Psychological Disorders: Chapter 15

Question 1

Agoraphobia

Answer 1

fear of being in a place or situation from which escape is difficult or embarrassing, or in which help is unavailable in the event of a panic attack

Question 2

antisocial personality disorder

Answer 2

condition marked by a lengthy history of irresponsible and/or illegal actions

Question 3

anxiety sensitivity

Answer 3

fear of anxiety related sensations

Question 4

asylum

Answer 4

institution for people with mental illnesses created in the 15th century

Question 5

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Answer 5

childhood condition marked by excessive inattention, impulsivity, and activity

Question 6

Autism spectrum disorder

Answer 6

DSM-5 category that includes autistic disorder and Asperger’s disorder

Question 7

bipolar disorder

Answer 7

condition marked by a history of at least one manic episode

Question 8

borderline personality disorder

Answer 8

condition marked by extreme instability in mood, identity, and impulse control

Question 9

catatonic symptom

Answer 9

motor problem, including extreme resistance to complying with simple suggestions, holding the body in bizarre or rigid postures, or curling up in a fetal position

Question 10

categorical model of mental illness

Answer 10

model in which a mental disorder differs from normal functioning in kind rather than degree

Question 11

cognitive model of depression

Answer 11

theory that depression is caused by negative beliefs and expectations

Question 12

comorbidity

Answer 12

co-occurrence of two or more diagnoses within the same person

Question 13

compulsion

Answer 13

repetitive behaviour or mental act performed to reduce or prevent stress

Question 14

deinstitutionalization

Answer 14

governmental policy in the 1960s and 1970s that focused on releasing hospitalized psychiatric patients into the community and closing mental hospitals

Question 15

delusion

Answer 15

strongly held. fixed belief that has no basis in reality

Question 16

demonic model

Answer 16

view of mental illness in which odd behaviour, hearing voices, or talking to oneself was attributed to evil spirits infesting the body

Question 17

depersonalization/derealization disorder

Answer 17

condition marked by multiple episodes of depersonalization

Question 18

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Answer 18

diagnostic system containing the American Psychiatric Association (APA) criteria for mental disorders

Question 19

diathesis-stress model

Answer 19

perspective proposing that mental disorders are a joint product of a genetic vulnerability, called a diathesis, and stressors that trigger the vulnerability

Question 20

dimensional model of mental illness

Answer 20

model in which a mental disorder differs from normal functioning in degree rather than kind

Question 21

dissociative amnesia

Answer 21

inability to recall important personal information-most often related to a stressful experience that can’t be explained by ordinary forgetfulness

Question 22

dissociative disorder

Answer 22

condition involving disruptions in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception

Question 23

dissociative fuge

Answer 23

sudden, unexpected travel away from home or the workplace, accompanied by amnesia for significant life events

Question 24

dissociative identity disorder

Answer 24

condition characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states that recurrently take control of the person’s behaviour

Question 25

empirical method of test construction

Answer 25

approach to building tests in which researchers begin with two or more criterion groups and examine which items best distinguish them

Question 26

face validity

Answer 26

extent to which respondents can tell what the items are measuring

Question 27

generalized anxiety disorder

Answer 27

continual feelings of worry, anxiety, physical tension, and irritability across many areas of life functioning

Question 28

hallucination

Answer 28

sensory perception that occurs in the absence of an external stimulus

Question 29

illness anxiety disorder

Answer 29

an individual’s continual preoccupation with the notion that they have a serious physical disease

Question 30

involuntary commitment

Answer 30

procedure of placing some people with mental illnesses in a psychiatric hospital or other facility based on their potential danger to themselves or others, or their inability to care for themselves

Question 31

labelling theorists

Answer 31

scholars who argue that psychiatric diagnoses exert powerful negative effects on people’s perceptions and behaviours

Question 32

learned helplessness

Answer 32

tendency to feel helpless in the face of events we can’t control

Question 33

major depressive episode

Answer 33

state in which a person experiences a lingering depressed mood or diminished interest in pleasurable activities, along with symptoms that include weight loss and sleep difficulties

Question 34

manic episode

Answer 34

experience marked by dramatically elevated mood. decreased need for sleep, increased energy, inflated self-esteem, Increased talkativeness, and irresponsible behaviour

Question 35

medical model

Answer 35

view of mental illness as caused by a physical disorder requiring medical treatment

Question 36

mental disorder defense

Answer 36

legal defence proposing that people shouldn’t be held legally responsible for their actions if they weren’t of “sound mind when committing them

Question 37

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Answer 37

widely used structured personality test designed to assess symptoms of mental disorders.

Question 38

moral treatment

Answer 38

approach to mental illness calling for dignity, kindness, and respect for those with mental illness

Question 39

obsession

Answer 39

persistent idea, thought, or impulse that is unwanted and inappropriate, causing marked distress

Question 40

obsessive compulsive disorder

Answer 40

condition marked by repeated and lengthy (at least one hour per day) immersion in obsessions, compulsions, or both

Question 41

panic attack

Answer 41

brief, intense episode of extreme fear characterized by sweating, dizziness, light headedness, racing heartbeat, and feelings of impending death or going crazy

Question 42

panic disorder

Answer 42

repeated and unexpected panic attacks, along with either persistent concerns about future attacks or a change in personal behaviour in an attempt to avoid them

Question 43

personality disorder

Answer 43

condition in which personality traits, appearing first in adolescence, are inflexible, stable, expressed in a wide variety of situations, and lead to distress or impairment

Question 44

phobia

Answer 44

Intense fear of an object or situation that’s greatly out of proportion to its actual threat

Question 45

posttraumatic stress disorder

Answer 45

marked emotional disturbance after experiencing or witnessing a severely stressful event

Question 46

prevelance

Answer 46

percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disorder

Question 47

psychopathic personality disorder

Answer 47

condition marked by superficial charm, dishonesty, manipulativeness, self centredness, and risk taking

Question 48

psychotic symptoms

Answer 48

psychological problem reflecting serious distortions in reality

Question 49

schizophrenia

Answer 49

severe disorder of thought and emotion associated with a loss of contact with reality

Question 50

social anxiety disorder

Answer 50

intense fear of negative evaluation in social situations

Question 51

somatic symptom disorder

Answer 51

condition marked by physical symptoms that suggest an underlying medical illness, but that are actually psychological in origin

Question 52

specific phobia

Answer 52

intense fear of objects, places, or situations that is greatly out of proportion to their actual threat