Psychological Disorders Flashcards
Parkinson’s Disease
caused by decreased amounts of dopamine reaching the substantia nigra that functions to inhibit involuntary movement
L-Dopa will increase dopamine concentrations
progressive neurodegenerative disease that involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia
What happens if your body has excess dopamine?
it can cause hallucinations or delusions
PTSD diagnosis
hyperarousal (exaggerated responses, insomnia)
intrusive symptoms (flashbacks, nightmares)
avoiding reminders of trauma
negative thoughts and/or moods
Schizophrenia negative symptoms
something that was once prominent and has now diminished
- reduced speech
- anhedonia: inability to experience pleasure
- apathy: lack of motivation
- flat affect: emotional flattening
- social withdrawal
Schizophrenia positive symptoms
something that was not present before but has now showed up, not good
- hallucinations (hearing voices)
- delusions (false belief)
- disorganized/incoherent speech
- agitated behavior
Neuroleptics
typical treatment of Schizophrenia
helps positive effects, but can worsen negative effects
Atypical antipsychotics
treatment for Schizophrenia
improves negative effects
somatic symptom disorder
extreme concern regarding one or more physical symptoms
conversion disorder
neurological symptoms (blindness, paralysis) that cannot be explained by a medical condition
illness anxiety disorder
when you are preoccupied with having or acquiring a serious disease
factitious disorder
when you over exaggerate your symptoms without an obvious external gain
dissociative disorders
disruption in memory and identity
dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder
- amnesia can be generalized or localized
often feels disconnected from reality
generalized anxiety disorder
being overly concerned about a variety of topics
includes muscle tension difficulty concentrating or sleeping, feeling restless, fatigued, or irritable
Dopamine synthesis pathway
Tyrosine –> L-DOPA –> dopamine –> Norepinephrine –> Epinephrine
depressants
reduce nervous system activity
reduces inhibition and reasoning areas of the brain
ex: alcohol stimulates GABA (reduces anxiety) and stimulates dopamine which promotes euphoria
alcohol
depressant stimulates GABA (reduces anxiety) and stimulates dopamine which promotes euphoria
slows activity of frontal lobe, reducing judgement and lowering inhibitions
opiates
morphine and codeine
cause euphoria and decrease pain reaction
stimulants
cocaine and amphetamines
increase arousal through release and inhibition of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin
increase arousal, heart rate, blood pressure, and creates effects of anxiety, euphoria, and decreased appetite
hallucinations
LSD and ketamine
enhance sensory experiences
somatic disorder
bodily symptoms that can cause stress and impairment to the sufferer
usually lack identifiable physical cause
stress
threatening or demanding stimulus that disturbs equilibrium
daily hastle
common, everyday
minor, few people
ex: traffic jam
personal life event
major, few people
major life transition
ex: divorce
ambient event
environmental
minor, many people
ex: pollution
catastrophe
large scale disaster
major, many people
ex: natural disaster
general adaptive syndrome
people originally have decreased resistance to stress (alarm stage) as the SNS prepares for fight or flight.
Then they become resistant (resistance stage) where the body resists the stressor and tries to return to normal.
Then the body will eventually become depleted (exhaustion stage) and will no longer be able to resist impact of stressors. This is when chronic diseases can develop
delusions
irrational beliefs that are maintained despite evidence of the contrary
biomedical approach
emphasize use of pharmacological therapy to correct imbalances
looks at physiological disorders from the perspective of genetics, brain structure, and brain chemistry
biopsychosocial perspective
interactions between bio, psych, and social factors
bio: genetic predisposition, hormones, NT, anatomy & physiology
psych: personality characteristics (self efficacy, negative thought patterns, etc) and co-occurring mental illnesses
social: social and cultural context in which an individual’s lives plus SES, family dynamics, peer groups, and major life events affect outcome
monoamine hypothesis
biomedical approach to depression
depletion of monamines (seratonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) in central nervous system directly cause depression symptoms
seratonin
monoamine
positive moods, feeling of satisfaction, and social dominance
norepinephrine
monoamine
alertness, attention, memory formation
dopamine
monoamine
pleasure and reward
drugs that secrete dopamine are more addictive because cause pleasure
symptoms of parkinson’s disease
motor abnormalities - resting tremors, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, shuffling gait, lack of coordination
and symptoms of depression
monoamine oxidase inhibitors
decrease breakdown of monoamines (serotonin specifically) by inhibiting the monoamine oxidase
monoamine oxidase
enzyme attached to mitochondria in axon terminals
breaks down monoamines by oxidizing them so that they can be recycled and removed from synaptic cleft
serotonin reuptake inhibitors
block reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic terminal so that serotonin remains longer in the synaptic cleft (helps with depression)
Personality Disorders
inflexible and enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that differ markedly from social norms and cause functional impairment
include paranoia, schizotypal, borderline, antisocial, schizoid, histronic, avoidant, narcissistic, obsessive compulsive, and dependent personality disorder
Mood Disorders
characterized by persistent disruptions in emotional state
anxiety disorders
characterized by excessive worry
social dysfunction a result of excessive worry
includes phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD
dissociative disorders
characterized by disruptions in memory and identity
Personality Disorders - odd/eccentric
paranoid
schizophrenic
schizotypical
Personality Disorders - dramatic/emotional/erratic
antisocial
borderline
narcissistic
histronic
Histrionic personality disorder
excessive need to be noticed
often behave dramatically and inappropriately to get noticed
Personality Disorders - anxious/fearful
avoidant
dependent
obsessive-compulsive
What occurs due to chronic stress?
stress activates SNS and decreases PNS
therefore will increase HR, increase epinephrine and cortisol level, and increase glucose release
will also decrease blood flow to digestive and visceral organs
this leads to fatigue, anxiety, increased cardiovascular disease, increased muscle tension, and decreased immune, reproductive, and digestive systems
barbiturates
positive allosteric modulator of GABA
induce sleep or reduce anxiety
side effects: reduced memory, judgement and concentration
benzodiazepines
PAM of GABA
suppressant
sleep aids or anti-anxiety
open up GABA activated chloride channels in neurons
used to prevent and treat seizures
amphetamines, meth, and cocaine
stimulants
release dopamine to give you a feeling of euphoria but will deplete levels that made a large crash
long term affects: may lose ability to maintain normal levels of dopamine
Reward pathway
when experience pleasure, brain releases NT dopamine which is produced in the VTA of the midbrain
VTA sends dopamine to amygdala, NA, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus
amygdala says that was enjoyable, hippocampus puts that to memory, nucleus accumbens says to take another bite of drug, and prefrontal cortex focuses attention to it
cannabinoids
marijuana
work on cannabinoid receptors
opioids
morphine, oxycodone, heroine
work on opiate receptors, decrease uptake of dopamine which causes euphoria
endogenous opiates are endorphins
take away pain - analgesiacs
methadone is less addictive, used to reduce cravings
MDMA
messes with seratonin and causes hallucinations
NDRIs
norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitors
used for depression
dissociatives
causes user to dissociate and feel removed from or insensitive to their surroundings, even pain and temperature
ex: PCP and Ketamine
block NMDA receptors for release of glutamate
tolerance
when the body adapts to the substance and requires more and more to achieve an effect
withdrawal
has opposite effects as in intoxication
decreases in CNS will lead to increased CNS and that will lead to tolerance and dependence
Alzheimer’s disease
progressive neurodegenerative brain disease characterized by the presence of plaques composed of beta amyloid proteins and neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau proteins
these are toxic to the neurons and lead to cell death
these build up over time so the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases with age
includes forgetfulness, changes in mood and behavior, and difficulty speaking and swallowing
Multiple Sclerosis
neurodegenerative disease in which immune cells attack the myelin sheaths surrounding axons in the CNS
Huntington’s Disease
autosomal dominant genetic neurodegenerative disease in which neuronal loss occurs in extensive regions of the brain including the basal ganglia. The neurons are genetically programmed to degenerate over time.
includes memory loss and dementia as well as involuntary movements of the limbs
Dementia
chronic disorder of mental processes, particularly the ability to recall information
can cause personality and cognitive abilities
Korsakoff’s syndrome
chronic memory disorder that is caused by deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine)
most commonly caused by heavy, constant alcohol abuse
symptoms include memory loss, confusion, poor coordination, disrupted speech, and involuntary eye movements
symptoms of depression
feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness lack of interest or pleasure changes in appetite changes in sleep fatigue low self worth or guilt cognitive difficulties thoughts about death or suicidal ideation
Mania
symptom of bipolar disorder
increased energy or agitation, rapid thoughts, feelings of grandiosity, reduced need for sleep, distractibility, impulsive or reckless behaviors
panic disorder
repeated, uncontrollable and unpredictable panic attacks (overwhelming surges of anxiety that peak within minutes)
specific phobia
excessive, irrational fear of a specific situation (ex: heights) or animal/object (spiders)
social anxiety disorder/social phobia
intense fear of scrutiny or rejection in social situations (ex: scared of public speaking or asking someone on a date)
Obsessive compulsive disorder
a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by obsessive, recurring thoughts, often accompanied by routines or rituals
Somatic symptom and related disorders
characterized by physical symptoms that are accompanied by negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that cannot otherwise be explained by substance use or any other psychological disorder
includes hypochondriasis, pain disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, somatization disorder, and conversion disorder
Bipolar disorder
type of mood disorder, characterized by extreme mood swings, from depressive episodes (low energy, sadness, low motivation) to manic episodes (elevated mood, irritability, excessive amounts of energy)
Depressive disorder
type of mood disorder, characterized by feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and sadness
Schizophrenia
type of psychotic disorder, characterized by loss of touch with reality, including audio and visual hallucinations, psychosis, and delusions
Dopamine hypothesis of Schizophrenia
the condition stems from irregular, hyperactive dopaminergic signal transduction
too much dopamine causes hallucinations and affects the D2 receptors
there is a genetic predisposition
Depression hypothesis
people with depression exhibit abnormal levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin
high levels of cortisol are also present
genetic predisposition
Alzheimer’s disease hypothesis
formation of plaques around brain cells cause them to die
accompanied by formation of beta tangles, long strands of proteins that prevent brain cells from receiving proper nutrients
genetic predisposition
Stem cell based therapy
used to regenerate neurons in the CNS
brain cells - oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and neurons can be regenerated from neural stem cells
this can repair damage caused by degenerative diseases (parkinsons, lou gehrigs disease)
manic episode symptoms
DIG FAST
distractible
insomnia
grandiosity
flight of ideas (racing thoughts)
agitation
speech (pressured)
thoughtlessness (risky behavior)
hypomania
type of bipolar disorder
typically does not significantly impair functioning, nor re there psychotic features although the individual may be more energetic and optimistic
cyclothymic disorder
type of bipolar disorder
consists of combination of hypomanic episodes and periods of depression that are not severe enough to qualify as major depressive episodes
