
  • anxiety disorder
  • persistent, strong, and unreasonable fear of a certain object or situation
  • recognizes that fear is unreasonable but goes to great lengths to avoid feared trigger
  • phobia can be situational, natural environment, blood-injection-injury, animal
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17
Q

social phobia

A
  • anxiety disorder
  • aka social anxiety disorder
  • unreasonable, paralyzing fear of feeling embarrassed or humiliated while seen or watched by others
  • recognizes that fear is unreasonable but goes to great lengths to avoid feared trigger
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18
Q

obsessive-compulsive disorder

A
  • OCD
  • has obsessions, compulsions, or both
  • obsessions: repeated, intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts or impulses that cause distress or anxiety
  • compulsions: repeated physical or mental behaviours performed in response to an obsession to reduce distress or prevent something dreaded from occurring
  • if they do not perform the compulsion, feel intense anxiety + conviction that the terrible event will happen
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19
Q

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A
  • trauma- and stressor-related disorders
  • arises when a person feels intense fear, horror, or helplessness after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence
  • 8% of men + 20% of women develop PTSD after a trauma
  • event is often relived (may include multi-sensory re-processing)
  • experience mental or psychological distress when reminded of the event + try to avoid any reminders
  • may be chronically physiologically hyperaroused - increased startle response, insomnia, angry outbursts, poor concentrations, hyperviliglance
  • symptoms must be present for >1 month
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20
Q

acute stress disorder

A
  • trauma- and stressor-related disorder

* similar to PTSD but symptoms last from 3 days to 1 month

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21
Q

adjustment disorder

A
  • trauma- and stressor-related disorder
  • maladaptive response to a stressor (not a trauma)
  • response lasts between 3-6 months
22
Q

somatic symptom disorder

A
  • somatic symptom and related disorders
  • complain of one or more somatic symptoms with no underlying medical cause
  • diagnosis requires evidence of diminished functioning due to excessive preoccupation with and/or anxiety about the symptoms
23
Q

illness anxiety disorder

A
  • somatic symptom and related disorders
  • somatic symptoms are not as central (and are not necessary for diagnosis)
  • mainly involves psychological distress + preoccupation with their health condition + health-related behaviours
  • often mistake normal bodily functions for signs of illness
24
Q

conversion disorder

A
  • somatic symptom and related disorders
  • experiences a change in motor or sensory function (i.e. weakness, tremors, seizures, difficulty talking/eating) with no physical cause + seemingly affected by psychological factors
  • often occurs in response to emotional conflict or other stressor - emotion is converted into a physical symptoms
  • change in function is severe enough to warrant medical attention or to cause significant distress + impairment in work, social, or personal functioning
25
Q

factitious disorder

A
  • somatic symptom and related disorders
  • aka Munchhausen Syndrome or Munchhausen by Proxy
  • in factitious disorder imposed on self: person fabricates an illness + falsifies evidence or symptoms OR inflicts harm to induce illness/injury
  • diagnosis requires that the person behaves this way even without obvious benefit
  • in factitious disorder imposed on another: person creates symptoms in another person + presents them as ill
26
Q

bipolar I

A
  • bipolar disorder
  • diagnosis requires at least 1 manic or mixed episode
  • manic episode: lasts at least 7 days, involves an increase in goal-directed activity, distractibility, inflated self-image, irritability and euphoria, decreased need for sleep and food
  • mixed episode: lasts at least 7 days - throughout those 7 days, the person meets the requirement for a major depressive episode + manic episode every day
  • mania must not be caused by medical condition or treatment
  • may involve a swing to a major depressive episode or a dysthymic depressive episodes
27
Q

bipolar II

A
  • bipolar disorder
  • has less extreme manic phases
  • experiences cyclic moods, including at least one major depressive episode and one hypomanic episode
  • hypomanic episode: lasts for at least 4 days, involves a euphoric or irritable mood, with less severe symptoms than a manic episode (no psychosis or hospitalization)
  • major depressive episode: lasts for at least two weeks, involves at least 5 of the following: abnormal amount of sleep, abnormal appetite, lack of focus, suicidal thoughts, fatigue, low self-worth and guilt, decreased interest in activities
28
Q

cyclothymic disorder

A
  • bipolar disorder
  • less extreme moods (do not meet criteria for a major depressive episode OR a manic episode)
  • lasts at least 2 years, with no more than 2 months with no mood swing
29
Q

mood

A

sustained internal emotion that colours a person’s view of life

30
Q

major depressive disorder (MDD)

A
  • depressive disorder
  • suffered one or more major depressive episodes
  • 10% of people with MDD attempt suicide
  • symptoms of MDD do not indicate a mood disorder if occurring within 2 months of bereavement
  • in seasonal affective disorder, episodes of depression occur during certain seasons
31
Q

persistent depressive disorder (PDD)

A
  • depressive disorder
  • aka dysthymic disorder
  • less intense but more chronic form of depression
  • experience mild symptoms of depression most days for at least two years, with symptoms never absent for more than 2 months but with NO major depressive episode
  • onset: adolescence or early adulthood
32
Q

premenstrual dysphoric disorder

A
  • depressive disorder
  • diagnosed only in women
  • many symptoms of MDD are present, but intensify the week before menstruation + disappear the week after menstruation
  • specific symptoms: feeling on edge, specific food cravings, sense of being overwhelmed, physical symptoms of menstruation
33
Q

delusional disorder

A
  • schizophrenia spectrum + other psychotic disorders
  • delusion: false belief not due to culture that is not relinquished despite contradicting evidence
  • one or more delusions must be present for at least a month + counterevidence must be denied or distorted to keep the delusion intact
34
Q

hallucination

A
  • false sensory perception that occurs while a person is conscious
  • different from an illusion - must occur in the absence of related sensory stimuli
  • auditory + visual are most common
35
Q

schizophrenia

A
  • experience positive + sometimes negative symptoms for > 6 months
  • great impact on functioning (work, relationships, self-care)
  • symptoms may subside to prodromal level but there is no complete remission without medication
  • must rule out mood and developmental disorders before diagnosing schizophrenia spectrum disorder
36
Q

dissociative identity disorder

A
  • dissociative disorder
  • alternates among 2 or more distinct personality states (or identities), only one of which interacts with other people at a given time
  • involves loss of awareness or memory for one or more of the personality states
  • identities may vary widely in age, gender, and personality traits
37
Q

dissociative amnesia

A
  • dissociative disorder
  • has had at least one episode of forgetting some important personal info
  • has gaps in memory usually related to severe stress or trauma
  • may experience a dissociative fugue, where they experience it as kind of a journey
  • amnesia can be localized (everything that happened in a certain time periods forgotten), selective (only some events during a certain time period are forgotten), generalized (the person’s whole lifetime is forgotten), continuous (everything after a certain point is forgotten), or systematized (only particular categories of info are forgotten)
  • begins + ends suddenly, usually with full recovery of memory
38
Q

depersonalization/derealization disorder

A
  • dissociative disorder
  • depersonalization: has a recurring or persistent feeling of being cut off or detached from their body or mental processes, as it observing themselves from the outside
  • derealization: has the feeling that people or objects in their env. are not real
  • “reality testing” remains intact - they know the feeling is inaccurate - awareness of this incongruity causes distress or impairs function
  • onset: usually in late adolescence; first onset is rare after age 25
  • can be sudden or gradual
39
Q

egosyntonic

A

in harmony with a person’s ego or self-image

40
Q

cluster A

A
  • paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal

* irrational, withdrawn, cold, suspicious

41
Q

cluster B

A
  • antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic

* emotional, dramatic, attention-seeking, intense

42
Q

cluster C

A
  • avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive

* tense, anxious, over-controlled

43
Q

paranoid personality disorder

A
  • cluster A
  • mistrusts + misinterprets others’ motives + actions without cause - suspects them of deceiving, harming, betraying, or attacking them
  • guarded, tense, self-sufficient in maladaptive ways
44
Q

antisocial personality disorder

A
  • cluster B
  • history of serious behaviour problems beginning as a young teen; including significant aggression against people or animals, deliberate property destruction, lying or theft, serious rule violation
  • since age 15, has a history of disregarding the rights of others in various ways - illegal activities, fighting, lack of remorse, financial irresponsibility
  • most commonly encountered in men (esp. incarcerated men)
  • cross-listed in DSM-V in section on Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
45
Q

avoidant personality disorder

A
  • cluster C
  • feels inadequate, inferior, and undesirable, and is preoccupied with fears of criticism + conflict
  • avoids interpersonal contact + new activities unless certain of being liked
  • restrained + inhibited in relationships
46
Q

dependent personality disorder

A
  • cluster C
  • feels a need to be taken care of + has unrealistic fear of being unable to take care of themselves
  • has trouble making decisions + taking responsibility - prefers to gain approval by seeking advice + reassurance of others
  • in relationships, they are clingy, submissive, and do not express disagreements
  • often taken advantage of
  • urgently seeks a relationship if one is lost
47
Q

borderline personality disorder

A
  • cluster B
  • suffers from enduring or recurrent instability in their impulse control, mood, and self-image
  • impulsive + reckless behaviour, extreme mood swings, reactivity, anger
  • unstable relationships
  • unstable sense of self + scared of abandonment
  • more frequent in women + linked to self-harm + suicidal behaviours
  • more severe + generalized form of bipolar disorder
  • idealizes then demonizes people in her life
  • often linked to childhood sexual abuse
48
Q

schizoid personality disorder

A
  • cluster A
  • loner with little interest in close relationships
  • emotionally unaffected by interactions with other people; detached + cold
  • characterized by one of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia (lack of affect)
49
Q

schizotypal personality disorder

A
  • cluster A
  • limited or inappropriate affect, magical or paranoid thinking, odd beliefs, speech, behaviour, appearance, perceptions
  • charaterized by some of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
  • only confide in close relations
  • many cases develop schizophrenia
50
Q

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

A
  • cluster C
  • perfectionistic, rigid, stubborn, has strong need for control
  • will not cooperate with others, resists authority
  • workaholic + moralistic
  • often depressed + has trouble expressing affection
  • preoccupation with order + list-making can interfere with effectiveness + efficiency
51
Q

histrionic personality disorder

A
  • cluster B
  • desire to be the centre of attention
  • attracts attention through appearance + seductive behaviour
  • dramatic expressions of emotion, but emotions are usually shallow + shifting
  • believes relationships are more intimate than they are
  • suggestible + vague in speech
52
Q

narcissistic personality disorder

A
  • cluster B
  • self-important + grandiose
  • fantasies about beauty, brilliance, power
  • desperate need for admiration + feels envy to and from others
  • lacks empathy + feels entitled and arrogant

MCAT (9 decks)

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