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Psychology/Sociology - MCAT > Psychological Disorders > Flashcards

Psychological Disorders Flashcards

1
Q

Parkinson’s Disease

A

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

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2
Q

What happens if your body has excess dopamine?

A

it can cause hallucinations or delusions

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3
Q

PTSD diagnosis

A

hyperarousal (exaggerated responses, insomnia)
intrusive symptoms (flashbacks, nightmares)
avoiding reminders of trauma
negative thoughts and/or moods

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4
Q

Schizophrenia negative symptoms

A

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
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5
Q

Schizophrenia positive symptoms

A

something that was not present before but has now showed up, not good

  • hallucinations (hearing voices)
  • delusions (false belief)
  • disorganized/incoherent speech
  • agitated behavior
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6
Q

Neuroleptics

A

typical treatment of Schizophrenia

helps positive effects, but can worsen negative effects

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7
Q

Atypical antipsychotics

A

treatment for Schizophrenia

improves negative effects

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8
Q

somatic symptom disorder

A

extreme concern regarding one or more physical symptoms

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9
Q

conversion disorder

A

neurological symptoms (blindness, paralysis) that cannot be explained by a medical condition

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10
Q

illness anxiety disorder

A

when you are preoccupied with having or acquiring a serious disease

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11
Q

factitious disorder

A

when you over exaggerate your symptoms without an obvious external gain

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12
Q

dissociative disorders

A

disruption in memory and identity

dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder
- amnesia can be generalized or localized

often feels disconnected from reality

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13
Q

generalized anxiety disorder

A

being overly concerned about a variety of topics

includes muscle tension difficulty concentrating or sleeping, feeling restless, fatigued, or irritable

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14
Q

Dopamine synthesis pathway

A

Tyrosine –> L-DOPA –> dopamine –> Norepinephrine –> Epinephrine

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15
Q

depressants

A

reduce nervous system activity
reduces inhibition and reasoning areas of the brain

ex: alcohol stimulates GABA (reduces anxiety) and stimulates dopamine which promotes euphoria

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16
Q

alcohol

A 
depressant
stimulates GABA (reduces anxiety) and stimulates dopamine which promotes euphoria

slows activity of frontal lobe, reducing judgement and lowering inhibitions

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17
Q

opiates

A

morphine and codeine

cause euphoria and decrease pain reaction

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18
Q

stimulants

A

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

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19
Q

hallucinations

A

LSD and ketamine

enhance sensory experiences

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20
Q

somatic disorder

A

bodily symptoms that can cause stress and impairment to the sufferer
usually lack identifiable physical cause

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21
Q

stress

A

threatening or demanding stimulus that disturbs equilibrium

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22
Q

daily hastle

A

common, everyday
minor, few people
ex: traffic jam

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23
Q

personal life event

A

major, few people
major life transition
ex: divorce

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24
Q

ambient event

A

environmental
minor, many people
ex: pollution

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25
Q

catastrophe

A

large scale disaster
major, many people
ex: natural disaster

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26
Q

general adaptive syndrome

A

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

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27
Q

delusions

A

irrational beliefs that are maintained despite evidence of the contrary

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28
Q

biomedical approach

A

emphasize use of pharmacological therapy to correct imbalances

looks at physiological disorders from the perspective of genetics, brain structure, and brain chemistry

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29
Q

biopsychosocial perspective

A

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

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30
Q

monoamine hypothesis

A

biomedical approach to depression

depletion of monamines (seratonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) in central nervous system directly cause depression symptoms

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31
Q

seratonin

A

monoamine

positive moods, feeling of satisfaction, and social dominance

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32
Q

norepinephrine

A

monoamine

alertness, attention, memory formation

33
Q

dopamine

A

monoamine
pleasure and reward

drugs that secrete dopamine are more addictive because cause pleasure

34
Q

symptoms of parkinson’s disease

A

motor abnormalities - resting tremors, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, shuffling gait, lack of coordination
and symptoms of depression

35
Q

monoamine oxidase inhibitors

A

decrease breakdown of monoamines (serotonin specifically) by inhibiting the monoamine oxidase

36
Q

monoamine oxidase

A

enzyme attached to mitochondria in axon terminals

breaks down monoamines by oxidizing them so that they can be recycled and removed from synaptic cleft

37
Q

serotonin reuptake inhibitors

A

block reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic terminal so that serotonin remains longer in the synaptic cleft (helps with depression)

38
Q

Personality Disorders

A

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

39
Q

Mood Disorders

A

characterized by persistent disruptions in emotional state

40
Q

anxiety disorders

A

characterized by excessive worry

social dysfunction a result of excessive worry

includes phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, and OCD

41
Q

dissociative disorders

A

characterized by disruptions in memory and identity

42
Q

Personality Disorders - odd/eccentric

A

paranoid
schizophrenic
schizotypical

43
Q

Personality Disorders - dramatic/emotional/erratic

A

antisocial
borderline
narcissistic
histronic

44
Q

Histrionic personality disorder

A

excessive need to be noticed

often behave dramatically and inappropriately to get noticed

45
Q

Personality Disorders - anxious/fearful

A

avoidant
dependent
obsessive-compulsive

46
Q

What occurs due to chronic stress?

A

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

47
Q

barbiturates

A

positive allosteric modulator of GABA
induce sleep or reduce anxiety

side effects: reduced memory, judgement and concentration

48
Q

benzodiazepines

A

PAM of GABA

suppressant
sleep aids or anti-anxiety

open up GABA activated chloride channels in neurons

used to prevent and treat seizures

49
Q

amphetamines, meth, and cocaine

A

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

50
Q

Reward pathway

A

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

51
Q

cannabinoids

A

marijuana

work on cannabinoid receptors

52
Q

opioids

A

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

53
Q

MDMA

A

messes with seratonin and causes hallucinations

54
Q

NDRIs

A

norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitors

used for depression

55
Q

dissociatives

A

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

56
Q

tolerance

A

when the body adapts to the substance and requires more and more to achieve an effect

57
Q

withdrawal

A

has opposite effects as in intoxication

decreases in CNS will lead to increased CNS and that will lead to tolerance and dependence

58
Q

Alzheimer’s disease

A

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

59
Q

Multiple Sclerosis

A

neurodegenerative disease in which immune cells attack the myelin sheaths surrounding axons in the CNS

60
Q

Huntington’s Disease

A

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

61
Q

Dementia

A

chronic disorder of mental processes, particularly the ability to recall information

can cause personality and cognitive abilities

62
Q

Korsakoff’s syndrome

A

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

63
Q

symptoms of depression

A 
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
64
Q

Mania

A

symptom of bipolar disorder

increased energy or agitation, rapid thoughts, feelings of grandiosity, reduced need for sleep, distractibility, impulsive or reckless behaviors

65
Q

panic disorder

A

repeated, uncontrollable and unpredictable panic attacks (overwhelming surges of anxiety that peak within minutes)

66
Q

specific phobia

A

excessive, irrational fear of a specific situation (ex: heights) or animal/object (spiders)

67
Q

social anxiety disorder/social phobia

A

intense fear of scrutiny or rejection in social situations (ex: scared of public speaking or asking someone on a date)

68
Q

Obsessive compulsive disorder

A

a type of anxiety disorder that is characterized by obsessive, recurring thoughts, often accompanied by routines or rituals

69
Q

Somatic symptom and related disorders

A

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

70
Q

Bipolar disorder

A

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)

71
Q

Depressive disorder

A

type of mood disorder, characterized by feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and sadness

72
Q

Schizophrenia

A

type of psychotic disorder, characterized by loss of touch with reality, including audio and visual hallucinations, psychosis, and delusions

73
Q

Dopamine hypothesis of Schizophrenia

A

the condition stems from irregular, hyperactive dopaminergic signal transduction

too much dopamine causes hallucinations and affects the D2 receptors

there is a genetic predisposition

74
Q

Depression hypothesis

A

people with depression exhibit abnormal levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin

high levels of cortisol are also present

genetic predisposition

75
Q

Alzheimer’s disease hypothesis

A

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

76
Q

Stem cell based therapy

A

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)

77
Q

manic episode symptoms

A

DIG FAST

distractible
insomnia
grandiosity

flight of ideas (racing thoughts)
agitation
speech (pressured)
thoughtlessness (risky behavior)

78
Q

hypomania

A

type of bipolar disorder

typically does not significantly impair functioning, nor re there psychotic features although the individual may be more energetic and optimistic

79
Q

cyclothymic disorder

A

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

Psychology/Sociology - MCAT (12 decks)

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